In the last half decade, Portland, Oregon has seen increasingly long snowstorms in the winter, featuring below freezing temperatures, piercing gusts of wind, and endless roads of ice in a city uniquely not prepared to maintain their infrastructure in the face of any kind o bad weather. Like any other city in the world that deals with severe winter weather, no one felt this harder than the homeless population. Although there was a record number of shelters open in the city during the storm while below freezing temperatures were in effect, this crucial aid ended when the temperatures rose past freezing and Multnomah County made the decision, based on the predictions of the National Weather Service, to close them down. Accounts from those who were staying at the shelter display the lack of compassion involved in this system, as people were forced to leave and move to the iced over roads and parks due to the city not providing enough staff for the shelters. Multiple people froze to death during the storm and on the day the shelters were closed, the city received the most amount of calls for medical emergencies since the 2021 heat dome event.
Photo: Planetizen
Why were these shelters closed, and what can we do in the future to ensure people always have access to proper care and shelter? The shelters were closed primarily for economic and labor reasons, a cause that hints at deeper systemic issues that make the conditions necessary for these shelters possible, like inexcusably low wages and unaffordable housing. Despite the best efforts of hundreds of volunteers and staff members to keep the shelters open as long as possible, there was only so much they could do without a proper amount of support from the city itself, in addition to adapting our communities to be better prepared for these kinds of scenarios. This starts with addressing the labor issues surrounding the shelters, but also with the management of the city and how they support these shelters. According to the shelters, they typically have plans in place for the city to provide staff, but an earlier agreement led to them not providing staff, which eventually forced them to shut down the shelters. This should not be a question of weather prediction, something that can change rapidly and without warning, and with the proper infrastructure in place to provide well compensated workers for these shelters at all times, needless suffering can easily be prevented.
Funding is the big question here obviously, but the other thing that must be noted is the cities repeated nature of underspending money that was directly allocated to alleviate the homelessness crisis in Portland, a fund that was voted on by the people of Portland in 2020. Taxpayers agreed that the city needed to dedicate money to the problem, but when the crisis became so large and all consuming, the focus on who needs to be helped was seemingly lost. Long-term solutions for shelter are necessary, but that focus shouldn’t come at the cost of homeless people currently living on the streets, and the budget that has been set aside for this issue must be properly utilized. With millions of dollars laying unspent every year, there is a clear and easy solution to the labor problem by offering actual livable wages and investment in growing these community systems, but that is one that requires a concerted effort on the city’s part, as well as the push and pressure of the taxpayers that give them power. Until that day, it falls upon the community to pick up that slack and make sure everyone in our society is taken care of.
If you want to help there is always need for support from non-profit organizations like Blanchet House and Outside In that offer shelter, food, counseling, among many other services. If you can’t volunteer, a donation also helps ensure that people in need get the resources they require. Click on the links below to learn more about a couple of organizations helping combat this pressing issue.
Photo: KATU
Photo: Planetizen
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