Healthcare for the Homeless

Healthcare is an essential part of living. It is especially a larger need for the homeless because they are more susceptible to illness due to to their living conditions, and might also be dealing with mental health issues or drug addiction. Individuals who are homeless or living in poverty often times don’t have the ability to access regular healthcare and preventive care, which leads to more serious health conditions in the future. Fortunately, there are resources in the Portland area such as Central City Concern that provide medical services to those in need.

Central City Concern first began in 1979 in hopes of helping people in the streets of Portland who were struggling with alcohol use disorder. Since then they have created a multitude of programs including housing, healthcare, recovery, and job training. The services that they provide include Primary Health Care, On-site Pharmacy, Recovery, Mental Health, Acupuncture, Hep C Treatment, and Recuperative Care over multiple locations in the Portland area. This includes two locations that provide culturally specific services: Puentes and the Imani Center.

Central City Concern locations are Federally Qualified Health Centers that don’t turn anyone away for not having insurance or not being able to pay, and they are able to do so through government funding, known as 330(H) funding. According to the article, The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Homelessness in the United States, more of these government funded clinics are closing during the pandemic due to increased costs. This could be due to the increased need for low cost or free health care due to affects of COVID-19 on income and housing circumstances. 

Within the same article, Oregon was rated at number 5 in “The 10 States with the Highest Homelessness Rate Pre-COVID-19”. The pandemic has only increased this housing crisis, therefore it is important that clinics like those ran by Central City Concern are able to get the funding that they need in order to serve the demands of the community.

If you are interested in getting involved visit: https://centralcityconcern.org/how-to-help/

- Kalei Huber

Money in the Portland Housing Crisis

 Money in the Portland Housing Crisis

The city of Portland declared a housing crisis, beginning all the way back in September of 2015. Since that time, the city has spent an accumulative estimated 290 million dollars. Bear in mind, there is an estimated approximate 4000 homeless people in Multnomah County. Over the course of the six year crisis (till 2021), this money provided:

-An estimated 1400 additional shelter beds in preexisting facilities (aggregate)

-An estimated 3000 permanent shelter units (often but not always homes) (aggregate)

Meaning that the average cost of permanent shelter ultimately clocked in at approx. 100,000 dollars, and took 6 years to provide that many utilizing the existing system. This figure includes the HereTogether program.

Interesting expenditures included:

- 500k spent specifically to construct benches and other deterrents in locations to stop homeless camps being erected.

- 7m to fund trash cleanup on sites

- approx. 30 million in mental health services

- Unknown amounts in portable toilets and expansion of public hygiene facilities (part of a 38m bill)

- 5m to Portland Street Response, emergency services tailored for these vulnerable communities

Additional programs like Portland Metro can be found here, but are not included in these figures:

https://heretogetheroregon.org/solutions/

Ultimately, they also have similar or even more expensive results.

On April 29th, 2021, an additional affordable housing project was unanimously voted in by the Portland city council to construct "tiny homes", an affordable shelter with amenities to actually house the homeless. 

These homes are concentrated in "safe rest villages", the new program. These were new facilities utilizing property scouted and purchased for this purpose.  Currently, this program has an estimated cost 16 million and secured at least 3 locations totaling 180 homes, complete with amenities including hygiene, laundry, recycling, health and WIFI. Clocking in at a comparatively meagre 16 million... if the projected costs hold.

The earlier programs often provide full homes for families, so the comparison is not entirely fair. However, if large portions of the homeless can be housed faster and so much cheaper with these villages this should be the first step.

The takeaway, I believe, is that a slow piecemeal approach we have been doing is ultimately vastly more expensive than simply fixing the problem by providing housing as rapidly as possible. NIMBY and a lack of political will, the source of much of the obstacles to building homeless accommodations, is literally taxing to both the homeless and the taxpayer. Even if compassion plays no role in your decision making, it is ultimately just more efficient to house and get these people in a position to join society productively as fast as possible. It is in your interest to solve this rapidly and comprehensively as a taxpayer, even if you can't empathize.

