Only if We Take Action Will Homelessness Be Solved

By: Ryan Kennedy

Friday, June 13, 2025

Homelessness is an issue that should concern us all. People experiencing homelessness could be living in your neighborhood right now. They could be your coworkers or your neighbors without you even knowing it. These people aren't a threat to our safety or way of life - they are people just like us in need of help. So since we understand the seriousness of homelessness, why hasn't the problem been solved yet, why is it getting worse, and what are the best approaches to solving it?

There are likely people experiencing homelessness in your neighborhood, school, or company who may hide the situation they are in, meaning we may not even know when we're even dealing with a person experiencing homelessness. This means a community center approach is what's best. The only way to solve homelessness is by taking direct action ourselves. Giving donations is great, as is spreading awareness about the issues. But research has proven that community engagement is consistently the best way to help people experiencing homelessness. A megastudy from BMC Public Health indicates that direct community engagement significantly improves the lives of homeless people. If the homeless are directly in our communities, isn't it the job of the community to help?

All of this makes perfect sense. The homeless are members of our community and so it's up to us, the community, to help those in need. But what strategies of community engage work best? Research from Portland State University demonstrates that Portland's village and motel shelters model are a great way to tackle issues facing the homeless. Communities in Portland began building tiny-homes and doing motel conversions, which the research proved was a better model than larger traditional sites.

It's often the case that people experiencing homelessness are directly under our noses without us even knowing. Education and donations help, but they aren't the best way to solve the issue of homelessness. Research has proven that direct community engagement works best. Take action now and help those in need. Get involved with your local homeless organizations today.

Visit PDX Homeless Life for more information. 

Nowhere to Grow: The Hidden Toll of Family Homelessness

By Jordon Tagaloa

In Portland and across the U.S., the face of homelessness is changing—and it looks younger than most people think.

It’s a common misconception that homelessness only affects single men or those battling addiction. But families—many with young children—now make up a significant portion of the unhoused population. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. is part of a family with children. These aren’t just statistics. These are babies sleeping in cars, toddlers brushing their teeth in gas station sinks, and school-aged kids doing homework in emergency shelters or not at all.

Family homelessness is one of the most overlooked and dangerous forms of housing instability. It’s often less visible—families avoid street corners and encampments, hiding in motels, doubled-up situations, or unsafe temporary arrangements. But invisibility doesn’t equal safety. It means isolation, trauma, and a long-term impact that can follow children into adulthood.

What the Numbers Show

In 2023, HUD reported over 180,000 individuals in families with children experiencing homelessness nationwide. In Oregon, the number of homeless students identified by public schools was over 22,000, many of whom lacked consistent shelter throughout the year. This doesn’t even count infants and toddlers too young to be enrolled in school.

Compared to 10 years ago, these numbers have risen significantly, particularly in urban areas like Portland, where rent prices have outpaced wages and affordable housing options have shrunk. More families are just one paycheck, one eviction, or one emergency away from losing it all.

The Systems Meant to Help Are Falling Short

What makes family homelessness especially painful is the collapse of the systems designed to prevent it. The child welfare system, public housing, healthcare, education, and social services are all stretched thin—and when they don’t work together, families fall through the cracks.

In many cases, parents are doing everything right: working full-time, applying for housing, getting their kids to school. But a two-bedroom apartment in Portland now averages over $1,800/month. Childcare can cost nearly the same. Affordable housing vouchers have years-long waitlists. In other words, the “safety net” isn’t failing—it’s been cut to pieces.

Why This Matters—Now

Children who experience homelessness are more likely to suffer from developmental delays, depression, anxiety, and academic struggles. They’re more likely to become homeless as adults. And the longer a child remains unhoused, the harder it is to break the cycle.

This isn’t just a housing issue—it’s a public health crisis and a social justice issue. Black, Indigenous, and Latino families are disproportionately affected. LGBTQ+ parents face additional discrimination. And mothers—especially single mothers—carry the brunt of the weight.

What Can Be Done

We need a coordinated, trauma-informed approach to supporting families. That means:

• Rapid re-housing with priority given to families with children
  
  

• Expanded emergency shelter that is child-friendly, safe, and stable
  
  

• Integrated services across housing, education, and healthcare systems
  
  

• Long-term investments in affordable housing near schools and public transportation
  
  

Successful models already exist. In Salt Lake County, Utah, a family-focused housing initiative cut family homelessness by over 40% in just a few years. In New York City, the “Homebase” program connects at-risk families to services before they even lose their housing—saving money and lives.

