Everyone is still being affected by the Covid pandemic. One group that was left forgotten for some time was the homeless demographic during these troubling times. During this time, people lost their jobs, and an increase in rent in Portland of 40% year over since March 2021 caused a 30% increase in homeless compared to 2019 (Katie, 2022). To try to stop the spread of the virus, the CDC urged cities not to relocate these individuals and let them remain in place. This has caused many unsanctioned camps, and some residents are the cause of increased "crime, trash, human feces, open drug use, and blocked sidewalks" (Katie, 2022).
For this reason, I urge community members to try to support plans that would fix the homeless issue because everyone has something to benefit from resolving this problem. The city of Portland has proposed a plan that will not only the relocation of these homeless but the mental recovery. A diversion program will allow for low-level criminal offenses to be avoided by the homeless as long as they undergo mental health or substance use treatment. The city approved an additional $27 million for the mitigation plan which $4 million is to build three sanctioned campsites and over $3 million to create a 50-person outreach team (Katie, 2022). For more information, I would encourage individuals to look at these blogs' resources.
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