Mental Health After Natural Disasters

 

Mental health after natural disasters in the Philippines is something that deserves a lot more attention because many people focus only on the physical damage and forget about the emotional effects disasters can leave behind. The picture above shows a community gathering together after a disaster while supplies are being handed out. Even though the image shows people receiving help, you can also see the stress, uncertainty, and exhaustion on many of their faces. In the Philippines, strong typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters happen very often, and for many families, this means constantly living with fear and uncertainty. Some people lose their homes, belongings, jobs, schools, or even family members within only a short amount of time. Children especially can become anxious or scared after experiencing major storms, heavy flooding, evacuation centers, or seeing their communities destroyed. Even after the floodwaters go down or homes are rebuilt, the emotional effects can stay with people for a very long time.

One thing that makes this issue difficult is that mental health is still not always openly discussed in many communities. After disasters happen, people are usually expected to focus immediately on survival, rebuilding, finding work again, or helping their families. Because of this, emotional struggles are often pushed to the side. Many people may feel stress, sadness, fear, hopelessness, or trauma but never fully talk about it because they are trying to stay strong for others around them. Some families may also not have access to mental health support, counseling, healthcare, or enough financial stability to recover comfortably after disasters happen. When disasters continue happening year after year, it can create emotional exhaustion and make people constantly worry about when the next storm will come.

At the same time, disasters can also show how important community support is during difficult situations. In many parts of the Philippines, communities come together to help each other by sharing food, clothing, donations, shelter, and emotional support. Volunteers, neighbors, churches, schools, and local organizations often step in to help families recover however they can. The image above reflects that sense of community because even during difficult situations, people are still trying to support one another. Having strong community connections can make a huge difference in helping people emotionally recover after traumatic events. Sometimes simply knowing that other people care and are willing to help can give families hope during overwhelming situations.

Climate change has also made many people more concerned about the future because storms are becoming stronger and weather patterns are becoming less predictable over time. This means that mental health and environmental issues are becoming more connected. People are not only dealing with the damage happening now, but also the fear of future disasters continuing to affect their lives. Families living in poorer or more vulnerable areas are usually impacted the hardest because they may not have strong housing, savings, transportation, or enough resources to recover quickly. This can create even more stress and emotional pressure over time.

Overall, mental health after natural disasters is an issue that should be taken more seriously because disasters affect much more than buildings and roads. They affect people emotionally, mentally, socially, and financially long after the event is over. Raising awareness about these emotional effects is important because recovery is not only about rebuilding homes, but also about helping people feel safe, supported, and hopeful again after going through extremely difficult experiences.

Natural Disaster in the Philippines

Natural disasters in the Philippines have a huge impact on both people and the environment, especially because the country experiences many typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides every year. Strong storms and flooding can destroy homes, schools, businesses, roads, and entire communities within only a short amount of time. The image above is a good example of how serious flooding can become in some areas. Entire neighborhoods can end up underwater, forcing families to leave their homes, lose important belongings, and struggle to find safe places to stay. Even after the flooding goes away, many people are still left dealing with damage, stress, financial problems, and the long process of rebuilding their lives.

One thing that makes this issue especially important is that natural disasters do not affect everyone equally. Poorer communities are usually hit the hardest because they may not have strong housing, emergency supplies, transportation, or enough resources to recover quickly after disasters happen. Some families may lose almost everything they have and still be expected to continue working, going to school, or supporting their families while trying to rebuild at the same time. In many situations, people are forced to focus more on survival than long-term recovery because disasters happen so often. This creates emotional stress and uncertainty, especially for children and families who constantly worry about when the next storm or flood will happen.

The Philippines is also especially vulnerable because of its geography and location near the Pacific Ocean, where many typhoons form. Climate change has made many people more concerned about stronger storms, rising sea levels, heavier rainfall, and more unpredictable weather patterns over time. Because of this, environmental problems are also becoming human and social problems. Natural disasters can affect people’s mental health, education, jobs, healthcare, and overall quality of life. Families may be displaced from their homes for long periods of time, and students may miss school because buildings are damaged or transportation becomes difficult after flooding.

At the same time, natural disasters can also show how strong communities can be during difficult situations. Many people in the Philippines rely heavily on teamwork, local support systems, volunteers, donations, and community aid after disasters happen. Neighbors often help each other clean flooded areas, share food and supplies, and support families who lost their homes or belongings. These moments show how important community connection and communication can be during emergencies. The way information is shared also matters because warnings, education, and awareness can influence how people prepare for disasters and respond to dangerous situations.

