What’s The Cost Of Privacy When You Have No Home?

 

    

After a long day of being out, you finally get to come home. Drop the keys into the little jar right beside the shoe rack that holds your go-to shoes, sit down to take them off, and head straight to wash away the day. Nothing out of the ordinary, it was just another day to wind down. But there is just something so comforting about being back in your own bubble, giving you that reset and soothing feeling you didn’t realize you needed. 

You might lie down, doom scroll on social media, watch your favorite Netflix series you’ve been keeping up with every night, cook something nice for yourself, or honestly do nothing at all. Whatever you feel like doing! The decision is yours. You have your own space, your own routine, and the freedom to just be yourself without any extra thought. 

But have you ever stopped to think about what it would be like if you didn’t have a space of your own to come home to?

When homelessness comes to mind, the first thing people think of is not having a roof over their heads. However, the aspect of privacy is often overlooked. Having a place to sleep is one thing, but having a place where one can feel safe, protected, and be yourself is something entirely different. 

When Privacy Isn’t An Option

Think about all the little things you spend your time doing throughout your day without even realizing that they are privileges. Taking a shower, changing clothes, sleeping, or having a private call are the things that people don’t think much of. For those who are experiencing homelessness, on the other hand, these everyday activities can be a challenge. 

Finding a space in an emergency shelter doesn’t necessarily mean having a space that is comfortable and safe to spend time in. Sleeping areas can get noisy and unfamiliar surroundings can create discomfort, especially for those who have already been through difficult experiences. 

A 2025 research study published in The Gerontologist looked into the trauma of older adults who have experienced homelessness. The research raises awareness on the importance of having a secure and safe environment that better supports those who have experienced trauma. 

And it’s something worth considering. Imagine having a tough day and nowhere to go to where you can completely be alone. Nowhere to cry, collect peaceful thoughts, and do absolutely nothing without potentially being watched. 

Privacy doesn’t mean just hiding something. Most of the time, it’s just about having a moment to yourself. 

Having Shelter Doesn’t Necessarily Mean It’s A Home

There is no doubt that emergency shelters are crucial. They provide people immediate protection and access to services that can make a real difference. 

But does having a place to sleep mean that they feel at home?

Well, the two aren’t necessarily the same. 

Home isn’t just a concrete structure or physical space. It’s also a place where one can control their own surroundings, make their own decisions, and make sure that their belongings are protected and secure. 

A research study published in Health Expectations looks into how those who experienced homelessness describe the meaning of home. The results showed how home can mean much more than physical shelter but stability, personal space, and a sense of feeling belonged. 

When homelessness is brought up, the majority of the time we focus on the number of beds in shelters or how many more people can be helped. While these numbers are still important, we forget the feelings and experiences of those living in the shelter.

If there is a roof over our heads but lack of security and personal privacy, are all the needs regarding having a home truly being addressed?

What Could Be Done Differently?

“Fixing” homelessness does not mean opening more shelters and believing that it will solve the problem. Having said that, just improving the availability of shelters is not enough but also considering the design and quality of these spaces should be a part of the conversation. 

Something as simple as having private or semi-private sleeping areas could help with personal space. Accessible showers, bathrooms, and laundry facilities could make these living conditions a lot more comfortable and dignified. And for personal belongings, having secure storage could help people feel more control over their lives. 

These ideas aren’t all theoretical. There are different types of shelters already in Portland. According to the Shelter To Housing Continuum, some shelters do have shared sleeping areas, including traditional congregate shelter and village type of shelter that offer a different types of environment. 

This proves that offering shelter doesn’t always have to look the same. They also raise the question whether Portland residents would welcome the idea of expanding more shelters that more prioritizes personal space and privacy instead of just only focusing on how many people a shelter can accommodate. 

The U.S. The Interagency Council on Homelessness emphasizes the importance of dignity and respect in emergency shelters as it helps them transition people towards permanent housing. 

Of course, we have to recognize that shelters run with limited resources, including limited money and available space. It’s not always easy to create additional facilities or current site designs. This makes it difficult to balance privacy with the amount of people a shelter can serve. 

Still, these difficulties should not stop communities from looking for better ways to help those who are experiencing homelessness. The issue is not necessarily about the choice between expanding assistance and improving quality. Instead, it’s about finding ways to make the most out of the available resources without overlooking those who may depend on this help. 