-James Guthrie

Government SRV website:

https://www.portland.gov/ryan/safe-rest-villages

FY 2019 budget (includes figures from 2017-2019):

https://multco-web7-psh-files-usw2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/TAB%205%20-%20FY%202019%20NOND%20ADOPTED.pdf

FY 2020 Budget:

https://multco-web7-psh-files-usw2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/TAB%205%20-%20FY%202020%20NOND%20ADOPTED.pdf

FY 2021 budget:

https://multco-web7-psh-files-usw2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/TAB%205%20-%20FY%202021%20NOND%20Adopted_0.pdf

Very helpful article:

https://katu.com/news/following-the-money/how-much-money-has-been-spent-since-portland-declared-a-homeless-emergency

How Ethical is Defensive Architecture?

As cities across the United States struggle to address their rising population of homelessness, the use and advent of defensive architecture, or “Hostile Architecture” is being implemented into the urban fabric as a solution to quell the growing encampments. Oftentimes this type of architecture goes unnoticed by the public, but for those left on the street, a simple metal bar running in the middle of a bench can become the difference between having a dry place to sleep at night, thus raising questions of ethicality for these types of interventions. Are defensive architectural features truly an effective solution or are they a temporary fix, that just moves the problem down the road? 

In the Guardian article Anti-homeless spikes: ‘Sleeping rough opened my eyes to the city’s barbed cruelty’, author Alex Andreou argues that hostile architecture is not only an ineffective means but enforces the negative stereotypes the general public often hold towards the homeless, quoting, “Defensive architecture acts as the airplane curtain that separates economy from business and business from first-class, protecting those further forward from the envious eyes of those behind”. In certain cases, the author claims that the defensive measures have even hurt and maimed certain individuals, claiming that a homeless man was killed by falling on iron spikes placed on a retaining wall, aimed at keeping people from sleeping alongside the stonework. 

The effectiveness of defensive architecture is only felt in the immediate timeline, the measures make no promise for lasting or long-term solutions that would genuinely help people in need find shelter or aid, it merely moves them out from loitering around a business. Andreou claims that defensive architecture is far more insidious than we may think as the act of designing something to cause discomfort or pain has sadistic undertones that only make our cities uglier for everyone, not just the population they are aimed at deterring. These objects come in all shapes and sizes, some far more aggressive than others. By now most Oregon residents have become privy to the large rocks placed under freeway bridges, or perhaps we have seen metal studs placed along a wall that could easily be sat on. All of these “solutions” are what the author believes to be a physical manifestation of corporate distaste for poverty, by engineering an inherent distaste for the less fortunate into our urban landscapes.

While it remains a heavily debated issue, one can see this less as a solution to creating lasting change in our national homelessness, but merely as a deterrent to keep people from publicly urinating on the streets, or trying to get a safe, dry place to sleep at night. Perhaps a better solution to public urination would best be addressed through more available public restrooms, and greater investments from the cities on their available shelters, given that those measures have the potential to help people, rather than clear them out of a specific area. 

- Mason Martinez 

The Misconceptions About Who The Houseless Are

There are so many misconceptions around the houseless population here in Portland, Oregon and across the world. Unfortunately, we do not have as much empathy as we should have towards the situations these individuals find themselves in. Culturally they are not always looked at in the most positive light. I want to highlight the differences in the various types of homelessness, in the hope that you find a situation that is relatable. I want to share these because some of these people are in real need and others have been thrown off track by just one bad month. The most important thing to remember when speaking about those that are houseless is that it could be you.

According to https://artfromthestreets.org/blogs/news/the-types-of-homelessness  their are 4 types of houseless individuals are chronic, episodic, transitional, and hidden. All 4 are in different stages of homelessness and are experiencing it the same, but for many varying reasons. 

First we have chronic homelessness. This is probably the type of homelessness that we are conditioned to believe through society's influences. These individuals are homeless for at least a consecutive year. The reasons for this could vary from mental illness, physical disability, or addiction. This group tends to be older. This variant of homelessness needs the most professional help they can get. Something is causing a block for them to get back into the norm of society and they cannot overcome it alone. 

The next is called episodic homelesness. Someone is labeled as episodic when they have been homeless three times within a year. These individuals are extremely likely to go into the chronic type if they do not make a turn around. These are usually younger people who are fighting health issues or addiction. 