Overall, natural disasters in the Philippines are not just environmental events. They affect people emotionally, physically, socially, and financially for a long time after the disaster is over. The issue connects to climate change, environmental justice, poverty, and community resilience all at the same time. Raising awareness about these disasters is important because it helps people better understand the real human impact behind the images and news stories people see online.

An Invisible Lifeline- Phone Charging While Homeless

Kyndness Packs -Kits and photo by: Ariah Schugat

 We live in a time where much of our lives are spent online or on our phones: conducting work, school, legal and financial affairs, viewing online news, and connecting through social media, text and video chat, voice calls and entertainment. Many of us are glued to or addicted to our devices, and may have trouble  not checking them, for even a half hour or hour! Our growing psychological dependence on our devices makes sense given as our society grows more isolated and digitally driven. Having access to a smartphone (or even a basic phone at bare minimum) can act as a practical and social lifeline.

Now imagine if your access to a phone or devices became severely limited or cut off completely. Imagine if you were homeless. How restricted would you feel? How much more isolated? We have become so accustomed to our devices, we may not realize what a privilege it is to have them, and  easy access to Wi-Fi and the means to keep them charged. A lack of access to a charged phone makes it more difficult to communicate with family and friends, employers, food, medical and housing resources and legal help and can result in missed opportunities needed to break free of homelessness.

The 2025 biennial point-in-time count for Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties found that 12,034 people were experiencing homelessness (University Communications, 2025). 48% of that number was entirely unsheltered. This is a 61% increase from the last PIT count in 2023. Although this cannot tell us how many of these individuals had a cellphone, but it can tell us that there is a need.

Oregon Lifeline can provide free and discounted service and a sim card to clients who qualify and who can obtain an unlocked compatible phone. So, if one is homeless and still manages to have a phone, what next? For charging, one has options, but they remain limited- in public places, like shelters, libraries, community centers, some cafes and the occasional outlet that can be found in public parks, some transit stations, and outside businesses. Often, their use is restricted to business and daylight hours, and time limited, with restrictions against loitering.

I believe we can do better, and I would implore everyone to think of our houseless neighbors struggling to stay connected and put our heads together to think of solutions to help with this issue. More public outlets available after hours? Portable phone charging station pop-ups? Donations of charging banks or supplies?

For inspiration, I will leave you with this model: In Ann Arbor Michigan, a former homeless woman Ariah Schugat created phone charging kits to give to homeless people, as she has experienced the difficulty of keeping her phone charged while homeless. Her kits include individual baggies that contain alcohol prep pads, a battery pack, universal charging cords, and a charging base. Perhaps something like this could be possible here? If not, what could be? It may not seem like much, but something as simple as a charged phone could prove essential to help a houseless individual on their path out of homelessness.

References:

Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV. (2021, February 15). Phone charging kits aim to keep homeless population connected [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgDVX_8OZVs

University Communications (2025, November 4). PSU homelessness and research and action collaborative releases the 2025 point in time count. Portland State University. https://www.pdx.edu/news/psu-homelessness-research-and-action-collaborative-releases-2025-tri-county-point-time-count

No Address, Means No Opportunities

No Address, Means No Opportunities

When most people think about homelessness, they usually think about not having a place to sleep for the night. But something that's easily just as important is that homelessness affects way more than just housing for people. A lot of modern life depends on having a physical address, and without one, even basic things become difficult for many. Thing's that are easy for many of us, can prove to be extremely hard for other's without those resources.

Applying for jobs is one of many examples. Most jobs ask for an address, a reliable phone number, and a stable way to contact you throughout the week. Even if someone is really motivated and trying to improve their situation, it becomes a lot harder when employers have nowhere to send information or don’t see you as reliable because of your living situation. Missing one letter, a phone call, or one email can completely shut down an opportunity before someone even gets a chance.

I’ve also personally known many people who struggled with homelessness, and one thing that stood out to me was how many basic things most of us take for granted suddenly become major obstacles. Something as simple as charging a phone and finding internet access, or protecting important documents from the weather becomes a struggle most of us don't understand. Especially in places like Portland where the weather can constantly change, being exposed to the elements while also trying to hold a job or rebuild your life makes everything even harder.