People who have experienced homelessness should have a voice in these decisions. A 2024 report from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute explores how people that have experienced homelessness can be more involved in housing policies. Someone who has stayed in some type of emergency housing might notice issues that are not obvious to the people that are designing or funding these programs. 

Not every improvement requires major renovations or building new facilities. Their experiences can help communities better understand where improvements and funding can actually make the biggest difference. After all, people who will use these services are the ones that experience these conditions daily. 

Something Worth Thinking About

Think back to the familiar routine of getting home after a long day. Keys in the jar, shoes off, and the rest of the evening is all yours. A bit of an ordinary part of life that makes you forget about the freedom that comes with it. 

Homelessness is complex, and truthfully, there is no single solution that can solve every problem. Affordable housing, healthcare, financial support, or decent job opportunities all can contribute to helping build long term stability for people, but in the meantime, the conditions that people experience while living in emergency shelters shouldn’t be overlooked. 

The next time your community proposes a center or housing program, try to take a look closer at what they are trying to do. Ask yourself if the shelter meets the people's needs when it comes to experiences rather than the number of beds or funds put into it. Do they really have a say in the decisions that affect their own lives daily?

Providing a roof over someone’s head is a crucial step in addressing homelessness but having shelter does not mean having somewhere that feels like home.

A shelter can offer a place to sleep, but can it offer even a small sense of comfort that comes with having a place to call your own?

Curious about how Portland is approaching different types of shelters? Take a look at the City of Portland’s Shelter to Housing Continuum and see what options are being considered. 

SOURCES - Read Further

The Gerontologist (2025) - Research on trauma among older adults experiencing homelessness.

Health Expectations - Research exploring the meaning of home among those who have experienced homelessness. Read The Study.

City of Portland. Shelter to Housing Continuum - Provides information on different shelter types and housing options in Portland. Learn More Here.

U.S. Interagency Council On Homelessness - Key considerations for Implementing Emergency Shelter. Read the guidance here.

Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (2024) - Research on involving people with lived experience in homelessness policy and services. Read report here. 

Wait, is My ChatGPT Prompt Causing Asthma and Low Income Displacement?

 

In the age of AI in our everyday digital life, it’s very tempting to use AI from everyday tasks, revise your emails to check grammar, and be a companion to the most menial tasks like remembering to get laundry detergent.

Have you wondered every time you enter your prompt in Claude or ChatGPT, you’re increasing not only data center construction growth, but also the energy demand, resource impacts like water and soil, and displacement of rural low income communities to migrate to other places.

They’re better alternatives that can still be beneficial to the environment, help low income communities living near data centers not be displaced while still having the benefits of learning through AI.


The New Socioeconomic Segregation

According to the University of Alabama’s UAB Institute, often data center operators choose rural areas for establishing data centers, causing health issues and pushing low income families to relocate. For example, in rural towns like Bessemer, Alabama is primarily an African American community which already suffers the highest mortality rate from air pollution from the coal mining industry. Now their health is more at risk from the diesel backup generators toxic fumes data centers produce. Diesel generators can release 200 to 600 more nitrous oxides than a natural plant creating these low income communities to suffer from asthma and other respiratory issues.

This is not considering the energy impacts which according to the UAB Institute, the pressure on data centers on our local energy grids cause long lasting energy blackouts, and cost added resident’s energy bills which low income families can’t afford.


Limit Your Digital Footprint

Seriously, it’s really hard but it can be done! Before I get vilified for asking you to not use AI photo editing filters to post your latest family member’s birthday on Instagram, or not look for book recommendations online, remember the disfranchised communities that are being displaced every day, and the public health impact of these communities.

Physical connections such as joining a knitting or sports social group, going to the library to look for book recommendations or simply putting a timer at work on how much technical research is done, and also relying on books about the subject can go a long way.


Demand Data Center Companies to Use Renewable Energy and Data Center Stipend for Low Income Communities

Even with data centers' moratoriums across the country, the AI market is not leaving anytime soon.
Pressuring data center companies to use renewable sources of energies can perhaps alleviate public health issues such as toxic fumes, dirty water and other environmental concerns. Also, the displacement of low income communities can be reduced for data center companies paying the communities a monthly or yearly fee to all citizens of the data center community, or investing in their communities public school. A monthly or yearly stipend can help low income families affected by the emergence of a data center in their communities to not be displaced.

