Hunger: A Human Issue 

By Ryan Sterling Guzman

One thing that continues to be an important marker for any upstanding society is how we deal with hunger. 

This can take on many forms from overwhelming disasters to smaller tragedies that occur in human life. A factor affecting many of us today is our current economy. As of time of writing, we are experiencing a great deal of trouble from our own country and abroad. It is not just hurting the homeless, but the middle class as well. This means that food and water budgets are starting to tighten and can get worse if these issues are not addressed. 

Thus, facilities like food pantries are now more vital than ever. They can be non-profits or for greater charitable foundations, but all provide a basic and necessary need for our nourishment in these harsh times. 

Now I would like to make a plea. If you know someone that could benefit from this service, I ask that you start donating what you can to these vital services today. Especially if you have shelf-stable food sources like canned goods, Dried goods, or anything that can be stable for many months at a time. Also consider providing some utensils and other necessities to these organizations that truly need our help as much as they help those in need. 

To find out more about pantries, how they provide and ways to donate to one, Click here. 

To locate a local pantry near you, Click here. 

If you or someone you know is having trouble feeding themselves and is a Portland State University student, Consider this aid opportunity provided by The PSU pantry. 

Can a spoonful of sugar help the homeless take their medicine?

GRAPH BY COMMONWEALTH FUND


The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) page on homelessness and health says that “Barriers to health care and social services and staying in congregate shelters means that people experiencing homelessness have a higher risk for infectious and non-infectious diseases”. This includes mental disorders like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and infectious diseases like Tuberculosis, COVID-19, and hepatitis C and B. This is to say nothing about the environmental stressors these people deal with, such as physical violence, sexual violence, and Theft (Both from random people and street “Cleaners”). It’s a hard knock life.

This has been a problem for decades but, I think after the COVID-19 Pandemic and the threats to both medical research and healthcare affordability brought by our current administration, has made the people of the US start to focus on the state of America’s healthcare system. A 2024 study by the Commonwealth Fund found that Americans have the shortest lives with the most avoidable deaths of any developed country's healthcare system.

This leaves the question of what those without healthcare do when they live in a country with a terrible healthcare system, which is too expensive for everyone. The answer is their best. Which is unfortunately not nearly enough. In the Health publication Public Health by The Royal Society for Public Health, vision, voice, and practice, one woman reported being prescribed methadone which requires constant refrigeration, but as she put it “if you don't have a home you haven't got a fridge…” this was a common issue with the homeless population with them listing a lack of proper storage, knowledge, support, or just trust in the system as barriers to taking their medication. Not to mention that anything that involves sterile components, such as needles, is impossible for a homeless person adhere to due to them not being able to even keep themselves clean consistently. Does this mean that it's hopeless? That we have to live with the sick lining the streets, and no hope for a solution?

Well The Royal society for Public Health says “Previous prospective evaluation conducted with homeless individuals has shown that access to temporary homeless shelters can lead to improvements in the health status and access to care during their time in such accomodation” With them adding “Similar improvement in outcomes has been shown across diverse areas, such as substance abstinence and reduction in risk taking behaviours, especially when supportive services are offered on site, for example for counseling or provision of regular meals”. The answer is the same as the care your parents gave you when you were a kid: a clean body, a warm meal, and plenty of rest. Many of our homeless population are also disabled or, at the very least, disadvantaged in these things. Which is why we as a society need to remember to hold Empathy above all else. It’s easy to blame the poor and sick for the problems of society, but they aren’t the problem; they are the symptom. When healthcare fails to care for one of us, it fails all of us, which is why we should work to improve it. Go to your local town hall and find out what health initiatives your community is taking for the less fortunate, call your representatives and ask them how they are feeling about things like socialised healthcare, or advocate for why healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. Whatever you do, do it together with your community, because a house divided cannot stand alone.


Contact an official HERE

READ the Royal Society for Public health's article HERE

LEARN how America’s healthcare system falters with this great study by the Commonwealth Fund HERE

The Hidden Cost of Waiting

                                            Photo Credit: Image by anncapictures from Pixabay

By Joselle Monyette

 How much of our lives do we spend waiting? Waiting on news, waiting on applications, waiting on emails? What if we could use that time for something else? Wouldn’t we be more productive? For many individuals experiencing homelessness, waiting is not optional. The time required to retrieve and process applications for housing, medical care, or insurance delays access to essential resources and prolongs homelessness. Administrative processing times place individuals in a holding pattern, where progress depends not on effort, but on approval.