A lot of people might only see homelessness at the surface level but they don’t always see the invisible systems working against people behind the scenes. Without a physical address to mail to, it becomes significantly harder to receive mail for opportunities, apply for benefits, replace government IDs, or even stay connected to opportunities that would help change their situations. Over time all those smaller barriers build on each other and make escaping homelessness much more difficult than people realize. A lot of modern society is built around the assumption that everyone has a stable home with an address that they can rely on to give them opportunities. Once someone loses access to that, they don’t just lose housing, they actually slowly lose access to the systems that help people move forward in life and help make change. Effectively shutting them out from society and its opportunities.

If you want to learn more about the many hidden barriers people experiencing homelessness face then click here to learn more!:

https://my.neighbor.org/little-known-barriers-homeless-experience/?srsltid=AfmBOoptmXfpFsu7jwWISoT_UM3CNOdzTID8GvcPIB_zV6KEe6eXoXCd

https://regenbrampton.com/unknown-challenges-the-homeless-face/

Cool for the Summer: The Disproportionate Dangers of the Summer Heat

With summer approaching, people are preparing for the sweltering heat by purchasing fans, stocking up on water, preparing AC units, and rescheduling outdoor activities for cooler times of the day. The summer heat is not a major concern for many, but for those experiencing homelessness, new challenges arise on top of preexisting ones.

Long-term exposure to high temperatures affects everyone, but it disproportionately endangers those who experience homelessness, housing insecurity, and lack air conditioning in their homes. According to Heat.gov, this population is more at risk from heat and heat-related illness due to a variety of factors, such as mental health conditions, substance abuse, chronic health issues, dehydration, and disabilities. The heat can significantly worsen these conditions as well. In addition, accessing medical help during this hot season can be difficult for these individuals due to distance, a lack of transportation, or financial difficulties. Heat can significantly spoil food faster since bacteria multiply faster under warmer temperatures, posing a health risk and further limiting people’s access to resources they already have with them.

Portland is an urban heat island, which refers to cities that tend to get warmer (especially during the summer) than surrounding urban areas. Darker surfaces, such as asphalt roads and concrete sidewalks, absorb more light and heat from the sun, making them much warmer than other surfaces and materials. Fortunately, Portland’s vegetation provides shade to cool off the city and its inhabitants. The only issue is that sweeps have been increasing, which forcibly displaces the homeless population from one spot to another, breaking up communities and preventing them from being able to support one another. These sweeps do not mean that people can simply move to a shelter. There could be limited access/available space, a lack of trust, mobility challenges, and curfews that make it extremely difficult for them to be a reliable place to stay cool and away from the heat.

So, how can people stay cool if none of these options are viable?

Some suggestions include a buddy/support system, avoiding strenuous activities during the hottest hours of the day, staying in shaded areas, wearing light-colored, loose-fitting clothing that covers your skin, and knowing where to find local cooling centers. These suggestions may not be easy to implement for some individuals, which is why the city needs to improve at reducing heat risk not only for the homeless communities, but for the rest of the city, too. Instead of sweeping homeless communities, the city should open more accessible shelters and cooling centers, remove curfews, and remove restrictions that create more barriers to staying at these shelters. 

The community can help too. Communicate with each other, build trust, relay information, and work with others to provide food, water, and other resources to those in need. The sun’s heat indiscriminately affects everyone, but it’s the varying access to resources, shelter, cooling alternatives, and support that especially endangers people experiencing homelessness.

To learn more, click on these resources:

Homeless Portlanders, Service Providers Prepare for Heat

Help for When it's Hot

Beating the Heat on the Street

Landfills & Leftovers: Food or Garbage?

Leftovers. Everyone loves them, until their fridge is ridden with too much alfredo pasta for their own good.. 

Jokes aside, food waste is much more than just discarding your perfectly good leftovers. The United States, alone, throws away 92 billion TONS of food each year. This food comes from consumers in their homes, poor business practices, overproduction, expiration, and various parts of the food supply chain. According

to moveforhunger.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the issue of hunger and food waste:

American consumers, businesses, and farms spend $218 billion, or 1.3% of their gross domestic product,

growing, processing, and disposing of food that is never eaten. On average, businesses are taking a $74

billion loss on food waste every year”. 

