The Hierarchy Of Needs - Shelter Is Just The Beginning

 Caleb Henry

Re-Framing The Issue

We can gain a new perspective on the issue of homelessness by turning our attention to the science of psychology. In the mid 20th century American psychologist, Abraham Maslow, published a theory of human motivation called the hierarchy of needs. This widely-accepted theory asserts that the most basic need of all is shelter. It comes as no surprise that an individual without access to reliable shelter will struggle with subsequent feelings of safety and belonging.

Every member of a community deserves to climb this metaphorical pyramid - and in order to do so they need their most fundamental needs met first. This serves as a basis for the ideology that food, water, and, most importantly, shelter are human rights and should be available to everyone.

Once these needs have been met, a person can begin to gain a sense of belonging which in turn helps them participate in their communities. Those who argue that we should not spend resources on people who cannot contribute tot he community often misunderstand this cause-and-effect relationship.

Stepping Up One Level At A Time

If science has found housing to be as basic a need as food or water, then housing should be considered just as important of a resource. Those without it should be helped in a similar manner to those who struggle with hunger or thirst. So what should we do? In order to promote recovery and integration, the following steps must be taken in order.

Prioritize housing first: Stable housing provides a foundation to build up from - once they have it, people can begin to address the more complex needs like employment that will allow them to fully reintegrate.

Expand access to healthcare: We must remove barriers to essential services that support safety and well-being. This includes mental health services and addiction services.

Build communities: Support programs that promote social connections and fight stigmas in order to help people rebuild their sense of belonging and self-worth.

Invest in employment opportunities: We must support pathways out of homelessness that will lead to fulfillment and offer resources to prevent slipping backward.

The Future Of Our Community

We all have a part to play in guiding the direction of our community. If we do nothing we will wither away. If we can make some change, however small, we will see results that encourage growth - and we will flourish. Everyone is impacted by these decisions whether they realize it or not. If you are interested in making a change, these organizations might interest you:

Portland Rescue Mission provides more than 67,000 nights of safe shelter annually.

Join PDX helps individuals and families find permanent housing solutions.

Transition Projects supports more than 10,000 annually in retaining aided housing.

Laziness Or Surviving? Why Survival Mode Gets Mistaken for Doing Nothing

 

 

By Jose Perez Perez 

LAZINESS!  

 

It is snap judgment many people make when they see someone unhoused, loitering about. But are we just calling it like it is or are we just judging a book by its covers

 

The truth is, living on the streets takes more effort that one thinks. It’s not living; its surviving. Every day means no shelter, no rest, no safety net. You’re constantly searching for food, walking miles on end, battling the elements, guarding yourself and your belongings. It’s a full-time job with no breaks

 

Still think it’s laziness. According to Oasis Community Housing, unhoused individuals often walk 10 to 15 miles per day just to find food, shelter, or a safe place to rest. That kind of constant movement takes a serious toll; physically, mentally, and emotionally. Add in sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and the constant stress of being on high alert, and it becomes quite clear: this life isn’t one of leisure; it’s one of survival.

 

Nevertheless, the common belief persists; that unhoused individuals chose this life rather than being forced into it by crisis and circumstance. Research from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology shows that when people believe homelessness is caused by personal failure, they are more likely to dehumanize those affected. But when we understand the structural causes, like poverty, trauma, or lack of access to housing, empathy increases, and harmful attitudes decrease.

 

We need stop labeling people as “lazy” and start recognizing the truth: it’s not laziness, its survival. And survival deserves dignity not judgments

 

Survey Flyer

The Ecolife Project is conducting a public survey to collect data about issues surrounding the unhoused.

Your participation would help raise awareness for and better inform policy recommendations aimed at restoring dignity and ending exhaustion for people experiencing homelessness.