Final Thought

Family homelessness shouldn’t be normal. It shouldn’t be invisible. And it definitely shouldn’t be acceptable in a country with this much wealth and potential.

If we want to invest in the future, we need to start by making sure every child has a stable place to sleep. Because nowhere to live means nowhere to grow.

From Cell to Sidewalk: Why Reentry Fails Without Housing

 By Jordon Tagaloa

Every year, over 600,000 people are released from U.S. prisons and jails. For many, freedom comes with a new kind of confinement—no ID, no job, no income, and nowhere to go. Within days, some end up sleeping in shelters, in their cars, or on the street. In Portland and across the Pacific Northwest, the cycle from incarceration to homelessness is not just common—it’s become expected.

And that should alarm us all.

A Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

People exiting the criminal legal system are ten times more likely to experience homelessness than the general public. For Black Americans—already overrepresented in both the justice system and the homeless population—that risk is even greater. In Multnomah County, nearly 25% of the homeless population has had some form of recent justice involvement. That’s not a coincidence—it’s policy failure.

Housing is one of the biggest barriers to successful reentry. Background checks, parole restrictions, and limited affordable options create a nearly impossible maze. And without stable housing, everything else—employment, recovery, mental health, reconnection with family—becomes harder, or impossible.

Why This Matters in the Northwest

Oregon has one of the highest rates of incarceration per capita on the West Coast. When people are released, they often return to the same neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by poverty, gentrification, and over-policing. Services exist, but they’re underfunded, overburdened, and rarely coordinated in a way that meets people’s actual needs.

Worse, Oregon’s housing shortage means even people with perfect records are struggling to find shelter. For someone with a felony, the odds are stacked even higher.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

When housing isn’t part of the reentry plan, people are more likely to return to jail or prison within months. One national study found that former inmates who are homeless are up to 7 times more likely to be reincarcerated. That doesn’t just destroy lives—it drains public resources.

Jails are not treatment centers. Sidewalks aren’t recovery spaces. And no one heals, stabilizes, or transforms while living in a tent.

What Can Be Done

Some cities are doing it differently. Los Angeles launched a “Housing for Reentry” pilot that combines permanent supportive housing with job training and case management. San Francisco expanded transitional housing for people on probation. Closer to home, Multnomah County's Transitions Projects and Central City Concern have housing options tied directly to reentry, but the need still outpaces supply.

We need to:

• Ban blanket housing discrimination against people with criminal records.
  
  

• Fund more transitional and permanent supportive housing for reentry populations.
  
  

• Connect parole and probation offices with housing providers.
  
  

• Invest in peer-led support teams made up of formerly incarcerated individuals.
  
  

This Isn’t About Excuses—It’s About Solutions

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about excusing crime. It’s about preventing people from being punished twice—first by the system, then by a society that offers no path forward.

From cell to sidewalk is not justice. If we want to break cycles of poverty, crime, and homelessness, we need to stop letting housing be the barrier that keeps people stuck.

Because no matter what someone’s past holds, they still need a place to sleep. A place to start over. A place to call home.

References

1. Couloute, L., & Kopf, D. (2018). Out of Prison & Out of Work: Unemployment among formerly incarcerated people. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/outofwork.html
   
   

2. Harding, D. J., Morenoff, J. D., & Herbert, C. W. (2013). Home is Hard to Find: Neighborhoods, Institutions, and the Residential Trajectories of Returning Prisoners. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 647(1), 214–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716213477070
   
   

3. Fontaine, J., & Biess, J. (2012). Housing as a Platform for Formerly Incarcerated Persons. Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/housing-platform-formerly-incarcerated-persons
   
   

4. Travis, J., Western, B., & Redburn, S. (Eds.). (2014). The Growth of Incarceration in the United States: Exploring Causes and Consequences. National Research Council. https://doi.org/10.17226/18613
   
   

5. Multnomah County. (2023). Jail Reentry and Homelessness Data Dashboard. https://www.multco.us/jail-reentry-dashboard
   
   

6. LoBuglio, S., & Mauer, M. (2006). Why Are So Many Americans in Prison?. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/why-are-so-many-americans-in-prison/

Homelessness Isn’t Colorblind: Confronting Racial Inequities in Youth and Family Housing

 

By Audrey Williams

Homelessness affects thousands of people across the United States every day but not equally. Families and youth of color are far more likely to experience housing instability, yet their stories are often overlooked in conversations about homelessness. If we want to create real change, we have to face this truth: homelessness is deeply connected to racial injustice.

