Parks and their parking lots off table for new homeless shelters March 31 2021
The Portland City Council pares back homeless shelter options when approving Street to Shelter Continuum Project on Wednesday.
The City Council voted on a number of measures related to homelessness in Portland including amending the city s proposed Shelter to Housing Continuum Project to explicitly prohibit outdoor shelters in natural areas, parks or park parking lots on Wednesday, March 31.
The council s housing emergency declaration was also extended for another year.
The council voted to amend and approve the Shelter to Housing Continuum Project, which is intended to expand shelter and housing options throughout the city by changing zoning codes to allow for more managed homeless camps, among other things. This would allow organizations and nonprofits to provide hygiene services, trash collection and wrap-around social services.
March 17 2021
Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty said Tuesday s fire means the City Council must approve more homeless shelters.
A person and a dog were killed in a recreational vehicle fire early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters responded to the fire behind the Shalamar Apartments on Southeast Powell Boulevard around 2 a.m. on March 16. Another person and a dog who were in the vehicle escaped injury.
Portland Fire & Rescue said the fire was started by improper use of a propane heater used to keep the vehicle s occupants warm. Six such fires have happened so far this year, PF&R said.
At one point, firefighters were getting called out to three or four tent fires each day. Last month, a man died after being severely burned in a tent fire in Portland s Piedmont neighborhood. Investigators said the blaze likely came from a propane heating device.