The rollout of Portland’s Safe Rest Village program has been underwhelming, with those small managed homeless shelters slow to stand up in the three years of the program.
The shelter on Northeast 181st Street and East Burnside Street can provide temporary housing for up to 40 people as wait to transition into a permanent home.
As pushback to Safe Rest Villages lingers, Portland International School students extend neighborly welcome, with winter supply drive and hand made cards for unhoused neighbors
Portland homeless shelter providers were taken by surprise in October when Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Dan Ryan unveiled a plan to open several large-scale outdoor homeless encampments across town. Many longtime organizations, several of which already ran outdoor shelters similar to the proposed camps, had expected the city to seek their input in the proposal. “But no local provider had been consulted,” recalled Andy Miller, director of homeless service nonprofit Our Just Future.
City Commissioners heard loud opposition and support Wednesday to a proposed city policy that would ban homeless camping across Portland. The seven hours of testimony, provided by more than 200 Portlanders, painted a clear picture of who stands to benefit from the plan—and who could be harmed by the ordinance as proposed. "I can tell you again and again, camping bans come up as something politicians brandish to placate some constituents while making life unbearable.