 
My challenge to you: Whenever you’re tempted to post something on social media or looking for
non-essential recommendations online, use your local library resources instead.
Although it might seem counterintuitive or more time consuming physically driving, or walking there, your local library has many resources that you may not find online and even join community cooking workshops where you can build new connections. Also in the process, you’re helping rural disfranchised communities not get removed from their communities and protecting the healthcare of those communities.

Sources & Learn More

If you’re interested in learning more about data center’s environmental impact, renewable tools for data centers and how to reduce your AI digital footprint, check these articles below.

UAB Institute/ University of Alabama- Construction and Consequences: The Human Impacts of
Artificial Data Centers
David Suzuki Foundation - How to Reduce Your Digital Carbon Footprint
The Tech Policy Press- -What to Do About the Glut of Data Centers
Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences- A Sustainable Future for Data Centers
International Energy Agency- Energy Supply for AI

                                               

What Happens to Our Old Sneakers?

Think about how many pairs of sneakers you have owned over the years. Maybe you outgrew them, wore them until they fell apart, or replaced them because a newer pair caught your attention. But have you ever stopped to think about what happens to those shoes after you get rid of them?

For many people, throwing away old shoes is the easiest option. However, footwear waste is an issue worth paying more attention to, and there are better alternatives we can consider.

The Problem With Throwing Shoes Away

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 13 million tons of clothing and footwear entered the U.S. municipal waste stream in 2018. Of that amount, roughly 9.07 million tons ended up in landfills. These figures include both clothing and footwear, showing just how much material we discard instead of recovering.

Shoes can be especially challenging to recycle because they may combine rubber, foam, fabric, leather, and different types of plastic. These materials are often difficult to separate, which means recycling an old pair of sneakers is not as simple as putting a cardboard box in a recycling bin.

The good news is that throwing shoes away does not have to be our only option.

Give Your Old Sneakers Another Chance

Before throwing away your next pair of sneakers, consider whether someone else could use them or whether a recycling program accepts them.

If your shoes are still wearable, donating them can help extend their useful life. If they are too worn to donate, certain footwear recycling programs may be able to recover materials for other uses.

For example, Nike offers recycling and donation options at participating stores. Eligible athletic shoes may be donated through nonprofit partners or directed toward recycling, depending on their condition. You can learn more through Nike's Recycling + Donation page.

Not every store accepts every type of shoe, so check the program's requirements before making a trip.

Make Your Next Pair Count

We do not have to be perfect to make more responsible choices. We can start by taking better care of the shoes we already own, donating wearable pairs, and researching appropriate recycling options when our shoes reach the end of their useful lives.

The next time you clean out your closet, do not automatically throw your old sneakers in the trash. Take a moment to look for another option.

My challenge to you: Before you get rid of your next pair of sneakers, find a donation or recycling program that accepts them. Start by exploring Nike's recycling and donation options and see whether a participating location near you can help.

A small change in what we do with our old shoes can be a step toward reducing waste.

Sources & Learn More

Want to learn more about footwear waste and what you can do with your old sneakers? Check out these resources to explore the issue, learn about sustainability efforts, and find ways to give your shoes another life.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Clothing and Footwear Waste Data — Explore data on clothing and footwear waste, recycling, and landfilling in the United States.

• GotSneakers: Individual Sneaker Recycling Program — Find out how to participate in sneaker recycling and review the program's eligibility and payment requirements.

• Nike: Sustainability — Learn about Nike's sustainability priorities and efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
• Adidas: Sustainability - Learn about the Adidas sustainability priorities and efforts to reduce its environmental impact. 
• Under Armour : Sustainability - Learn about the Under Armour sustainability priorities and efforts to reduce its environmental impact.
• ON - Sustainability - Learn about the ON sustainability priorities and efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

• Nike: How to Get Rid of Old Shoes Sustainably — Learn how to reuse, donate, and recycle old shoes, including how to check whether a participating Nike store near you offers shoe recycling.

