Homeless shelters trigger letter-writing campaign
Pearl neighbors ask Mayor Wilson to reconsider overnight shelters
The Pearl District Neighborhood Association issued a call to action to members Friday, asking them to email Mayor Keith Wilson and their three City Council representatives about overnight shelters proposed in and near their district. Even before the directive, the NW Examiner had received many letters from Pearl residents, some of which are excerpted below.
Flawed understanding
I leased two parking lots from ODOT directly under this stretch of freeway and have firsthand experience with the complex, longstanding challenges in this area. … We even turned down [a lease offer from] an international EV charging company due to ongoing and serious concerns about safety and security in the area.
To propose placing two low-barrier, high-capacity, overnight shelters at the intersection of the Northwest and Pearl District neighborhoods—each of which has already borne a disproportionate share of the social and safety burdens tied to the I-405 corridor—reflects, in my view, a deeply flawed understanding of the real, day-to-day impacts on residents and businesses alike.
Al Solheim
Storefronts vacated
I have lived in the Pearl District for over 20 years, and for most of that time it has been a wonderful vibrant community. However, in the last several years the neighborhood has suffered due in part to the proximity to existing homeless service organizations and shelters principally in Old Town. The spillover impact of this has created an environment that feels unsafe, and is littered with trash, garbage and tents. This is the principal reason there are over 100 empty retail storefronts. Many employers cited unsafe working conditions for their employees and repeated break ins to their business.
Craig Boretz
Businesses flee
My wife and I moved in 2006 to … the vibrant and wonderful Pearl District.
You have heard all the reasons against this folly of this plan. It will destroy what is left of property values in the Pearl, it will bring crime, drugs and garbage all over our neighborhood. Take a stroll in any public park in the Northwest. Syringes and garbage everywhere. Businesses have already fled. Your tax base is dwindling when homeowners are fleeing (if they can).
Bill Tannen
Betrayed trust
You have betrayed our trust … by working in stealth-decision-mode and not even bothering to respect and honor the publicized Community Engagement for City Shelter Services Policy.
Simultaneously respecting the rights and humanity of both the Portland taxpayers and the homeless is a tough needle to thread. You told us you could do it. We believed you. Now it is beginning to look like we made a mistake.
R. Christopher Klemm
Revitalization unlikely
The Pearl District will be completely overwhelmed by these shelters, which will continue to undermine any sense of security for residents and discourage what few businesses remain. The chances of revitalizing the once nationally admired city neighborhood will fall into the slim-to-none category.
Dick Schneider
Unending drama
The poor residents at the Waterfront Pearl … have had to deal with unending drama at the Navigation Center …for five years now. …A few weeks ago, their concierge was attacked by a psychotic homeless madman with a pipe.
This is what we are in for, if the shelter gets approved.
Linda Witt
Mayor Wilson responds
My plan only works if host neighborhoods are empowered and safe. I’m determined to win the trust of emergency shelter neighbors and surrounding businesses through tangible improvements. That’s why my budget includes increased funds for residential street cleaning, graffiti removal, derelict vehicle towing and engagement workers. Improving the areas surrounding our new emergency shelters is a top priority.
If you’re a neighbor, worker, student or business owner within 1,000 feet of a shelter, you can expect:
Community Engagement: Shelter operators, Portland Solutions and PEMO Problem Solver Network will coordinate to notify neighbors prior to opening new shelters as well as stand by to answer questions and concerns from the community.
Neighborhood Improvement: No new shelter offers services before we inspect the area, clean streets and sidewalks, remove graffiti, and ensure the site is ready to effectively serve guests and the surrounding neighborhood.
Expedited Response: If you report an encampment, trash, graffiti or an abandoned vehicle in the area, your report will receive priority attention.
Livability Checks: Shelter operators will walk the area twice a day to engage with individuals, address encampments, clean up garbage and talk to neighbors.
Direct Contact: If you see problems around the shelter, you can contact the shelter operator directly or City of Portland Shelter Services at shelterservices@portlandoregon.gov.
Resource Connection: Upon exit, every guest receives a list of resources to connect them with food, resources, day centers, recovery, loved one reunification and other critical services.
Mayor Keith Wilson
To the Editor / Portland City Officials:
My wife and I have been residents of the Pearl District for 22 years. Over that time, we’ve come to deeply appreciate the parks, the sense of community, and the vibrant spirit that once made this neighborhood such a special place to live. Like many of our neighbors, we continue to hope that vibrancy can return. However, we are increasingly concerned that the recently announced plan to place two large overnight shelters in the Pearl will undermine those efforts.
We are two of more than 80 volunteers with the Pearl District Clean Team—residents who actively work to support and maintain our neighborhood. We listened in good faith when city leaders, including the mayor and council members, assured us that Portland was moving toward thoughtful, compassionate solutions for those experiencing homelessness—solutions that would avoid placing undue strain on any one neighborhood.
Yet at the end of May 2025, we were informed—without prior public notice or community engagement—that not one, but two overnight shelters, with a total capacity of 275 people, would be located in the Pearl. Releasing 200 individuals onto the streets of our neighborhood each morning at 6 or 7 a.m. is not a plan that reflects compassion or foresight. It is a reactive measure that risks public safety, diminishes quality of life, and could lead to long-term harm for both housed and unhoused individuals.
In the NW Examiner, Mayor Wilson stated, “My plan only works if host neighborhoods are empowered and safe.” True empowerment begins with transparency and community input before decisions are made—not after. And increasing cleanup budgets once issues arise does not equate to keeping neighborhoods safe in the first place.
We respectfully urge city leaders to pause the shelter rollout and convene open town hall meetings with the residents who fund the city’s services through property taxes—residents whose property values and quality of life are now at risk. As federal support for cities continues to shrink, especially in states like Oregon, undermining our tax base will only worsen Portland’s challenges.
Please pause and listen. There is still time to collaborate on a better path forward—one that honors the needs of all Portlanders.
Sincerely,
Steve Duvoisin
Pearl District Resident & Volunteer