These sites will provide a compassionate service model that is informed by those with lived experience, including a safe, secure, and hygienic place for residents to meaningfully connect with services to access housing, mental health support, substance use disorder treatment and other critical resources provided by non-profit and county partners. Photo of Urban Alchemy-Managed Shelter Site in CA These unsanitary and unsafe conditions can negatively impact established residences, businesses, schools, and other key infrastructure.Ībout Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites There are myriad reasons, but unchecked criminal activity, drug use, and/or lack of hygienic facilities contribute to the squalor in which our homeless neighbors are left to exist. We have found that unsheltered encampments almost always become unsafe. Both the individuals left on the streets and our community at large suffer when we allow unsanctioned encampments to spread across Portland. It is not humane to leave Portlanders living on our streets in unsafe and often squalid conditions. We need places for unsheltered Portlanders to stay where they are provided safe shelter, sanitary services, mental health, substance abuse recovery services, and access to other services while they wait for long-term housing. On the other hand, if everyone we made contact with accepted a shelter offer, we would quickly run out of space. We regularly hear from our Street Services Coordination Center team that those who may decline the offer for a congregate shelter may be more willing to accept the offer for a Temporary Alternative Shelter Site. Those who outreach teams make contact with are offered an immediately available shelter bed, a personal ride to that shelter bed with their immediate belongings, complimentary storage for additional items, and other services.įor the most part, homeless Portlanders we make contact with decline shelter offers for a variety of reasons. Many share concerns that congregate shelters may not accommodate their pets, allow for significant other to stay together, or they prefer the independence of sleeping in their own tent. Navigation outreach teams engage with dozens of homeless Portlanders during an average week. This plan follows numerous homelessness-focused Emergency Declarations issued by Mayor Wheeler to help tackle the following issues: unsanctioned homeless camping near high crash corridors and safe routes to schools, fast-tracking the development of Commissioner Ryan’s Safe Rest Villages, and activating the Street Services Coordination Center (SSCC), an innovative centralized command structure to better manage how our homeless aid agencies work together. ![]() Our collective goal should be to eliminate unsanctioned, unsheltered camping in Portland-and we cannot wait any longer.Ĭentral to this plan is developing Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites that will provide shelter, sanitary services, mental health, substance abuse recovery services, and access to other services for homeless Portlanders while they wait for long-term housing. We can both create more affordable housing options and provide immediate services to those who are struggling to survive on the streets. Leaving vulnerable Portlanders to live outside in the elements in dangerous conditions poses issues to both the individual experiencing homelessness and the community.Īs Mayor, I’m working with partners locally and at every level of government to turn things around and offer a bold new direction for Portland. People living in these sites are often isolated and lack basic services like running water, restrooms, showers, storage, trash service, regular communication with housing and health providers, protections from the elements, and are at risk of experiencing an overdose, violence, fires, and much more. Currently, more than 800 individual campsites exist across the City of Portland alone. The need for Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites is clear. ![]() The status quo is not a compassionate response.
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