FINALLY !!! Someone looked up from their computer and looked out the window. Sharon Meieran, saw the drug problem first hand, but could never get traction with Multnomah County. She understood from the beginning …you can’t put people addicted to drugs into housing and expect a good outcome. That always seemed fairly obvious to people who saw the problem at street level.
It was also obvious that a significant part of the strategy was designed to put $$$ into the hands of international developers fronted by nonprofits to create scads of "affordable" (ie, taxpayer-supported) housing--a bolt-on to the Housing First concept. Be interesting to see numbers on how much in property taxes have been lost by socializing that portion of the rental market.
Rich’s comments are spot on. But think of the hundreds of millions wasted by feckless Multnomah County government leaders who refused to listen to Sharon’s sage counsel. And think of the lives lost because the County would not follow the example of Bybee Lakes and other organizations who maintained that the Housing First approach was not a successful model.
We need to name those County Commissioners who so vigilantly stood by the Housing First debacle, despite overwhelming evidence it was an unworkable, politically motivated scam. Of course Deborah Kafoury was a notorious advocate for Housing First as is her most devoted acolyte Jessica Vega Pederson. Don't forget Shusheela and Lori Stegmann, nor Meghan Moyer and Shannon Singleton. Years and years of spinning our wheels and wasting untold millions of taxpayer dollars because of a cult-like, ideological refusal to look at the County's homeless population and admit that drug addiction and untreated mental illness are the REAL sources of the most recalcitrant homelessness in Portland. A refusal to admit that their own pet projects (think "Harm Reduction", Measure 110, Free Tarps and Tents for All, allowing the County's former DA to not prosecute criminals, making it virtually impossible for the City to actually clear the sidewalks through noncooperation, etc.).
Of course this is only the tip of the iceberg, but we need to remember those who got us here and have kept us here.
For reasons that escape me, Portland voters keep electing these bleeding heart politicians who continually emphasize compassion and individual rights over community livability and safety concerns. The flight of countless residents, retail businesses, and employers from the downtown and Pearl neighborhoods over the past decade, beginning long before COVID, is solid evidence of the failure of the simplistic housing first policies championed by Kafoury and Pederson. Yet these two leaders were elected by Portland voters who clearly had a choice in the direction of homeless services policies, rejecting the wisdom of Meieran in the process. Go figure.
How is this power heirarchy allowed? Anyone with the minimum of common sense knows that if you can't maintain you personal wellfare, it DOESN'T matter WHERE you live! For the love of god! What does it take for PDX / Mult Co to get a move on and deal with this b.s. in a realistic way? This ridiculousness isn't just about the addicts shoe horned into apartments - it's the NEIGHBORS who have to put with the b.s. God. What imbiciles.
One of the most difficult things in public policy is to take an unbiased, ego-less look at a situation. It is one thing to propose an apparently well-reasoned solution to a difficult problem, it is another to take the necessary next step to carefully evaluate the data..is our idea working or not?
While we have all seen enough events to show that there would appear to be many problems with a purely Housing First approach, Dr. Mendenhall has now provided us with solid data that is in support of that impression.
In medicine we like to have really solid evidence-based discussions, which is somewhat different than how each of us thinks our own gut feelings and snapshot analysis shows the seemingly obvious answers.
His presentation of this research to key policy makers in local governments who have been guided by their own admirable empathetic intentions but are not health care professionals, will now help change long held opinions and move us in a direction of more effective solutions.
I would like to give due credit to him and Dr. Meieran and many others for their careful dedicated work on this issue for many years.
This is very good news. Let's focus on dismantling the housing first bureaucracy and get some adults in the room to balance the liberty of interests of the severely mentally ill with community rights for a safe, civil, and beautiful town. The Union Gospel Mission does very good work in this area, and it is good to see them recognized as the leader they are in helping rehab people and give them hope. And let's not lose sight of the fact that those with severe mental disorders should both be held accountable for crimes like anyone else who can propose mitigation of sentencing following conviction, while at the same time, may very well need some supportive housing if they are compliant with medical care for their disorders. The lesson to learn is that we need leaders who are willing to make appropriate recommendations on policy issues, that are independent of funding. Think through the solutions first, then find the funding. Our process is flawed if we change our policies based on funding sources, instead of on good judgment, practical laws and procedures, and the properly weighted scientific data that we have in this area to be of help to us. Anybody can make an error in judgment, as can anybody lack the courage to speak out in a substantive way when their political career is threatened, but I won't be voting for anyone who has been associated with the housing first movement. There are many other qualified people who are capable of moving forward, and often it is time for public servants to step aside and go back to their regular jobs. It would be good for the city to see some new faces at the county level.
Not mentioned: Kevin Dahlgren (and a few others in Pirate Media) have been saying this for years. Kevin, in particular, deserves credit for keeping this issue in the public eye, long after the Oregonian and WillyWeek essentially walked away from real, street-level coverage, thus letting the current crop of pols off the hook.
No surprise that the purveyors of Housing First are now talking about adding more services (and more government payouts) to their menus; the corps of "helping professions" will also be lining up with tin cups in hand.
It's coincidental that the Business Journal, with a straight face, just ran an article about Central City Concern leasing/purchasing a 7-story building (last sold for $45-million) to house its administrative staff. No beds, no services...just bureaucrats. Think they'll give this up without a fight?
And what do any of these folks have to say about our socialist clique's "social housing" dreams?