A powerful study by Heaton (2024) shows that families of color especially Black and Indigenous families are overrepresented in homelessness statistics, but underrepresented in the research used to create housing policy. In fact, many studies fail to include race-specific data at all. That means solutions are often one-size-fits-all and don’t address the root causes or the lived realities of families who are most impacted.

These gaps in data and understanding make it harder to create programs that actually work. One major report from HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) found that communities saw major improvements when young people especially youth of color were included in decision-making (HUD PD&R, 2022). When youth with lived experience were asked what they needed and allowed to help lead, services improved, partnerships strengthened, and more young people got the help they deserved.

Another important piece is community-based social work. A Core report explains that social workers who understand the environments youth live in like school, child welfare systems, and healthcare are more effective in building trust and providing support (CORE, n.d.). For families of color, that often means offering culturally relevant resources, understanding racial trauma, and advocating for equity in systems that were not built to serve them fairly.

What Can We Do?

To fight youth and family homelessness in a way that’s just and effective, we need to:

• Disaggregate data by race and ethnicity in all homelessness research and services

• Center the voices of youth of color in planning and leadership roles

• Invest in culturally aware social work that sees and supports whole communities

• Hold systems accountable for the ways they fail Black, Indigenous, and other families of color

These aren’t just policy changes they’re human ones. They’re about restoring dignity, listening deeply, and building solutions that don’t just treat symptoms, but address the full picture. Homelessness isn’t colorblind. And our solutions shouldn’t be either.

References:

CORE. (n.d.). Addressing homelessness and health inequalities through community social work. University of Birmingham. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/144156075.pdf

Heaton, A. (2024). An incomplete picture: A scoping review of how scholars account for race and ethnicity in family homelessness research. Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1), e23148. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23148

Karas, E. (2024, July 15). As homelessness grows, its racial undertones become harder to ignore. Davis Political Review. https://www.davispoliticalreview.com/article/as-homelessness-grows-its-racial-undertones-become-harder-to-ignore

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. (2022). Evaluation of the HUD Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program: Final report. Westat. https://search.issuelab.org/resources/41919/41919.pdf

No Place to Call Home: Why Youth Homelessness Needs Urgent Attention

By Audrey Williams

 

Homelessness isn’t just an adult issue. Every year, thousands of young people in the U.S. experience life without a safe or stable place to sleep. Whether they’re crashing on a friend’s couch, staying in shelters, or living on the streets, youth who are homeless face unique and often invisible struggles. Many are still in school. Some are working. And far too many are simply trying to survive in a system that wasn’t built to support them.

According to the 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, on a single night in January 2024, more than 34,700 unaccompanied youth under the age of 25 were experiencing homelessness (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2024). Most were between 18 and 24, but many were minors. These young people aren’t just numbers, they are sons, daughters, classmates, and neighbors who fell through the cracks.

One of the most heartbreaking truths is that many of these youth didn’t become homeless by choice. As Burnes and DiLeo (2016) explain, common causes include family conflict, abuse, neglect, and aging out of foster care. Once out on their own, youth face an uphill battle. With no stable address, how do you fill out a job application? Without a phone or internet, how do you apply for services? These barriers keep many youth trapped in survival mode.

On top of that, research from Toro, Dworsky, and Fowler (2013) shows that youth experiencing homelessness often deal with untreated trauma, mental health struggles, and high rates of victimization, especially LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color. They are more likely to be assaulted, exploited, or arrested. Systems meant to protect them like shelters, hospitals, and schools often fail to meet their needs or push them away.

So what can we do?

The good news is that solutions exist. Experts stress that we need prevention and early intervention, not just emergency shelters. That means helping families before they fall apart. It means giving foster youth more support as they transition into adulthood. It also means offering safe housing options that don’t come with strings attached. Programs like Housing First, which give youth a stable home first and offer services second, have been shown to work (Burnes & DiLeo, 2016).

But real change requires us students, teachers, voters, neighbors to care enough to act. Whether that means volunteering, donating, voting for policies that fund youth services, or simply listening to a young person’s story, your actions matter. Because no one, especially not a teenager should ever be left without a place to call home.