This means in America alone there are billions of dollars worth of food wasted that could be redistributed

or otherwise re-used, which would as a result save the American economy billions of dollars on actually

processing their food waste. If overproduction is an issue, we need to scale back the amount of product we

buy for our businesses and homes if we know it’s too much. Otherwise, there should be infrastructure in

place in order to keep as much nutritious food on hand as possible, in order to minimize the amount of

waste produced. 

What does this mean for homelessness? It means that in addition to scaling back our production and

consumption, we need to have systems in place for people who can’t buy food, and for food that doesn’t

have people to eat it. There are already soup kitchens, food pantries, food drives, government assistance,

missions, and things like that which designate a place for people to go to who need immediate help with

things like food and other necessities. However, this doesn’t address the glaring issue of wasted food.

We could increase our number of soup kitchens 100 fold, and actually see an increase in food waste and

overall use of product. We should incentivize people to donate their unused food instead of throwing it

away. Avoiding food waste benefits the buyer, the seller, garbage collectors, and people who need food.

Public infrastructure tied to food would create more jobs and reduce our food waste, reserving more

resources for those who need them.

In the meantime, before the United States and local communities develop the optimal infrastructure to

keep our food out of landfills, we as individuals, families, and businesses can commit to doing our best to

reduce food waste. This means saving the leftovers, freezing them, and never throwing food away.

If you don’t want it, find someone else who wants it. If no one else wants it, compost it. If you truly can’t

get rid of your unwanted food, ask yourself, should I have bought this much food in the first place?

We can plan ahead and not over-produce. We can decide to use our freezers to store food for our future,

and unused food. We can also decide to save our ‘expired’ food (which is usually not), mis-shapen food,

and otherwise undesirable food for those who need it. We can decide to make a weekly or biweekly trip to

the soup kitchen. We have to make small choices in order to reduce our food waste. These choices will

hopefully ensure that more houseless individuals and people in need can access food, instead of being

turned away due to the lack of food. 

Soup kitchens should be abundant with food and landfills should be filled with garbage, not food.

The Environmental Impact of Food Waste

New Research Reveals Frozen Food’s Role in Reducing Food Waste

Charging Stations: A Lifeline for Some

 

 

Most of us hope to spend our elder years in comfort. It’s a difficult reality that many of the unhoused in our society are seniors, and that any of us could face the same fate if we experience the right amount of wrong circumstances. Our culture often paints homelessness as a personal or moral failing, and as such, there can be a strong resistance to providing basic services to those living on the streets. But everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and kindness, no matter their situation. This is not what happened with a Portland resident who was charged with theft for simply trying to charge her cell phone in public.  
 
It’s painful to imagine the need for someone to avoid certain areas of town where she once walked safely with her kids and grandkids. That fear of harassment from police officers and others could be such an unwelcome change as to warrant this avoidance. Yet that was the experience of one woman, who has chosen to remain nameless, living on the streets of Portland and waiting to be approved for affordable housing. Her disability payments, necessitated by muscular dystrophy, were too low to afford anything else. After joining a homeless peer charging their cell phone using an outlet on a sidewalk planter box, both her and her companion were charged with third-degree theft of services, a Class C misdemeanor. Neither of them realized this was a private outlet belonging to the business next to the planter box, nor did they realize this could be considered a crime. They were simply trying their best to survive in a bad situation. 

There are options out there for people with low or no income to get a free phone. But the constant need to keep that device charged is a struggle many wouldn’t think about. A phone is not a luxury item; it is a vital tool that connects people with what they need to survive and to better their lives. A phone enables one to apply for jobs, for housing, and for food stamps. A phone lets people talk to their loved ones. Being able to call for help can be a necessary lifeline for women in dangerous situations. Access to a charged cell phone is a basic level of quality of life that everyone should have. 

It is a stain on any society that a grandmother would be forced to live on the streets for any reason, much less for being on disability. The very least that could be offered is an easy way to charge their phone. Luckily the DA ended up dropping this specific case the night before her trial, being convicted could have jeopardized her chances at being approved for housing. 

The fact is that all of us could end up in her shoes, so we owe it to ourselves and each other to ask our cities to provide easy and free charging access to all members of society. There are companies like GrowCharge that design and build solar charging stations, including a public bench design, similar to those already in use in Central Park and Stanford University. Hospitality Hub, a nonprofit in Memphis, Tennessee, is a public space that offers amenities like cell phone charging to anyone who needs it. The options are there, we just need to prioritize them.  