Brought to you by the multimedia marketing team

 

Restoring Dignity: How Rose City JAM Is Changing Lives 

BY: Freddie Sly III 7/20/2025 7:16 PM (PST) 

Meet Christopher Lambert, 43. He is the Founder of ‘Rose City JAM’ aka Night Sports. Night Sports is a monthly event that provides a safe space for homeless youth. While they do service other youth, specifically homeless youth are the targeted demographic. Why? Chris Lambert used to be a homeless youth himself. In his article in Blxck Magazine, he told them, “When I was locked up, I had a class that made us dig up every messed up thing that ever happened to us… It was then that I had to share with my mom how much us being homeless influenced my lifestyle.” After serving a 20-year prison sentence for attempted murder, Chris told himself, his family, and his community he was going to help repair the community he once damaged.

Now, Night Sports is one of the biggest events for youth in NE/North Portland, helping homeless youth get a variety of different resources (including: clothes, haircuts, backpacks for school, food, and more).

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (or HUD), more than 1,400 youth were homeless in 2023. In 2024, nearly double that amount. In 2016, it was reported that 1 in 14 youth had experienced homelessness across America. In 2025, that number has grown to 1 in 8 youth or young adults who have experienced homelessness in their lifetime. A lack of resources usually follows this trend, leaving homeless youth without clothes, consistent food, or hygiene. Which is why programs like Rose City JAM, New Avenues for Youth, etc. are vital for the homeless youth in Portland. Not only do they help these youth fill the void… they help them keep their dignity.

Eddie Bynum Jr. is the co-founder of Rose City JAM. In late March 2025, he and his team of volunteers went to the Salem Youth Jail (OYA) and gave free haircuts to over 500 youth ranging from ages 12–20. Over 48% of the youth that had gotten haircuts that day were reported homeless when they were taken into incarceration.

This wasn’t about grooming. This was a restoration process. It was a process and one simple thing that helped restore the dignity and pride within these youth. Something so simple as a haircut has the ability to not only build connection with the advocates, but to rebuild the lost connections between the youth and their identity. As homelessness continues to rise in the youth populations, it is important our community not only acknowledges programs like this… but GET INVOLVED.

What’s happening through Rose City JAM isn’t just charity, it is their version of community repair. It's a lived experience turned into action. It’s what happens when people like Chris Lambert and Eddie Bynum Jr. decide they’re not waiting on a system to fix things. A haircut becomes a healing moment. A backpack becomes a symbol of hope. And a monthly event becomes a lifeline. As youth homelessness grows, we can’t afford to ignore grassroots efforts that are already working. They remind youth who’ve been forgotten that they’re still seen, still worthy, and still part of something bigger.

So here’s the ask: Don’t just acknowledge what’s happening… Do something! Get involved. Volunteer. Donate. Spread the word. Because before we can disrupt things at macro levels… we must start at micro levels.

The Homeless and Hygiene

The most undervalued problem the homeless population faces: Hygiene

By Brennan Kane

Within the lives of those who have access to homes, there is something simple that we take for granted: access to good hygiene. This is considered a social normality in our everyday lives. However, it is an often overlooked aspect of how houseless individuals' lives are impacted by their situation. In this post, we will be going over the statistics and impacts of poor hygiene and how it affects the houseless population in Portland.

First off, the biggest issue poor hygiene poses is health risks. Lack of access to showers and laundry facilities can cause staph infections, scabies, UTI’s, and much more. 40% of the houseless population in Portland reported that they have developed one of these issues due to lack of access to the proper facilities. In addition to posing health risks, many have reported that they have been turned away when seeking hot food or shelter due to their poor hygiene.

Another aspect of hygiene comes in the form of lack of waste services. Without access to areas to dispose of their waste, houseless individuals have to dispose of it in public areas. So, instead of offering public dumpsters or areas to dispose of trash, the city do “sweeps” of homeless encampments. This includes not only taking trash out of these encampments, but also personal belongings of the individuals.