FINALLY !!! Someone looked up from their computer and looked out the window. Sharon Meieran, saw the drug problem first hand, but could never get traction with Multnomah County. She understood from the beginning …you can’t put people addicted to drugs into housing and expect a good outcome. That always seemed fairly obvious to people who saw the problem at street level.
It was also obvious that a significant part of the strategy was designed to put $$$ into the hands of international developers fronted by nonprofits to create scads of "affordable" (ie, taxpayer-supported) housing--a bolt-on to the Housing First concept. Be interesting to see numbers on how much in property taxes have been lost by socializing that portion of the rental market.
Amen.
Somebody finally had the guts to say that the emperor has no clothes.
Rich’s comments are spot on. But think of the hundreds of millions wasted by feckless Multnomah County government leaders who refused to listen to Sharon’s sage counsel. And think of the lives lost because the County would not follow the example of Bybee Lakes and other organizations who maintained that the Housing First approach was not a successful model.
We need to name those County Commissioners who so vigilantly stood by the Housing First debacle, despite overwhelming evidence it was an unworkable, politically motivated scam. Of course Deborah Kafoury was a notorious advocate for Housing First as is her most devoted acolyte Jessica Vega Pederson. Don't forget Shusheela and Lori Stegmann, nor Meghan Moyer and Shannon Singleton. Years and years of spinning our wheels and wasting untold millions of taxpayer dollars because of a cult-like, ideological refusal to look at the County's homeless population and admit that drug addiction and untreated mental illness are the REAL sources of the most recalcitrant homelessness in Portland. A refusal to admit that their own pet projects (think "Harm Reduction", Measure 110, Free Tarps and Tents for All, allowing the County's former DA to not prosecute criminals, making it virtually impossible for the City to actually clear the sidewalks through noncooperation, etc.).
Of course this is only the tip of the iceberg, but we need to remember those who got us here and have kept us here.
For reasons that escape me, Portland voters keep electing these bleeding heart politicians who continually emphasize compassion and individual rights over community livability and safety concerns. The flight of countless residents, retail businesses, and employers from the downtown and Pearl neighborhoods over the past decade, beginning long before COVID, is solid evidence of the failure of the simplistic housing first policies championed by Kafoury and Pederson. Yet these two leaders were elected by Portland voters who clearly had a choice in the direction of homeless services policies, rejecting the wisdom of Meieran in the process. Go figure.
How is this power heirarchy allowed? Anyone with the minimum of common sense knows that if you can't maintain you personal wellfare, it DOESN'T matter WHERE you live! For the love of god! What does it take for PDX / Mult Co to get a move on and deal with this b.s. in a realistic way? This ridiculousness isn't just about the addicts shoe horned into apartments - it's the NEIGHBORS who have to put with the b.s. God. What imbiciles.
Here’s a potential solution to the dysfunction of Multnomah County and Portland stepping on each other’s toes. https://multnomo.org/
And water is wet!
One of the most difficult things in public policy is to take an unbiased, ego-less look at a situation. It is one thing to propose an apparently well-reasoned solution to a difficult problem, it is another to take the necessary next step to carefully evaluate the data..is our idea working or not?
While we have all seen enough events to show that there would appear to be many problems with a purely Housing First approach, Dr. Mendenhall has now provided us with solid data that is in support of that impression.
In medicine we like to have really solid evidence-based discussions, which is somewhat different than how each of us thinks our own gut feelings and snapshot analysis shows the seemingly obvious answers.
His presentation of this research to key policy makers in local governments who have been guided by their own admirable empathetic intentions but are not health care professionals, will now help change long held opinions and move us in a direction of more effective solutions.
I would like to give due credit to him and Dr. Meieran and many others for their careful dedicated work on this issue for many years.
This is very good news. Let's focus on dismantling the housing first bureaucracy and get some adults in the room to balance the liberty of interests of the severely mentally ill with community rights for a safe, civil, and beautiful town. The Union Gospel Mission does very good work in this area, and it is good to see them recognized as the leader they are in helping rehab people and give them hope. And let's not lose sight of the fact that those with severe mental disorders should both be held accountable for crimes like anyone else who can propose mitigation of sentencing following conviction, while at the same time, may very well need some supportive housing if they are compliant with medical care for their disorders. The lesson to learn is that we need leaders who are willing to make appropriate recommendations on policy issues, that are independent of funding. Think through the solutions first, then find the funding. Our process is flawed if we change our policies based on funding sources, instead of on good judgment, practical laws and procedures, and the properly weighted scientific data that we have in this area to be of help to us. Anybody can make an error in judgment, as can anybody lack the courage to speak out in a substantive way when their political career is threatened, but I won't be voting for anyone who has been associated with the housing first movement. There are many other qualified people who are capable of moving forward, and often it is time for public servants to step aside and go back to their regular jobs. It would be good for the city to see some new faces at the county level.
Well stated- thank you!
Great piece, Allan.
Not mentioned: Kevin Dahlgren (and a few others in Pirate Media) have been saying this for years. Kevin, in particular, deserves credit for keeping this issue in the public eye, long after the Oregonian and WillyWeek essentially walked away from real, street-level coverage, thus letting the current crop of pols off the hook.
No surprise that the purveyors of Housing First are now talking about adding more services (and more government payouts) to their menus; the corps of "helping professions" will also be lining up with tin cups in hand.
It's coincidental that the Business Journal, with a straight face, just ran an article about Central City Concern leasing/purchasing a 7-story building (last sold for $45-million) to house its administrative staff. No beds, no services...just bureaucrats. Think they'll give this up without a fight?
And what do any of these folks have to say about our socialist clique's "social housing" dreams?
This story is far, far from over.