Springwater Corridor, Portland Business Journal, 2016
All you need to do is walk around Portland to see that we've got an issue we need to fix. The Springwater Corridor in East Portland is the largest homeless camp in the US, with around 200 tents housing upwards of 500 people. There have been steps taken to address the issue of homelessness, such as the Affordable Housing Bond, but because mental illness plays such a large role, we can't address homelessness without first addressing mental illness.
According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, in January 2018 Oregon had over 14,000 people experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, Oregon also ranks worst for mental illness, with 35-40% of the homeless population being mentally ill. During the 1990's many of the mental hospitals were closed due to harsh conditions and treatment of patients. While this was planned with good intentions, there was no follow up and now many of the patients are homeless and living in worse conditions than before. Coupled with the huge heroin and meth usage, it's a vicious cycle that many people can't get out of.
So what do can we do to help? A great first step is to volunteer at a non-profit such as Transition Projects. Companies like this help those in need to get out of a bad situation and into somewhere stable and safe. The city needs to put more money into places like Transition Projects so they can be better equipped to help. But it all starts with the individual, taking a small step to make a difference.
