Ted Wheeler's Plan: The Pros and Cons

Photo provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting

Current mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler has faced quite a bit of scrutiny in recent years, much of this scrutiny by citizens came from his handling of the police brutality protests that took place in 2020. Despite that, Wheeler managed to be reelected for a second term as mayor that same year. Regardless how Portland residents may feel about Wheeler, there is still hope that he will enact some positive changes for the city. One of those changes is the pressing issue of homelessness throughout the city.

Recently, Mayor Wheeler unveiled his proposed plan to sanction three large homeless campsites within the city and these sites would provide access to mental health and substance abuse services for the people within these camps. Another proposal of Wheeler’s plan is to construct 20,000 affordable housing units in the Portland metro area by 2033. The Portland city council will vote on green lighting the funding for the mayor’s plan tomorrow, November 30, 2022. If Ted Wheeler’s plan is green lit, this will certainly be a step in the right direction and help numerous members of the community who have fallen on hard times.

The three large campsites are believed to be safer areas of shelter than the unsanctioned sites that are scattered throughout the city. However, with Wheeler’s plan there comes a few logistical questions. The homeless camps sanctioned by the city will mean that the unsanctioned ones will be removed, as they have been during routine “homeless sweeps” that have been taking place for years. This would likely cause more displacement for the unsheltered before the sanctioned sites are built, which will put many people temporarily at risk. Another issue that could be in question is the ability to immediately provide space to every unsheltered person in Portland as soon as these sanctioned camps are put up. These are questions that will surely be mentioned in the ongoing council meetings but Portlander’s should look at Ted Wheeler’s proposal with optimism. It is a bold prediction to get 20,000 affordable housing units built in the next decade but a possible one if prioritized. The biggest positive from these sanctioned camps is providing these people with mental health and substance abuse care, which is a large make-up of the homeless population.

You can read more about Ted Wheeler’s plan at:

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/homeless/portland-mayor-homeless-plan/283-e2c6226f-3f03-48d5-bba9-9fa4e7b189d8

-Matt Rockwell