One of Portlanders’ top priorities is finding a compassionate solution to our city’s homelessness issue. Our mayor-elect’s desire to establish a network of day and overnight shelters is heartening. Keith Wilson, the mayoral candidate, claims he can eradicate unsheltered homelessness. Doubts are raised by critics, Oct. 29.
Although I support this concept, we must acknowledge that some people will not seek refuge, day or night, because of a history of trauma or a persistent mental condition. Some people find that camping is the most practical way to survive, despite how terrible it may appear considering the risks of living on the streets.
Let’s acknowledge that some campers will simply set up camp no matter what kind of shelter space is offered. Why not give them a real location to camp if we don’t want them in front of our establishments or obstructing sidewalk access, and if we want to link them with resources for treatment and long-term housing? Most people concur that our tiny house villages have been successful in this endeavor. There would be designated camping areas near services. They wouldn’t be as large as previously suggested. They would have hygienic amenities, be watched after, and serve as a temporary, reliable basis from which to connect with social services.
Campers would not be permitted to remain on sidewalks or in front of shops. Allowing the campers to camp in authorized areas with services that guide them toward a better solution is preferable to sweeping them down the street, which accomplishes nothing, or locking them up in a jail where we have no space.
Portland’s Michael Alberts
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