Just say no to homeless shelters
Neighbors united against rollout of two shelters in Northwest Portland
Seventy people—drawn by the thought of two proposed homeless shelters in their midst— participated Monday in the largest Northwest District Association meeting in years. Only one of the 70 on the Zoom call advocated for the shelters.
That singular voice belonged to Rob Layne, and he was paid to take that position. Layne works for Portland Solutions, the branch of Mayor Keith Wilson’s office planning shelters citywide to end unsheltered camping by the end of the year.
NWDA President Todd Zarnitz intended to conclude the feedback session with a resolution endorsing the the mayor’s goal while insisting on a better plan to protect neighbors from the effects of 275 people leaving the shelters each morning without services or control over their behavior.
The rest of the “room” wanted no conciliation or compromise, just an effective counter to plans they feared would undermine their safety and the livability of their neighborhoods.
“I clean up needles and defecation and report incidents daily,” Northwest resident Laura Curry said. “I have no faith that the city is going to uphold any line.”
“You can’t overestimate how raw the feelings are,” Zarnitz said.
Eric Zimmerman, the only one of the three District Four city council members to attend, said, “I'm hearing you loud and clear. I know the staff is hearing you loud and clear.”
After the meeting, Linda Witt, a former Pearl volunteer who led a Clean Team for about six years, said she was surprised to learn of the city’s policy for Community Engagement for City Shelter Services.
“It seems that there is currently zero compliance with the city’s stated position,” Witt wrote in an email. “If the neighbors—and representative organizations such as the Northwest Community Conservancy, NWDA, the Pearl District Neighborhood Association and Neighbors for Safe Shelters—are only being involved on the back end, well after key and potentially non-reversible steps have been taken.
“And the communication appears to be even more opaque when it comes to problems with existing shelter sites, based on the ongoing, intractable issues with the site on NW Naito.”
The policy reads:
“Community engagement is a critical component of an effective homelessness response. Portland's city shelter services are developed in partnership with the communities they serve. As such, we resolve to be responsive and better aligned with neighborhood needs. Our focus on community engagement allows us to be more successful in supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. Engaging residents, local organizations and people with lived experience fosters trust, increases transparency and strengthens the community’s shared commitment to creating safe, inclusive and compassionate shelter options.”
Cute party line "policy". To be clear - NO ONE at the NWDA is against providing services to assist people into a life off of the streets. There is NO FAITH that the city / county will serve people completely - meaning 24/7. WHO picks up the other 16 hours of the 24 hour clock? RESIDENTS of the community who have NOT been consulted about incoming shelters! The same community members who are ALREADY cleaning up streets full of feces, used syringes from needles distributed in our community by the handfulls - not an exchange - a hand out, garbage by the truck loads, dealing with tents, living around boulders and fences, walking around and through addicts smoking fentanyl, shooting up or passed out on our streets, sidewalks, next to buildings. WTF! ENOUGH!
Mayor Wilson, in his June 18th email (“Here’s what I want you to know about emergency shelters…”), outlines very specific commitments to neighborhoods where shelter are being proposed. They represent a good start, but there needs to be funding commitments and personnel tied to these. NW Examiner should pose these questions to the Mayor.