To read more about how important a charged cell phone is for those experiencing homelessness, the Portland woman charged with theft, or different options for charging stations, check out the links below. 

Cellphones Are a Lifeline for Unhoused People—But Barriers Abound Shelterforce 

Homeless phone-charging “thief” wanted security - Street Roots

Solar Phone Charging Stations For Cities 

Design public space for homeless people? This Memphis nonprofit did - Street Roots

Is Homelessness a Crime?

 

Illustration by Hisashi Okawa

Did you know that it is punishable to sleep outside, even if no housing or shelter is available? Sounds unfair, right?

In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson that punishing someone for sleeping in public spaces, even if they have nowhere else to stay, does not violate the Eighth Amendment. In other words, they believed that it is not a “cruel and unusual” punishment. This allows other cities nationwide to pass laws that make unsheltered homelessness a legally punishable offense.

Lawmakers all over the country are attempting to sweep the crisis (and the people) under the rug without addressing the real, bigger issues that can effectively end homelessness. As of last month, Housing Not Handcuffs reported that 22 states are considering introducing new anti-homeless laws. That is nearly half the country considering criminalizing homelessness. While they are pushing to punish people experiencing homelessness, they are also slashing investments for housing, treatments, and other supports that would otherwise aid those in need.

Why does this matter? Criminalizing homelessness does nothing to solve the crisis at hand. Instead, these flawed laws effectively trap people already experiencing homelessness into a deeper pit. Arrests and tickets create criminal records, preventing people from getting jobs, qualifying for housing, and receiving other benefits that would have actually helped in ending homelessness. Research conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows there is no evidence that it reduces homelessness. All it does is forcefully remove people from one public space to the next, creating an endless, needless cycle.

The majority of people experiencing homelessness are not unsheltered by choice. Many factors can come into play, such as a lack of affordable housing, mental and physical health care, or adequate shelter. There are many barriers, both visible and invisible ones, that make it increasingly difficult to escape unsheltered homelessness. Lawmakers should focus on passing bills that increase affordable housing and other forms of support and aid, rather than pushing for punitive measures.

It’s unnecessary and dehumanizing to criminalize homelessness. Stop passing anti-homeless laws and start providing support for those experiencing homelessness.

It should never be a crime to seek shelter.

Click on these links to learn more about decriminalizing homelessness:

Tracking the Criminalization of Homelessness

What Communities Need to Know About the Decriminalization of Homelessness

The Hidden Struggle of Staying Clean While Homeless

                                         

For most people, taking a shower, washing clothes, or brushing their teeth is part of a normal daily routine. These are things many people do without even thinking about them. However, for people experiencing homelessness, staying clean can become one of the hardest parts of daily life. Something as simple as finding a bathroom, clean water, or a safe place to shower is not always easy. Many homeless individuals do not have regular access to hygiene products such as soap, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, or clean clothes. This affects not only physical health, but also mental health, confidence, and how people are treated by others in public spaces.

A study about hygiene practices among homeless individuals in Boston found that many people experiencing homelessness struggle with access to showers, laundry, and sanitation facilities. The study explained that limited hygiene access can increase the risk of infections, skin conditions, dental problems, and other illnesses. Some individuals reported washing clothes in public sinks or depending on shelters, friends, or public programs just to shower or do laundry. These situations show how difficult basic hygiene can become without stable housing and reliable resources. 

Lack of hygiene can also affect opportunities in everyday life. Imagine trying to attend a job interview, school, or a medical appointment without being able to shower or wash your clothes for several days. Many homeless individuals already face unfair judgment from society, and hygiene struggles can increase embarrassment, stress, and stigma even more. Some businesses also restrict bathroom access to paying customers, making it harder for homeless individuals to meet even their most basic needs.

The study also explained that hygiene is connected to dignity and emotional well being, not just cleanliness. Even small things like clean clothes, access to soap, or warm shower can help someone feel more confident, respected, and comfortable around others. These simple resources can make a major difference in a person's daily life.

Hygiene is a basic human need not a luxury. Supporting shelters, donating hygiene kits, and improving access to public bathrooms, showers, and laundry services can make a real difference. Even small actions like free shower programs or public restrooms can help people stay healthy and maintain dignity. If we want to truly support homeless communities, we need to understand that staying clean is often much harder than most people realize and that small resources can have a big impact on a person's confidence, health, and opportunities. 