Unlike financial costs, the cost of time is less visible but equally restrictive. Application reviews, background checks, document verification, and appointment scheduling require individuals to wait before they can access housing, employment, medical care, or public benefits. During these waiting periods, income is not generated, stability is not secured, and opportunities may pass. Delays in approval do not simply postpone progress; they suspend it. When access to essential resources depends on processing timelines rather than effort, time itself becomes a barrier to exiting homelessness.

A common assumption is that individuals experiencing homelessness are idle or unmotivated, as though their time is unstructured or unproductive. However, navigating administrative systems requires persistence, repeated follow-ups, transportation to appointments, document retrieval, and compliance with strict timelines. Waiting is not inactivity; it is often mandatory participation in bureaucratic processes. The perception of idleness overlooks the labor involved in attempting to secure stability through systems that operate on delayed timelines.

When time is required to navigate applications, appointments, and verification systems, waiting becomes a form of unpaid labor. It demands attention, transportation, documentation, and compliance with processes that individuals do not control. Yet this labor is rarely recognized. Instead, delays are misinterpreted as inactivity. If we redefine waiting as participation in administrative systems rather than idleness, it becomes clear that the barrier is not motivation, but time itself. To learn more about how flexibility and ease of access in service design shape people’s ability to use support systems, click here.

Why Preventing Homelessness Costs Less Than Ignoring It

 Why Preventing Homelessness 

Costs Less Than Ignoring It

By Lam Nguyen

Homelessness is often treated as an emergency problem, something we respond to after it happens. But what if the real solution starts earlier?

For many people, homelessness begins with one crisis: a medical bill, a lost job, a rent increase, or an unexpected expense. Without savings or support, housing instability can spiral quickly. Prevention programs like rental assistance, eviction protection, and short-term financial aid can stop that spiral before it starts.

Research consistently shows that preventing homelessness is significantly less expensive than responding to it later through emergency shelters, hospital visits, and crisis services. When individuals remain housed, they are more likely to maintain employment, support their families, and stay connected to their communities.

Prevention isn’t just compassionate,  it’s practical. It strengthens neighborhoods, reduces strain on public systems, and allows communities to invest resources more effectively.

The conversation around homelessness often focuses on a visible crisis. But the real opportunity lies in early action before someone loses their home.

Preventing homelessness doesn’t just protect individuals. It protects communities and saves public resources in the long run. If we want solutions that are both humane and financially responsible, prevention must be part of the strategy.

👉 Click here to learn how homelessness prevention programs reduce long-term costs and keep families housed.

"Social Media - The Double-Edged Sword That Fuels Misrepresentation"

"Social Media - The Double-Edged Sword That Fuels Misrepresentation"

By Emily Le

Imagine this: you are scrolling down your social media page when a video catches your attention. In the video, the creator is sharing her personal life stories and what is currently happening where she lives. Out of curiosity, you open the comment section to look at other people’s opinions. The comments are divided with different attitudes, many positive and many negative. And not only that, they present numerous information that makes you question what to believe. Because the truth is, how do you recognize misinformation when the information presented seems so persuasive? 

For the last decades, social media has rapidly become a huge part of our society. People around the world document their lives and share it to others through various platforms. New information is constantly being spread throughout the day, and it is crazy to think that we did not have such reachable access to data and information a century ago. Now, we can find people through different social media platforms, access information instantly on the web, and gain insights about current events with just one click. 

Social Media provides a type of access we have never had before to connect with one another and foster our knowledge of society. But, the rise of social media means information is often shared without credible sources, resulting in harmful stereotypes and misrepresentations. Which leads to this crucial question: is it truly a useful tool or a harmful weapon? 

Social Media and the misrepresentation of Homelessness

So, now you are wondering, what does social media have to do with homelessness? 

Many important topics have been discussed throughout various social media platforms, sparking meaningful discussions among individuals and creating a net of awareness. But on the other hand, it also encourages stigmas, stereotypes, and misrepresentation of many marginalized communities. Because once again, social media is a double edged sword. 

There are numerous videos out there documenting homelessness, in which most of them are captured without any consents and posted under lots of questionable/hateful hashtags. These individuals have no control over what is being posted about themselves, and even worse, what kinds of angles are taken. Once these videos are posted, the comment sections would be flooded with stereotypical judgments that reinforce harmful stigmas (I.e. laziness), without further looking into the true reasons why many people are suffering on the streets (I.e. affordable housing crisis, income inequality, and systemic discrimination). Here, instead of focusing on causes and solutions, negative judgments are demonstrated in numerous videos. 