Finally, another problem within the field of hygiene is access to restrooms. Lack of public restrooms can lead to additional health risks. In addition, as cities are dis-investing in public restrooms due to the social stigma surrounding them, houseless individuals have to relieve themselves in public. This often leads to arrests for indecent exposure, all due to the city not funding public restrooms.  

Now, how does this affect you? I’m sure if you’ve spent any time in downtown Portland, you’ve seen houseless people. You’ve seen piles of trash on the side of the road. You’ve maybe even seen human excrement on the sidewalks. When you see these things, I implore you to not blame the houseless. As I’ve lined out, these are not things that they can control. These are issues the city controls, and chooses to divest in. So the next time you go walking down the street in Portland and see a messy area, don’t blame the inhabitants. Blame the people who set this system up to have this be the solution. Just know this: it is a band-aid solution. There are better ones out there. It starts with you saying something and trying to make a difference.

More reading can be found here.

General Public Survey Annoucement

 

A survey regarding the unhoused was opened to the public recently. This survey is aimed at median voters in Portland, Oregon, to help the Marketing FTA collect data and inform them about issues surrounding the unhoused.

Your voice matters and is needed for us to understand homelessness. This short survey will help us to better understand how the community of median voters in Portland, Oregon views the unhoused. Your input can create a positive change for all those affected.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdogxinJAz0TozlYY-L-8aGf62Nr9IXNmPJ2duAkY_dn3Iy7w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=111136606939344826392

        

No Child Deserves to Be Forgotten: Protecting the Wellbeing of Homeless Youth

  (Photo by Adobe Stock)

Protecting the Wellbeing of Homeless Youth

By Lydia Boulter

Homelessness doesn't just affect adults; it profoundly impacts young children too. In the US, 1 in every 30 children are homeless (Bassuk et al., 1). In Oregon, more than half of the children facing homelessness are under the age of six (“Who are the Youth,” 1). Many of these youth grow up in poverty, relying on food stamps and cycling through shelters. These early experiences often shape their future, putting them at a significantly higher risk of becoming homeless as adults. Some of these children are born into homelessness and remain unhoused well into adulthood.

Often, due to neglect or the inability of their parents to properly provide care, these children are given to the Foster Care system. However, the Foster Care system, the way it is, does not adequately solve homelessness in youth. Shockingly, 51% of homeless adults were once children in foster care (“Housing & Homelessness,” 1), and up to 31% of foster youth become homeless immediately after aging out of the system at the age of 18 (“Who are the Youth,” 1). These numbers reveal a deeper truth: if homelessness is like a big tree, one of its largest roots is generational poverty. Families trapped in cycles of poverty pass down barriers such as a lack of stable housing, education, and mental health services that leave children with few opportunities to escape.

Consider the story of Jahnee S., who was only 8 years old when her family became homeless. She remembers the cold winter, snow falling outside, and the church that took them in. But even there, safety was limited. After just two days in an emergency shelter, Jahnee contracted lice. By age 16, she found herself and her family homeless again. This time, however, her parents believed she was old enough to survive on her own and said they could no longer afford to take care of her.

At that point, school became a luxury Jahnee couldn’t afford. She needed to find work just to survive. Like many homeless youth, especially young women, she faced increased risks of violence, crime, assault, drug abuse, and trauma. She dropped out of high school, overwhelmed by isolation and despair. “If everyone I ever loved left me alone,” she recalled thinking, “why should I care about my future?”

But Jahnee’s story didn’t end there. A few high school friends reached out and offered her a place to stay. With their support, and help from a school system that had access to social services, she reenrolled and eventually graduated. That support became a turning point in her life and helped her reclaim agency and confidence in herself.

Jahnee’s journey is one of resilience, but also chance (“The Pursuit of Education,” 1). She was fortunate that friends stepped in and that her school had the funding to help. Not every youth is so lucky.