References: 

Burnes, D. W., & DiLeo, D. L. (Eds.). (2016). Ending homelessness: Why we haven’t, how we can. Lynne Rienner Publishers. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HyFIEAAAQBAJ

Neiditch, D. (n.d.). Facts about child homelessness in New York City [Image]. DanNeiditch.org. https://danneiditch.org/facts-about-child-homelessness-in-new-york-city/ 

Toro, P. A., Dworsky, A., & Fowler, P. J. (2013). Homeless youth in the United States: Recent research findings and intervention approaches. American Journal of Public Health, 103(S2), S86–S93. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301618

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2024). The 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Part 1 – Point-in-time estimates of homelessness. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-AHAR-Part-1.pdf

You Can’t Heal in a Tent: The Human Cost of Ignoring Mental Illness

 By Danielle Butchee

He had not stepped into a shower in weeks, his unkempt hair and unwashed clothes telling a story of neglect. She gripped a crumpled plastic bag brimming with outdated medication, mumbling fragments of a conversation that echoed only in her mind. This is the hidden crisis of Portland—not just the visible struggle of homelessness, but the quiet, relentless suffering of untreated mental illness that plays out each day on our sidewalks, in bleak underpasses, and throughout public parks. It lurks in every corner, weaving a complex tapestry of despair and isolation that often goes unnoticed by those who pass by. As of 2023, Oregon has the highest rate of mental illness in the nation and ranks worst for access to treatment (OPB, 2023). On any given night, thousands of Portlanders sleep outside. For many, their homelessness is not a cause but a symptom—a direct result of untreated trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance dependency. The city of Portland openly acknowledges the urgency, referring to homelessness as a “humanitarian crisis” that requires “coordinated, compassionate action” (Portland.gov, 2024).

But when it comes to mental health, compassion alone isn't enough—we need infrastructure, access, and accountability.

Where the System Breaks

Unhoused individuals who are dealing with mental illness and addiction often find themselves in survival mode. A 2020 national study revealed that co-occurring conditions, such as schizophrenia combined with opioid use disorder or trauma along with alcohol dependency, are common among unhoused people (Santa Maria et al., 2020).

Despite this reality, Portland's response has remained fragmented. Some shelters continue to enforce abstinence-only policies, denying beds to those who have not yet detoxed. Additionally, many shelters lack trauma-informed staff or onsite medical care. Consequently, individuals with the greatest needs are often the most excluded, leading them to cycle through emergency rooms, county jails, and street sweeps, all of which fail to provide sustainable pathways to recovery.

Even when assistance is available, it is often hidden behind lengthy waitlists. Caseworkers are overwhelmed, and long-term psychiatric care has become increasingly rare. In some discussions, Oregon leaders have even contemplated compulsory treatment, which would require individuals to undergo care as a last resort. While this approach may stabilize some lives, it raises ethical concerns about autonomy and consent within a system that has consistently failed to provide real options beforehand (OPB, 2023).

What Could Compassion Look Like?

Compassion means meeting people where they are. That starts with:

• Harm reduction shelters that allow substance use but provide overdose prevention, clean supplies, and recovery services without judgment.
  
  

• Housing First programs prioritize stable housing as the foundation for health.
  
  

• Mobile crisis teams that dispatch social workers and clinicians, rather than police officers.
  
  

• Permanent supportive housing that includes wraparound services for trauma, mental health, and addiction treatment.
  
  

We know these models work. Cities like Houston, Salt Lake City, and even Vancouver, WA, have all made measurable strides using coordinated Housing First approaches. In Portland, we need more of them—and more investment in making them sustainable.

Why Should You Care?

Because ignoring this crisis doesn’t make it disappear, it just drives it deeper into the margins.

Because it’s not just about someone else’s brother, mother, daughter, or friend—it could be yours. Healing cannot begin until people are off the streets, supported, and seen as worthy of care.

Every person deserves a chance to heal, to feel safe, and to be seen—not as a problem, but as a person with potential. By donating to New Narrative, you help transform isolation into support, trauma into resilience, and survival into recovery. Your gift powers mental health care, housing, and hope for those who need it most.

👉 Click HERE to give now and be part of someone’s turning point.

Refrences

Menza, T. W., Lipira, L., Bhattarai, A., Cali-De Leon, V., & Orellana, E. R. (2020). Prevalence and correlates of transactional sex among women of low socioeconomic status in Portland, OR. BMC Women's Health, 20(1), 219. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01088-1

New Narrative. (n.d.). Donate. https://newnarrativepdx.org/donate/

Oregon Public Broadcasting. (2023, April 1). When homelessness and mental illness overlap, is compulsory treatment compassionate? https://www.opb.org/article/2023/04/01/oregon-california-when-homelessness-and-mental-illness-overlap-is-compulsory-treatment-compassionate/ 

Portland.gov. (2024). Homelessness response and action. City of Portland. https://www.portland.gov/wheeler/homelessness