To learn more about homelessness and hygiene access here is the article: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5580630/

                                        

The Small Things We Don’t See: Water, Dignity, and Portland’s Streets

 

Walk through Portland early in the morning and you’ll notice something most people miss. Not just tents or tarps, but the quiet routines happening around them. Someone pouring bottled water over their hands. Someone using a rag to wipe down a surface that will be dirty again in an hour. Someone trying to take care of their body with almost nothing.

We talk about houselessness here in big terms, housing shortages, funding, policy failure. All of that matters. But there’s a more immediate layer that shapes daily life, and it’s access to basic sanitation.

In Multnomah County, thousands of people are living unsheltered on any given night. For many of them, there is no reliable place to wash their hands, clean a wound, or use a restroom that feels even remotely safe. Public bathrooms exist, but they close. Hygiene stations get installed, but they break or aren’t maintained. What looks like a solution on paper often doesn’t hold up in practice.

This has real consequences. When you can’t clean a cut properly, small injuries turn into infections. When you don’t have consistent access to a restroom, you’re forced into situations that are unsafe, or criminalized. Public health becomes harder to manage, not just for houseless individuals, but for the city as a whole. This isn’t separate from the rest of Portland. It’s deeply connected to it.

There’s also something less measurable but just as important. The loss of dignity. Hygiene is tied to how we move through the world, how we’re perceived, and how we perceive ourselves. When that’s stripped away, it reinforces a cycle of invisibility. It becomes harder to access services, harder to be taken seriously, and harder to enter stable housing.

Portland has tried to respond. Programs like portable toilets, handwashing stations, and nonprofit outreach have made a difference. Street Roots and similar organizations continue to push for better access and accountability. But the scale is still off. A handful of stations cannot meet the needs of thousands of people spread across the city. And when these services are treated as temporary or optional, they’re often the first to disappear.

What’s frustrating is that this is one of the more solvable parts of the crisis. Expanding public hygiene access doesn’t require waiting years for new housing developments. It requires funding, maintenance, and a shift in how we think about public space. Cities like San Francisco and Seattle have invested in staffed, 24-hour hygiene centers. Portland could do more of the same, and do it better.

There’s also a design issue we tend to ignore. Many public restrooms are built to deter use rather than support it. Harsh lighting, uncomfortable layouts, limited privacy. What if we approached these spaces differently? Clean, well-maintained, and designed with the same care we give to places meant for paying customers. That shift wouldn’t just improve usability, it would signal that people using them are worth designing for.

It’s easy to dismiss this as a small piece of a much larger problem. But small doesn’t mean insignificant. These are the conditions people live in every single day. If those conditions don’t change, the larger solutions we talk about will continue to fall short.

You should care because this isn’t just about people living outside. It’s about the kind of city Portland is becoming. Basic sanitation is not a luxury. It’s a baseline for public health, safety, and dignity. Ignoring it doesn’t make the problem go away, it just makes it harder to fix.

If you want to see how this is already being addressed, and where the gaps still are, take a few minutes to look through the work being done locally.

Click here to learn more or support efforts in Portland: https://www.streetroots.org

Charging for Change

 

Society has put us in a situation where we rely too much on cell phones. We take for granted how we can stay connected with anyone at any time. No imagine you had nowhere to charge your phone. You might think, "Hey I can just charge this at home." But what if you didn't have a home to go back to. This is the reality for most of the un-homed population. Not having a phone can prevent people from not being able to contact their family or case workers, apply for jobs, or even be able to find shelters or just use a map. 

    When I was younger, I showed up for a job interview wearing jeans. The people who were interviewing kicked me right out the door without asking me a single question. In hindsight I dodged a bullet with that job but there are jobs out there that judge people off their appearance. Imagen finding a clean interview outfit but your phone dies right when they call you to set up a date for the interview, and you have no idea when you will be able to charge your phone again. This does make it a little bit difficult for people to get their life back together. 