Protecting children’s well-being is not just an individual responsibility; it requires a community-wide effort. We must expand social services in schools, in the foster care system, invest in trauma-informed care, and promote youth outreach programs in places where homeless families are most likely to see them, such as shelters, churches, and community centers. Why care? These are our children, and by proxy, our future. By caring for the children of today, we are taking steps towards a brighter future. By meeting children where they are and providing real support, we can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

Ending youth homelessness begins with us, together.

Below are youth outreach programs in Oregon that you can join to support your local community:

https://newavenues.org/
https://janusyouth.org/programs/
https://www.homeplateyouth.org/

 ________________________________________________________________________________

Works Cited

Bassuk, Ellen, et al. “America’s Youngest Outcasts: A Report Card on Child Homelessness.” American Institutes for Research, 30 Nov. 2014, www.air.org/resource/report/americas-youngest-outcasts-report-card-child-homelessness.

Cyndi. “Homelessness - NFYI.” NFYI - National Foster Youth Institute, 27 May 2021, nfyi.org/issues/homelessness-2/.

“Home.” New Avenues for Youth, newavenues.org/. Accessed 2025.

“HomePlate Youth Services.” HomePlate Youth Services, www.homeplateyouth.org/. Accessed 2025.

in. “Group of School Children with Teacher on Field Trip in Nature. Stock Photo | Adobe Stock.” Adobe Stock, 2025, stock.adobe.com/images/group-of-school-children-with-teacher-on-field-trip-in-nature/306962564?clickref=1110lg8BEsc&mv=affiliate&mv2=pz&as_camptype=&as_channel=affiliate&as_source=partnerize&as_campaign=vkra. Accessed 18 July 2025.

“Programs – Janus Youth Programs.” Janusyouth.org, janusyouth.org/programs/. Accessed 2025.

S., Jahnee. “The Pursuit of Education: A Story of Homelessness, Perseverance, and the Impact of Caring Educators.” SchoolHouse Connection, 26 Apr. 2021, schoolhouseconnection.org/article/the-pursuit-of-education-a-story-of-homelessness-perseverance-and-the-impact-of-caring-educators.

“Who Are the Youth Experiencing Homelessness?” Oregon.gov, Oregon Alliance, www.oregon.gov/oha/HSD/BH-Child-Family/SOCAC/HB%202456,%202454%20Who%20are%20homeless%20youth%201%20pager.pdf. Accessed 17 July 2025.

How Can We Restore Dignity and End Exhaustion for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness?

In cities around the country, people who are experiencing homelessness face daily challenges that most of us cannot fully understand. While homelessness is often portrayed as a housing crisis, it is also a crisis of systemic barriers, dignity, and exhaustion. The battle to end homelessness isn’t just about providing a roof over someone's head, but also about restoring health and self-worth. Many cities lack adequate assistance for individuals experiencing homelessness. Outlined in this post are ways in which we can take meaningful steps towards restoring dignity and ending exhaustion for unhoused people.

Dignity is not a luxury; it is a basic human right. For people experiencing homelessness, simple dignities such as privacy and cleanliness are often out of reach. While some cities across the U.S. are beginning to shift this narrative, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Cities such as San Francisco and St. Louis have implemented mobile shower services and laundry vouchers to help people clean themselves and their clothing. These services improve physical health and help to restore a sense of normalcy and self-respect. 

Involving houseless people in the decisions that impact their lives is vital to their empowerment and restoring self-confidence. Local committees such as the Lived Experience Advisory Committee have established a platform composed of individuals with past and current experiences of homelessness. Other programs, such as Shelter Now, focus on building community and fostering trust between members of the homeless community. 

Homelessness is physically and emotionally draining. To truly support recovery, the root causes of this exhaustion must be addressed. A major step to ending exhaustion is to expand shelters and make them safer and more accessible to a wide array of people. Shelter availability is often limited, and many shelters can be unsafe for certain groups of people. Ensuring that these spaces are plentiful, safe, and not overcrowded is essential for offering rest and refuge to homeless individuals. The largest barrier, and arguably most difficult to overcome, is the lack of affordable housing and the complicated pathways to access it. The process to get into housing, even when someone can afford it, is almost always slow, confusing, and bureaucratic. Streamlining these systems and creating more affordable housing are critical steps to ending housing insecurity. 