The point is, I believe that we all should rethink our perception and languages in social media when discussing about homelessness. Yes, social media provides platforms and opportunities to spread awareness about important topics, but it is important to recognize that it is also a weapon used to dehumanize and stigmatize oppressed populations. When we realize that social media fuels misrepresentation, we are also taking the first step to change our perception about homelessness and what truly causes it.

Click here for more information

"The Homeless Crisis in Portland Isn’t Just a Humanitarian Issue — It’s a Management Issue"

"The Homeless Crisis in Portland Isn’t Just a Humanitarian Issue —

 It’s a Management Issue"

By Elizabeth Le

    In just two years, Portland's homelessness population has jumped by an alarming 61% even as the state, county, and city provide millions of dollars towards the issue. Numbers found that more than 12,000 people were found without stable housing. Over 2,500 were reported to be living with severe mental illness while another 2,500 were reported to battling chronic substance abuse. 

    With these numbers increasing, taxpayers are all asking the same question: where is their money actually going?

    The uncomfortable truth that leaders don't want to admit is: not everyone who's homeless wants a house.

    It has been noted that individuals who live on the streets choose to remain there, rejecting help with getting housed due to mental illnesses, substance addition, rules, or maybe "the independence that street life provides."

    As politicians are constantly promising to house the homeless, housing won't be the only issue there is to solve. Healthcare also needs to be provided, as there are many individuals on the streets who need treatment for their mental health disorders. 

    One of the found problems with their spending is that they tend to focus more on short-term solutions; temporary things like shelters, camps, and multiple programs being created constantly, instead of focusing on possible solutions to solve long-term issues like treating addiction, improving mental health, and showing more accountability on how funds are being used. 

    These problems can only be solved once leaders start prioritizing the enforcement of public safety, accountability, prioritizing treatment, and do their best with positive results of rehabilitation. Otherwise, these problems will constantly occur no matter how much money is being put in.

If we want to keep Portland and the people in it safe, we must take action towards creating better living situations for those in need.

Learn more about Portland's homelessness crisis here 👇

https://thatoregonlife.com/2025/11/portlands-homeless-population-skyrockets-61-despite-record-spending/

The Catch-22 of Identity

 Image by Chris Stermitz from Pixabay

By Joselle Monyette

Do you remember growing up and being told you need a car to get a job, but you can’t buy a car without a job, and you can’t get to a job without a car? Now consider this: to get a job, you need an ID. To get an ID, you need a birth certificate. To get a birth certificate, you need an ID or prior stability in the form of bank accounts, rental agreements, or paychecks. What if you are experiencing homelessness and don’t have that stability or documentation? How can you “work harder” when the barrier is administrative?

Barriers and delays faced by individuals experiencing homelessness who need to replace important documentation include financial accumulation, verification requirements, geographic restrictions, and administrative uncertainty. The cost to replace a birth certificate in Oregon is $25–$54+, depending on the method of retrieval; for a state ID, it is $40–$70. Processing times can range from three business days to five weeks, not including mailing time, depending on the method of request. To request these documents, an individual must present a valid state ID or provide alternative documents that require prior stability, such as bank accounts, rental agreements, paychecks, insurance policies, or voter registration. Many of these forms of identification assume existing access to housing, employment, or financial systems. The fastest way to obtain replacement documents is to appear in person; otherwise, processing can take three days to five to seven weeks, plus mailing time. Even after submission, the state may request additional documentation before authorizing the request. This administrative loop delays identity restoration and contributes to a prolonged state of homelessness.

These requirements are often interpreted through a self-sufficiency lens, where the expectation is that individuals simply need to exert more effort to regain stability. The self-sufficiency narrative suggests that individuals experiencing homelessness need to “work harder” to escape prolonged homelessness. However, when the barrier is administrative, effort alone cannot resolve it, because individuals have no direct control over documentation processing requirements, timelines, or discretionary review.

When administrative delays reinforce homelessness, the impact does not remain isolated to the individual. Barriers to identification block access to housing, employment, healthcare, and public benefits, pushing individuals toward emergency systems and prolonging instability that affects the broader Portland community. What is often framed as a failure of effort is, in many cases, a failure of access. If identity restoration is the first step toward stability, then administrative obstacles do not just delay individuals; they delay community recovery. To understand how the loss of identification can sustain long-term homelessness, click here.