Security That Prioritizes Community

 

Are you a Portland business that has supportive ties to the neighborhood? What if I were to tell you that you can protect your assets while offering a service to the public at the same time? Well, look no further. Echelon Security Inc. is the partner you are looking for. 

Our houseless population is very much part of our society, and everyone in it deserves a humble and respectful interaction. Echelon does just that; they have a major relationship to the vulnerable individuals around in Portland. They get to know them by name, and for a good reason. 

Echelon delivers an unparalleled experience in preparation for the necessary duties, offering an understanding and reasonable strategy for our local area, and making respectful de-escalation practice a standard. Echelon brings back humanity to compassionate methods for those on the street, simply surviving. They employ a boots-on-the-ground tactic, establishing relationships and helping those struggling transition to programs that address their requirements: food, clothing, shelter, resources, assistance programs, and any other aspect they require help with. They facilitate connections to support systems that will help them obtain what is necessary, all the way up to getting back into housing and the workforce to repair their lives. 

They go above and beyond the standard expectation of safety services, and one step further, they rewrite the book on what it means to ensure protection for their fellow citizens. Echelon proudly displays how it is not just a win for the clients, but the public, the security firm, and anyone they interact with. For them, the job isn't done until their neighbors are served. If you need to entrust a protective service company that will provide an unparalleled experience and community standards that lift people up, click here for more information  

WALK WITH A PORTLAND SECURITY GUARD: DOWNTOWN POV

They’ve Got the Power!

 

In a houseless community, one of the biggest and most prominent concerns is not what you may think. Imagine not only hitting a point where you are unable to financially hold yourself, but also being unable to communicate to anyone: cannot get a hold of loved ones, cannot receive phone calls, texts, or emails on work opportunities, assistance programs, or medical evaluations. This is the new concern with our generation in a technology boom, everything going digital, and no means to keep a phone simply charged for such avenues that can potentially turn your life around.


This is the reality surrounding most of the houseless community. Stuck in an ocean without a life preserver, in today’s day and age, digital communication is of utmost importance. So what can we do to offset this growing concern? Luckily, there are a couple of resources that will help with this and our community, while we wait for more permanent solutions.


Meet the Power Bank Project. They can accept donations and help the Portland Metro area stay connected during difficult times. They take donations to purchase power banks that then get distributed to the area. The power banks they supply are specific to iPhone or Android models, as they have a fixed cable attached to them.

Secondly, enter Pear Mentor. Pear Mentor is a location on 6th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. They take a large variety of things for those needing assistance, such as clothing, gift cards, toiletries, and in the large list, are also power banks to stay connected. This place will take donations in the physical form, and they have an approved list of items to donate that is a bit more exhaustive.

Looking to help your community? Below are the links for the mentioned groups.

For information on the Power Bank Project, click here. 

For information on Pear Mentor, click here.

Your very livelihood depends on it!

 

When You Don't Have an ID, You Don't Exist

Most of us carry an ID every day without really thinking about it. It is just something in our wallet that we rarely question. But for people experiencing homelessness, losing an ID can create serious problems that most of us never have to deal with. 

A photo ID is needed for many basic things in life. It is required to apply for jobs, open a back account, get housing, accessing healthcare and support services, and even using some food pantries. In some cases, it is also needed to buy certain over-the-counter medicines when some is sick and just trying to take care of their health. Without an ID, even basic needs and opportunities become harder to access. For example, someone might finally get a job interview, but can not finish the hiring process because they don't have identification. 

The problem is that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to lose their ID. When someone is moving around often, carrying all their belongings, or dealing with unsafe situations, important documents can easily get lost, stolen, or damaged. Even if they try to replace it, it is not easy. It can cost money, take time, and require other documents they may not have like SSN, address, etc. This makes it hard to start over.

Another issue is that many systems assume everyone already has an ID and stable housing.When someone doesn't, it can feel like they are being left out or ignored by the system just because they are HOMELESS. It is not just a card, it is something that affects access to opportunities and basic support. 

The next time you use your ID, think about how much it allows you to do without you even noticing. For someone experiencing homelessness, not having one can mean missing out on work, housing, food, healthcare, and even simple things like medicine. Something so small can have a big impact on someone's life.

Resources that can be helpful: the barriers people face when getting identification.

https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-105435

https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Photo-ID-Barriers-Faced-by-Homeless-Persons-2004.pdf