Wheeler Unveils New Homelessness Plan - Big Scope, No Budget or Timeline

Friday, February 26, 2016

GoLocalPDX News Team

Ted Wheeler has launched a new comprehensive approach to dealing with the homelessness crisis in Portland. The plan is comprehensive is scope, but offers no timeline or budget for achieving goals.

In a city of tremendous prosperity, the homelessness problem has been a stain on the city's reputation and undermines the Portland's sense of pride.

A report last year by Point-in-Time, found for the Multnomah County including Portland and beyond siginificant trends of growing problems in homelessness in the region.

- a dramatic 48% increase in the number of unsheltered African Americans; over the past two years, the number of unsheltered African Americans – largely single adults – grew from 267 to 396.

- Over the past two years, the number of adult women experiencing homelessness grew by 15% (from 1,089 to 1,161 women). Nearly half of the women surveyed reported having been victims of domestic violence, and 67% reported having a disability.

- on the night of the count, 374 children under the age of 18 were identified as homeless. Nearly all were in families, and a growing percentage were in families that reported sleeping outside or in their car on the night of the count: a total of 152 people in families, including 76 children, were unsheltered on the night of the count, which is a 24% increase compared with 2013.

Wheeler's announcement on Thursday is designed to fulfill the pledge he initially made when he announced his campaign last September. In his speech he said, "We have nothing short of a crisis on the streets of our city. The homeless are not getting the housing or the help they need. Housing is a problem for the middle class, too. It is increasingly unaffordable for working families. Wage earning Portlanders are falling farther behind. Our streets are crumbling beneath our feet. Even basic things like filling potholes, repairing roads and making our sidewalks safer aren’t getting done the way we expect them to get done."

Wheeler's New Plan

“The growing homelessness emergency represents a humanitarian crisis and I view it as a moral imperative that we make treating it a top priority. We cannot call ourselves a progressive community while so many people are living – and dying – on our streets,” Wheeler said. “This unfolding crisis is not only catastrophic for people impacted by homelessness, but it also directly impacts our community's livability, public health and safety, and our economy.”

Wheeler’s plan his campaign claims wll address street homelessness and camping; to provide additional indoor alternatives to those living in parks, on sidewalks, in doorways, and under bridges; and to secure permanent, affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

“We need to acknowledge there are many different reasons people are homeless: economic issues, struggles with mental health and addiction issues, and sudden rent hikes are just a few factors that can make it difficult to secure stable housing. Many of the youth on our streets self-identify as LGBT, and others report abuse and neglect,” said Wheeler. “This is a complex, multifaceted challenge, and we need an inclusive strategy that includes tailored approaches to the specific needs among our homeless population. The goal is to get people into permanent housing and help them remain there.”

The plan is as follows:

In order to further deploy innovative, sustainable, and high-impact strategies to prevent and mitigate homelessness, Wheeler proposed convening a working group that includes members of Portland’s community who are experiencing homelessness. Partnering with members of the community who have the most direct experience with homelessness will lead to better outcomes in health, safety, dignity, and ultimately a transition into permanent housing. This builds upon the good work of the A Home for Everyone Coalition and comes as an addition to Wheeler’s previously stated commitment to engaging regional governments, non-profits, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations to solve Portland’s homelessness crisis.

Addressing Portland’s growing homelessness emergency and related housing affordability crisis and addressing the need to stem rising income inequality through the development of high-wage, high-skill jobs has been a focus of Wheeler’s campaign since he announced in September 2015.

Comprehensive Approach to Addressing Homelessness

This approach establishes a framework:

To address street homelessness and camping;
To provide additional indoor alternatives to those living in parks, on sidewalks, in doorways, and under bridges;
To secure permanent, affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Addressing street homelessness and camping:

Improve the census among Portland’s homeless population. Currently, a point-in-time homeless count is conducted in the Portland metro area once every two years. The city, in partnership with counties, local organizations, and educational institutions, should expand the number and type of counts conducted. This will help the city, county, and service providers better understand the depth and breadth of the homelessness emergency, the changing nature of the homeless population, and the specific service needs of those experiencing homelessness.

Launch a pilot program – similar to A Better Way in Albuquerque, New Mexico – that allows those experiencing homelessness to earn money for jobs in the city and to build work experience. As part of Albuquerque’s pilot outreach program, a 16-passenger van is dispatched twice a week to travel around the community and pick up people who want to work and earn an income that day.

Acknowledge that at least several hundred people will be outside for some time. Camp sweeps should be limited to areas experiencing dangerous criminal activity. Activity that interferes with public safety, such as operations that center around illicit drugs or stolen goods, will not be permitted. When sweeps are a necessary measure, actions will be taken by service providers in advance. Service providers will be directed to connect with the most vulnerable members of a camp community: women, children, and those who are at risk of predation from sex traffickers.

Establish and communicate a timeline for moving away from mass camping. The current administration has embarked on a six-month “experiment” that allows camping across the city under certain conditions. The city will prioritize the communication of its plans – to move away from camping toward shelter and services, and ultimately housing – to those experiencing homelessness as well as the broader Portland community.

Providing additional indoor alternatives to those living in parks, on sidewalks, in doorways, and under bridges:

Emergency shelters, in partnership with nonprofits, private sector organizations, and faith providers, will provide clean, dry places to sleep for people currently outside. For example, the city should consider asking architects how existing unused city facilities (some of which have as much as 16,000 square feet of space) can be converted quickly to housing that is safe and out of the elements. All corners of the community should be encouraged to offer space where able.

The city should look to innovative modular housing alternatives in other cities – including those in Vancouver, B.C., Denver, Seattle, and elsewhere.
Connect those experiencing homeless or in transitional housing with needed wrap-around services, including mental health, addiction and drug treatment, economic and housing assistance, education, and job training.

Securing permanent, affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity:

Support the work of the A Home for Everyone Coalition to secure permanent, affordable housing for low income Portlanders. It is estimated that Portland needs between 24,000 and 30,000 more units of affordable housing (defined as 10%-80% Median Family Income).

Enact the policy recommendations included in the “Tenants’ Bill of Rights” to prevent those facing housing insecurity from slipping into homelessness. Policies including: an end to No Cause evictions and rules for Just Cause evictions, relocation payments for certain Just Cause evictions and all No Cause evictions, additional funding for affordable housing, creation of an online database for landlords and prospective renters that includes a standardized rental application, and creation of the Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs within the Portland Housing Bureau to mediate disputes between tenants and landlords.

Use all means at the city’s disposal to demand the Oregon State Legislature remove the ban on local “inclusionary zoning” to give Portland more tools to create affordable housing. Support the innovative work of Commissioner Dan Saltzman to incentivize the creation of more affordable housing units.

Create one-day permitting for affordable infill development to reduce costs of development for responsible projects and create more housing for working families.
Use all means at the city’s disposal to demand Multnomah County and the State of Oregon amend penalties in the property tax system to encourage rather than punish the development of auxiliary dwelling units.

Find new funding sources to increase investment in affordable housing that is prioritized for people with the lowest incomes. The Obama Administration has set aside additional funding for services related to housing the homeless; the A Home for Everyone Coalition should be supported in their efforts to secure more funding.

Create pathways to homeownership both for traditional housing and co-op style models of multifamily housing so that the working class can build wealth.