Ending homelessness isn’t just about housing; it’s about humanity. It is about listening, responding, and lifting up those who have been pushed down by society. By focusing on dignity and addressing exhaustion, we create pathways to shelter and healing. Let’s change our cities to recognize the full dignity of every human being. Together, we can offer care that ends the exhaustion of homelessness and honors all of the members of our community.

To learn what you can do to help or to donate, click here:

https://outsidein.org/about-us/donate-now/

https://blanchethouse.org/ways-to-donate-blanchet

Written by: Nerise M.

Links: 

https://hsd.multco.us/lived-experience-advisory-committee/

https://www.shelternow.org/

https://www.stanthonysf.org/services/hygiene-hub/

https://lavamaex.org/local

Death of Houseless People Quadruple Due to Sweeps- Ryan Kelly

 

               Death of Homeless People Quadruple Due to Sweeps

    In 2019-2023 around 1200 homeless people have died in the Multnomah County of Oregon, with nearly all of these individuals being from Portland Oregon. 450 of the deceased were from 2023 alone as reported by the Multnomah County Health Department. This staggering increase has landed Multnomah County as the highest mortality rate among the homeless of all major west coast counties. What has caused the Multnomah County once known across the United States for its progressive stance towards the houseless to have been crowned the highest annual death rate for the unhoused in the west coast? It should be noted that while homeless is the more common term to refer to individuals without permanent or stable housing, this article will utilize the term unhoused to better humanize these heavily stigmatized against people

    Public pressure over removing the unhoused from public areas has increased over the years. This public pressure has led to a staggering amount of sweeps in Portland since 2021, totaling up to around 19,000. For the uninformed, sweeps are when the city forcefully displaces houseless individuals from public or private property. Forcefully moving people and their belongings might not seem lethal, but it turns out individuals who face multiple sweeps are 22% more likely to die from drug overdose. It isn’t as simple as using drugs as a crutch to the stress of being relocated. People lose access to resources such as community or medication availability for things such as opioid use disorders. People with substance problems trying to overcome them have the resources needed to overcome them made less accessible or straight up taken during the sweeps. One such individual was Debby Beaver who died in 2019 at the age of 57. She had a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and seizures. When her encampment was swept by a private for profit company hired by the city, they took her medicine and she died a week later. The company insisted that their workers did not seize Beaver’s medication, but was sued over the issue which was settled out of court in 2024.

    The consequence of the sweeps on Portland’s death toll concerning the unhoused is horrific. Ways to remedy this include contacting the mayor of Portland to focus more on long term housing programs then temporary shelters. It isn’t without public outcry to match the public opinion that encouraged such aggressive sweeping that the death rate can be mitigated. Having the highest mortality rate of west coast counties is a thing to be content about, it is shameful. A human life is not something that should be easily glossed over, we have the ability to fix the issue or bring awareness to it.

Want more information or similar articles? Click this link.

Want to contact a local official about issues regarding the unhoused? Click this link.

Citation

Portland said it was investing in homeless people’s safety. Deaths have skyrocketed. (2025, June 11). Street Roots. https://www.streetroots.org/news/2025/06/11/portland-homeless-deaths-multnomah-county

 Walters, J., Mosites, E., & Bruno, R. (n.d.). Domicile Unknown. Review of Deaths Among People Experiencing Homelessness in Multnomah County in 2023. https://multco.us/file/domicile_unknown_report%3A_analyzing_deaths_in_2023/download Zielinski, A. (2021, August 12). 

Family of houseless woman files wrongful death complaint against Sweeps contractor. Portland Mercury. https://www.portlandmercury.com/Housing/2021/08/12/35857487/family-of-houseless-woman-files-wrongful-death-complaint-against-sweeps-contractor




Written by Ryan Kelly