When I first visited Portland, Oregon in 2012, looking back I came in on the tail end of the “mom and pop” approach in the business communities. My friend kept telling me about the mayor at the time, Sam Adams saying no one goes hungry in Portland. In 2015 on my way back from Portland State University I noticed something very peculiar and tragic. I was driving down Powell and across the street from Goodwill and next to the McDonald’s on 82nd there were homeless camps. It seemed like they just popped up out of nowhere and it felt so sudden and immediately tragic. I thought to myself what happened to no one who goes hungry here. This reality can happen to all of us, and so many of us all have been that close. Split decisions may have made the difference in that, maybe friends, maybe relatives. Still, what happened to the approach and action for the “no one goes hungry”? The judgment calls of why people are can be on many levels. Kristina Smock Consulting for the City of Portland, the City of Gresham, Multnomah County and the Coordinating Board of a Home for Everyone prepare a 2015 “Point- In- Time that reported a count of people and families experiencing homelessness on the night of Wednesday, January 28, 2015, in Portland, Gresham, and Multnomah County. This was a significant groundbreaking moment for the population that was homeless in Portland. That moment had a 3,801 count of homeless people that night. 41% were people of color, a term I don’t care for because it ignores the special conditions that each culture has in that people of color control box. The authors of that term have me suspicious of why they choose that term, and nothing changes for CERTAIN cultures in the P.O.C labeling makes me wonder if there is a true intent to help all people in this people of color labeling. Or just have it sound good politically. 17% were families with children; 369 children. 31% were women 7% were youth ages 24 and younger. 12% were veterans and 57% had disabling conditions. 46% were on a continuum of homelessness. As I said earlier, any of us as Americans fall into this class system and lose everything. We need to remind our politicians who they work for. Local help is great, but this is a national solution. And just like Justin fought for changes nationally in Kony 2012, let's make this a reality domestically in our country. Which I know you would agree is first most paramount. Sign up with the link below and let’s work to change this national tragedy.
National Coalition for the Homeless - National Coalition for the Homeless (nationalhomeless.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment