"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.

 The Real Cost of A Bowl of Rice

By Ryan Sterling Guzman

What does it take to make a bowl of rice? What is the real cost? This is something that for those who have a home as inexpensive and easy.

What if you did not have one? Let us sort that out with math. And a reminder: Your budget is very limited. You will need to travel to the different stores likely on foot or by public transit. Here is what we will need. 

We will first need a vessel to cook with. That means a pot and a burner. Our best bet, given how it is not likely we will have a socket or electricity all the time, we will want to buy a single burner that uses gas fuel. This will ensure that even if the mechanical striker does not function, it is still capable of going alight with a match or flint. The one that is available for a modest price will be starting at around 26$ for one that will be easy to carry. (https://www.homedepot.com/p/GASONE-7-650-BTU-Butane-Gas-Portable-Stove-GS-1000G-H/319040601) 

Next up is the pot. You will want to look for a ceramic pot under the best-case scenario. For the sake of keeping with the rounded math, I will say that we have picked out a modest pot for around 35 dollars. (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Blue-Diamond-Toxin-Free-Ceramic-Metal-Utensil-Dishwasher-5QT-Saute-pan/945962287?classType=REGULAR&athbdg=L1300)

Now we buy the utensils. We cannot eat with our hands, right? That would be uncivil. There should be some plastic ones that come in a set for 300 of various uses. They will usually be available for 15-20$ from most major grocery stores and wholesales stores like Goodwill. Next on the list is rice. We will want to have a meal kit as opposed to the large bags we might see. It would be a pain to lug around. These kits/bags will cost around 10-15$. Water will need to come from bottles that we will also buy as clean drinking water from the land is rare. Usually, some supermarket stores will have bottles that run around 1$ each, so to fill a pot, we will need 5 or more bottles. (https://www.kroger.com/p/kroger-purified-bottled-water/0001111078975)

And all told? We have a bowl (or pot) of rice at the end... that costs 65-75 dollars. And that is under ideal conditions. This is not considering how we are moving from place to place and acquiring our items and food. This also is not mentioning how we might store our food and belongings afterward. As these factors will make the budget higher. Within the hundreds higher for reference.

What is my point? This: Owning a home in today’s world means the owner has a stable income. Whereas the homeless do not have this luxury. They may work, but only attain little if any stable money, which either must be in cash or by opening an account and observing it continuously in some manner. Even then, there are other major expenses to consider. Expenses that could uplift and relieve this condition in life. Better to spend on this moment in their life rather than a meal.

Here is another to consider: Shelters may offer meals and services (Not to mention a roof) for free. One would only need to go to the nearest shelter and ask for aid. There is also no need to worry about losing property like the pot and burner in my analogy as well, due to the shelter keeping these items for operations and extras in case of theft.

Homeowners have space to make meals in safety without the threat of loosing it and having time to adjust for tenants and guests. They never have to worry about the next meal as they will often have a pantry and other food items in reserve. The homeless do not. What is worse is the notion that the homeless do not own anything. This stems from the transitory nature of most homeless just trying to scrape by. Earning what they can without any certainty of where their next meal might turn up. Not even meals are sacred things to those with a house as the owner believes it is easy to replace. 

The only true way to truly understand how much a meal costs is to make the math for ourselves. As an example, with a power source, I eat about 90 to 110$ every time I eat a bowl of rice. I consider myself lucky to even have a home as I feel perilously close to joining their population if I am not careful. So, if you truly wish to understand the trials of those who suffer from homelessness, please consider what your next 'home-cooked' meal truly costs. This will include transportation, drinkable water usage, and the amount you plan to make. No matter how small a snack it might be. Ask your friends about this as well. The answers might surprise you.

Keeping the people clean and the streets healthy

 

What are the Benefits of taking a shower? Or brushing your teeth? What about something as simple as washing your hands? Most of us live our lives outside of the kinds of problems that make questions like these poignant. But not all of us have this luxury. Houseless people struggle every day to find clean water to drink, let alone bathe in, and this problem can lead to dangerous results, such as an increased risk of waterborne diseases like dysentery or diarrheal diseases such as cholera and typhoid. This is not to mention that sleeping on the street or in an unclean environment significantly increases one's risk of infection and mental illness.

But we don’t need to go to such extreme examples to illustrate the problem we as a community are facing. The charity organization Do Good Multonomah has estimated that Portland’s houseless population in 2022 was 18,000, and from 2022 to 2023, we have seen that number increase by 29%! These people aren’t lazy or unable to exist in society; they are our neighbors, the people who live paycheck to paycheck just like you or me. They are our Veterans, our teachers, and our friends, and sometimes the people who have helped us the most are the people who need the most help.

According to a study by the National Library of Medicine on Boston's houseless population, “Personal hygiene has… been identified as a positive contributor to mental health among persons experiencing homelessness… and respondents identified “taking a shower after several days without one” as being extremely important to them” and why shouldn't it be important to them? We are all the same amalgam of carbon, snot, and sweat we have been for centuries, and in that time, we have come to a consensus on what things are human rights and why human dignity is central to the human condition. And I can’t think of anything that gives me more confidence, safety, and happiness than a clean body.

Which is why we as a community need to remember to always treat each other with kindness and respect. The Oregonian wrote about this all the way back in 2017, with them finding that 40% of the 550 houseless surveyed had skin or urinary tract infections that developed due to a lack of proper access to hygiene facilities. The Participants also reported that these diseases prevented them from receiving things like a meal or shelter from homeless shelters or even the key to the bathroom from a cafe. Which is why it's important to remain compassionate to all and not judge a book by its cover. We are a fantastic city with a diverse community of doctors, activists, teachers, garbage collectors, and yes some of them are homeless today, and even more will be tomorrow. Which is why we, as a community, must not let anyone suffer from a lack of proper hygiene while we suffer from a lack of empathy. Donate, Volunteer, Research, or simply give someone a key to the bathroom, anything, even if it feels minuscule, may be the difference between someone showering once a week or never.


