There is a lot of discussion about the need for a better database that includes the number of homeless persons. Understanding the extent of homelessness is the first step towards finding a solution. Multnomah County will be there on December 22. As a long-retired housing planner, advocate, bureaucrat, and activist, I believe that during the previous thirty to more years, the same 5,000–15,000 figures have remained mostly unchanged.
Duplicate counting has always played a significant role in these measurements, as everyone with experience in the field knows. However, the variety of cheap and necessary housing options hasn’t improved sufficiently, and more money is still being spent on planning and data collection. The only change I observe is that the homeless population is aging, much like the normal population. Older homeless folks don’t want to live in tents outside, unlike drug addicts.
We attempted to switch from large shelters that resembled dorms to transitional housing with case management throughout my time there. Perhaps we should build better mass shelters that provide some privacy and basic services without evicting people throughout the day. Is this a more practical and affordable option? Perhaps we might view shelters as potential high-quality community long-term dwelling rather than as temporary storage.
Portland’s Marcia Suttenberg
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