Felonies: A Barrier for the Homeless

    The homeless population in Portland and its surrounding area has grown exponentially in the past year. As of July 2022, there is an estimate of 5,228 homeless in Multnomah County alone with about 1,365 shelter beds available (Blanchet House). Looking at these numbers for Multnomah County alone, it is not hard to determine why there is a lot of homeless people living on the streets of Portland and its surrounding cities. Every homeless person has their own story on how they got in their situation some examples include finances, mental/physical health, or the lack of resources during a hard time in their life. There are also those within this large population that want to get off the streets but can’t due to felony charges. This serious, but common, barrier is preventing those from receiving the help they need to get off the streets and into better living conditions. 

     Matt, a Portland resident who lives amongst the encampment on Powell Blvd, states that it is impossible for him to get a job due to his extensive criminal record. Matt has 11 felony charges dating back to as early as 1998. Members of outreach believe that the people who would like to make a change in their life deserve a second chance. Matt stated that those who care about the lack of job opportunities “make us feel like part of the human race again”. Homeless advocates believe that a possible change can come to the population of homeless people that do have criminal charges when it comes keeping Measure 110. This decriminalizes the possession selected drugs – which in the end can result in charges being dropped for some of the homeless population with felony’s with hopes of them receiving equal opportunities in terms of employment.

More information on Measure 110 here. 

Link to initial article: KGW