The third is called transitional homeless. These individuals are ones that find themselves in their given circumstance because of one unfortunate and significant event that altered their lives. Losing a job, a death of a family member, a significant injury, and many other reasons could cause this. These individuals are usually back on their feet quickly. This type of homelessness was important to point out because it is not far off from where most of us could end up. Many people are paycheck to paycheck or rely on others for support. This should highlight the fact that each and everyone of us could become houseless and that we should have empathy for those in need, because one day it could be you in need. 

The final type is hidden homeless. Hidden homeless are those who do not have a residence that they can call their own, but instead use their support system to crash with and do their best to stay off the streets. I can think of many scenarios where some of us have had to do this. If you have ever been kicked out of your home, had a nasty breakup, or had to leave for another reason you meet the requirements, especially if you had to rely on friends and family for a place to stay.

I wanted to list all these off because it will help us all understand how people are homeless and that these different scenarios can be very relatable to many of us. These individuals are those who may have had the same problems as some of us, but unfortunately did not have the same support system. We need to take action and help these individuals get back on their feet or some never will. It is easy to separate yourself from their situation, but it is extremely important to remember these people are just like us. They have issues that they were not prepared to battle or did not have the resources to overcome hurdles in life. Understanding who they are and how their situation came to be is essential for coming up with solutions to help these individuals in need.

To find out more about who these individuals are and how you can help, visit https://www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/69886

Michael Dougherty

Helping Our Community/Helping Those in Need

 

Portland is known to have an increase in homelessness over the recent years due to the lack of shelter. Recently, other states have sent homeless people a one way ticket to Portland and promised opportunities to come, but did not happen. We as a community need to work together to help those in need, specifically to help people get back on their feet. The first problem is finding a place for homeless people to live. There is an organization called A Home For Everyone, and their mission is to reduce and hopefully end homelessness in Portland. Some of the things that this organization does is offer temporary placement, eviction prevention, permanent housing, and job skills training. We can work together to help our community. 

In addition, you may ask, why do I need to help if there is someone already working on it? Here are a couple reasons why you should help your community and get involved:

• You would want someone to help if you were in trouble and needed a hand.
• The next person may not choose to help. It’s up to you to start.
• You can make a difference.
• The people you help will appreciate it and it gives them hope to keep going.

If you want to learn more about this organization, how to get involved, how to get help, and who to contact. Please visit https://ahomeforeveryone.net/contact/ .

- Elizabeth Tangkilisan 

Rising rents and homelessness

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it’s estimated that rents in Portland started to skyrocket 57% from 2010 to 2019, meaning it has grown twice as much compared to the national rate “median prices jumped from $838 to $1,312”. Also, a report from Oregon Community Foundation, ECONorthwest pointed to 2 crises that are troubling many communities across Oregon about the rising cost of rents which could put them at risk for homelessness. First, the rising rates of housing insecurity due to the limited supply of affordable housing has put 15,000 Oregon families at risk of homelessness. Secondly, the constant need for intensive social services and specialized housing for Oregon’s smaller homeless population that are growing more and more day by day.

In addition, it’s also reported that Oregon has been suffering from a disproportional homeless population compared to other states. According to the chart below, our population only consists about 1.3% of the national population, our homeless population takes up to 2.6% of the U.S. homeless population.

 

However, despite the plummet of cost in rents in 2020 during the pandemic, with most Oregonians being unemployed and laid-off from work, though, lower rents don’t generally just make housing more affordable as there are even more things residents have to worry about. In the end, it’s still good news for the high-risk of homelessness population but it remains a question whether urban rents will begin to “rebound” once the pandemic lessens. For more information about what ECONorthwest has to offer us about what we can and should do, visit the website to explore more solutions, https://oregoncf.org/.

-Thi Hoang-

Learn from Others Example

 Portland’s houseless population is growing each year due to financial disaster, trauma, abuse, addiction, injury, or illness. I’m sure many of us have walked around or driven through Portland seeing all the tents and small camps set up in places that are deemed unsafe. It’s hard to find a permanent solution to fix houselessness, I’m sure with enough helping hands and some help from the government there’s a possible solution that can be implemented sooner than later. I’ve written many essays on the topic of houselessness and come across some interesting articles and stories. 