Check out this great article from the Orgonian to learn more HERE

Full Study by the National Library of Medicine HERE

Also, Check Out Do Good Multnomah HERE

Housing Insecurity Isn’t Just About Shelter. It’s a Public Health Crisis.

Housing Insecurity Isn’t Just About Shelter.

It’s a Public Health Crisis.

By Lam Nguyen

Housing insecurity is often framed as an economic or logistical problem, but its impact goes far beyond the lack of a physical roof. For people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing, the consequences reach deeply into physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life.

Without a stable place to live, managing chronic illnesses becomes incredibly difficult. Basic necessities like refrigeration for medication, access to clean water, or simply a safe place to rest, are often out of reach. Mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and trauma are also far more common, especially when daily life is shaped by uncertainty and social stigma.

This issue doesn’t affect only those without housing. Emergency room visits increase, public health systems are strained, and communities absorb the long-term costs of untreated illness. Research consistently shows that when people have stable housing, healthcare costs drop and outcomes improve for individuals and for society as a whole.

When housing is treated as a foundation for health rather than a reward for stability, solutions become more humane and more effective. Addressing housing insecurity isn’t just an act of compassion; it’s a practical step toward healthier, more sustainable communities for everyone.

Housing stability has the power to reduce healthcare costs, improve mental health, and strengthen entire communities. If we want real solutions to the housing crisis, we need to understand how deeply housing and health are connected.

👉 Click here to learn how stable housing improves health outcomes and reduces public costs.

Owning a Home Without Losing the Neighborhood: How Community Land Trusts Can Protect Portland

By: Jayden Brannan

Portland is a town that people fall in love with, but then struggle to remain within. The rising cost of housing is a problem that affects not only individuals but also changes the fabric of our communities, displacing long-time Portlanders. The effect of making housing a commodity to make money from, rather than a place to live, is that there is no longer stability, which affects us all, whether we are renters, homeowners, or simply concerned individuals who want a future within our town.

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) provide a different solution that is proven to work in Portland. The way CLTs keep the land in the hands of the community means that homeownership isn't linked with resale, meaning that when people buy a home, it isn't necessarily an investment that will be sold later. The people own their residence, but the land is preserved for the future. This is more than a solution for affordable housing; it is preservation of the neighborhood.

What is particularly valuable about CLTs is that they have a long-term effect. This is because, as compared to short-term solutions, they ensure that a community is always affordable in the long run, while the people are also given a voice in the development of the land in which they reside. An investment in CLTs means investing in people, not displacement.

If, as a citizen, you are concerned with making Portland a liveable place for the people who make the city what it is, learning more, or supporting local initiatives to address affordable housing, is important. Even a click helps. 

Learn more or support long-term housing solutions in Portland here:
https://joinpdx.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/

“A Tent Isn’t a Home: Why Stability Matters More Than Temporary Fixes”

 

“A Tent Isn’t a Home: Why Stability Matters More Than Temporary Fixes”

By Jayden Brannan

11/30/2025

When people talk about homelessness, the focus often falls to tents. Tents in parks, tents near freeways, tents on sidewalks. But a tent isn't the real problem; it's part of a symptom of something much larger: a lack of stable, safe, long-term housing options.

It's easy to walk past a tent and think it's a choice or a lifestyle. But most people who are living outside want the same things the rest of us want: a door that locks, a warm bed, and a place where they actually feel safe. The reality is, the housing market and cost of living-in conjunction with a lack of accessible resources-push people into survival mode long before a tent ever shows up.

The problem isn't that people don't want help; it's that help is not designed for them.

Too often, the default proposed solution is a shelter, but shelters don't work for everyone. Some have strict rules; others ban pets, open only certain hours, or insist on crowded sleeping arrangements that are unsafe. Others can't accommodate people with partners, jobs that run late, or chronic health conditions.

It is not that people do not want support; rather, the available support does not fit their reality.

A Tent Might Give Someone Cover—but It Doesn’t Give Them Stability

Stability doesn't come from a nylon wall and a zipper. Stability comes from having:

A place where you are not forced to move every few days.

A home that isn't in jeopardy of being swept or thrown away

A space for rest, privacy, safety, and recovery

A chance to think beyond the next 24 hours

Without those things, it's nearly impossible to apply for a job, stay healthy, manage trauma, or plan for the future.

Stable Housing Works—We've Already Seen It

One thing we do know is that long-term housing solutions like Community Land Trusts, supportive housing, and affordable permanent units make a real difference. When people are given stability first, their health improves, they use fewer emergency services, and they're more likely to stay housed.

Housing should not be something a person has to "earn." It's the foundation people need in order to rebuild.

We Can Do Better—And We’ll All Be Better for It

Homelessness is not a personal failing; it's the result of systems, policies, and rising costs that leave people behind. When our communities are stable, safe, and supported, we all benefit.

If we stop looking at tents as the problem—and start looking at the lack of stable housing—we can move toward solutions that actually change lives. The following article breaks it down in simple terms for anyone looking to learn more about long-term housing solutions

If you care about a safer, healthier Portland, supporting long-term housing solutions is one of the most powerful ways to make a difference. Even learning a little more about how these systems work can help push our city toward real change.

If you want to dig deeper or support solutions that actually work, here’s a great place to start:

https://joinpdx.org/get-involved/ways-to-give/