    What I suggest we can do to fix this issue is to leave charging ports at transit stops. I know there's a few charging ports on the MAX but putting some on the bus would also be a good idea. I also suggest that they pass out solar panel chargers at shelters or missions to allow their phones to charge on sunny days. In the long run we all know how it feels to be carrying around a dead phone. We need to do something to make that aspect of life a little bit easier for everyone. At the end of the day a phone is more than just a tool to distract you from the world, It’s a lifeline. It’s the thing that connects people with family and job opportunities. This small rectangle is what is keeping most of us employed.

https://twitter.com/ecopolproject

https://www.tiktok.com/@ecolife.project?lang=en

https://www.freegeek.org/

 

                                               

Why Pets are Both a Lifeline and a Barrier

 

The relationship between a person and their pet is one of the strongest bonds that exists after everything else in their life falls apart. Within many of the camps located all around Portland and along the streets, having a dog or cat is quite common, but they are typically considered a nuisance by society and social services. For much of the homeless population in Portland, a pet is more than just a convenience; it is their source of security, comfort, and affection. Despite its importance for their mental well-being, owning a pet can serve as an obstacle standing in the way of assistance, leaving them with no other option than to choose between a comfortable night of sleep and their only form of family.

The common rhetoric tends to suggest that if a pet is keeping someone from a shelter, they should relinquish them in order to stabilize themselves. However, this perspective completely overlooks the psychological aspect of human connection. In a situation where one loses everything, such as their home, employment, and social standing, the role of a pet in providing meaning and humanity becomes crucial. A new study conducted at the University of Southern California in 2026 looked into years of housing outcomes and discovered that unhoused people who owned pets managed to secure permanent housing twice as often as people without pets. The fact that there is someone else to take care of gives them the drive to stabilize and enables them to utilize low-barrier permanent housing options more effectively.

Despite all these positive outcomes, the logistical hurdles involved in Portland prove to be quite challenging. While many shelters around Portland allow for pets, they often have certain requirements they must meet to be allowed in. They often need proof of vaccination, which is challenging due to the lack of documentation they have for their pets. They also tend to require the pets to be “housebroken” – proper potty training and proper indoor behavior – which can prove very challenging for those who are constantly living outdoors, or in inconsistent housing. In addition, movement becomes quite limited since transportation to a doctor's appointment or an interview may only be available on the MAX or buses, where it may not be possible to take one's pet along. It is necessary to consider animals not as a problem but rather as a solution to homelessness.

For the future, the opportunity arises for Portland to be proactive and utilize the correlation between humans and their pets to improve their services. This may involve extending shelter services with pet kennel availability as well as reaching out to organizations such as Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) team that will offer necessary animal care services for those who lack funds. By offering pet-friendly services, the city ensures that while ensuring stability for the individual, they do not have to give up their beloved pets. Our city boasts in the care we take for one another and our pets. It is now time that we showed care for those who needed it the most. We must recognize that keeping a pet healthy and safe could often be the first step at keeping a person whole and motivated to keep fighting. 

If you are interested in learning more about what the PAWs Team mission is or want to donate, check out their website HERE. 

Hostile Architecture

You see it more and more. A bench that’s strategically had another arm rest added right in the middle of the seat to prevent anyone from lying across. Spikes on flat surfaces that are just barely pretending to be aesthetic flourishes, and “coincidently” preventing anyone from sitting comfortably. Seats that are sloped ever so slightly, preventing more than a moment's rest. These design choices are part of a larger trend to prevent homeless citizens from accessing places of rest, some subtle, some less subtle. 

It might make sense on the surface. A public bench is for sitting, not sleeping, so why shouldn’t we prevent people from using it as a bed? But there’s a dark underside to that train of thought. The implication that is being suggested here is that there is a “right” way to use a public service, and a “wrong” way. That simply is not the case. A public bench is meant to provide rest, nothing more, nothing less, and no citizen has a greater claim to it than another. 

It’s all about appearances, really. When someone is denied a place to sleep due to hostile architecture, they do not suddenly no longer need somewhere to sleep. Instead they are simply being told that anywhere they choose to sleep should be out of the way, hidden. That’s not solving the problem of homelessness, that’s sweeping it under the rug and pretending it’s not there. And suppose every rest spot, every public seat is converted into these hostile forms of themselves. You’d be left with a city that says to anyone looking at it, “I chose to develop these ugly, tumorous growths because I wanted to ignore a problem rather than solve it.” A city should be beautiful, and it should have character, and it shouldn’t sacrifice these things to pretend that things are better than they are. You may find the sight of a homeless person sleeping on a bench unsightly. Is it more unsightly than an empty bench proudly proclaiming how discriminatory it is?
I don’t think so.

To see more of how this problem is developing in cities across the nation, take a look at this article: CLICK