The most intriguing one is PUʻUHONUA O WAIʻANAE a houseless community camp on Oahu, Hawaii. I heard about this camp from my older sister when I was in high school, never been to Hawaii before and never experienced its culture. Present-day, I’ve been to Hawaii about 4-5 times and found out how the culture in Hawaii works. The culture in Hawaii is very family orientated thus giving it a different houseless community than Portland would have. The houseless camp in Hawaii is run by a single person who appointed “managers” to help keep everyone accountable and help with community service around the camp. The camp approximately had 250 people living there, these are from single individuals to small families. In order for Portland’s houseless community to change for the better, we can learn from this houseless community and apply it to our own. The link here (-https://www.alohaliveshere.org/about-) will give you more information on PUʻUHONUA O WAIʻANAE if you wanna learn more. 

If we want to get rid of houselessness in Portland we’re gonna need to have a plan and make sure the basic necessities are met. The shelters should have access to water, waste, and sewage at least, make sure the community is safe from common illnesses. Get people off the streets, it’s safer and more organized. Shelters need to be able to survive through each season, we don’t want more people dying where it can be easily avoided with a shelter. With the involvement of the government, we can find empty lots of lands and be able to purchase them and build more houseless communities like the one in Hawaii. It will take time to fundraise the money, if the people in Hawaii can do it, so can we. 

-Brandon Braithwaite 

Safe Rest Villages in Portland

After briefly pausing their regular process of clearing out homeless camps during the pandemic, the city of Portland has resumed action in removing tent villages. This process has been criticized as being inhumane, with many homeless individuals now being displaced and forced to set up camp elsewhere—presumably only to be displaced once again during the city’s next tent sweep. After years of this cycle, Portland has finally begun to approach an alternative option: the implementation of Safe Rest Villages throughout the city.

Safe Rest Villages (SRVs) are small communities of outdoor shelters that provide privacy as well as access to showers and bathrooms. The city initially announced its plans to set up six SRVs before the end of 2021, however they only ever announced two locations as they have seemingly struggled to find safe and appropriate sites to establish more. Homeless individuals have gone on record (notably in the attached video) in stating that, while the privacy and shelter is valuable, it is no replacement for permanent housing.

The Street Roots article Safe Rest Villages and then what? offers firsthand accounts from homeless individuals who share their thoughts on SRVs, making it clear that it does little to ease their anxieties about the danger that comes from life on the streets. The article also explores how rapidly the cost of living in Portland has increased, to the point where housing has become even more unaffordable and thus the homeless population has continued to rise. As homelessness rises, Portland will continuously be forced to find more solutions to this issue. You can read more about Portland’s homelessness statistics, as well as explore proposed solutions, at http://www.pdxhfs.org.

- Seamus Coyle

The Impact of Covid-19 on Homelessness

 

As Covid-19 has impacted the state of our world, the homeless population has been hit harder than most. According to www.npr.org, not only is the homeless population continuously growing but is also being devastated by the various components of the virus. In January of 2020 there was an estimated 580,000 individuals who were experiencing homelessness. The main hardship Covid-19 is bringing is the difficulty in shelters. Not everyone has access to masks, vaccines, or general healthcare which leaves this population vulnerable to the virus and allows it to spread rapidly in environments such as a shelter or facility. Due to this, the number of individuals living on the street has exceeded the number in shelters. 

It was reported by www. katu.com in February, 2021 that Portland, in particular, lessened their steps to reduce the homeless crisis when the pandemic hit leaving shelters closing and those open without the space or resources to help the amount of people in need. In the Covid Relief package put in place under the Biden administration, there is almost 5 billion, out of the 1.9 trillion, going to supporting the homeless population during this time. 

In Portland, organizations such as Portland Street Medicine are making a positive impact during this time. They are a group of volunteer health care professionals who provide on-site medical care for individuals experiencing homelessness. Although there is still an expected increase in the homeless population nation-wide, organizations like Portland Street Medicine and those similar to the volunteers presented in the video above are helping to support the community through this time. If you want to donate to Portland Street Medicine click here to support the cause. 

- Gabby Jones