For what it's worth, I am sending a complaint letter to Mayor Wilson later this morning. He can't be allowed to get away with not addressing the growing problem the city has created by placing a shelter where it did. I am glad there is a oversight group who are staying on top of things.
You also ask why are there shelters being closed down and why is he claiming he added 1,500 new beds. Ya I stay this shelter and put my name in other shelters that are open 24/7. I have Monday through Friday job yet I get kicked out 7 days a week with no place to rest on the weekends. Also ask why all shelters kick people out early in the morning when they have nowhere to go
They are not staying on top of the homeless problem. I stay at this shelter. I have a job and have been homeless for about three months now. In this time I have seen that homelessness has become a profit making business. Shelters and programs only help enough to say "see we are helping". I say this because there are about 2/3 of shelters that are empty that's right 2/3 I know because as I said I'm homeless and put my name in all of the programs and one the person I told him if were a drug addict I'd help asap he replied "I hate to admit but your right". So you people need get there and see yourself before you praise people on the so called reporting
Living in Old Town, it's hard to be sympathetic for those in the Pearl who are now having to contend with the conditions that have plagued our neighborhood for years while Pearl residents sat back and sighed relief that those conditions didn't cross Broadway and enter their place of peace and quiet -- and I might add, safety. You'd think, with all the social service agencies located in Old Town, that there wouldn't be a tent to be found. Instead Blanchet House (and other social service agencies) attracts them like a magnet. Flanders Street has become drug dealing central. Oasis is a joke with a 1000-foot perimeter that is rife with tents and loitering. Wilson has succeeded in clearing Downtown of homeless by pushing them to the fringes -- first Old Town and now the Pearl. Shelters are a waste of money if they sit half full because the vagrants on our streets want their drugs -- not a warm place to rest their head. And I resent anyone calling these derelicts "our neighbors." They are incorrigible addicts who could say "NO" to their situation at any time but that have been enabled by the city and bleeding heart liberals for so long there is no reason to change. "Meeting them where they are" is nothing more than enabling them to continue the same behavior without consequence. So, until we see a dramatic change in thinking and how homelessness is being addressed, the number of people living on the street will continue to grow and the taxpayers will be the ones to suffer.
The Pearl District Neighborhood Association’s report raises real concerns, but it overlooks the larger reality. The Northwest Street Shelter has already brought hundreds of people from the streets of the Pearl District into safe, warm beds and connected them to care every single night.
We remain committed to addressing difficult behavior and livability concerns. The Mayor’s office is coordinating with public safety and outreach teams to respond to drug activity and ensure that transit stops and public spaces remain accessible. Progress is ongoing, and we welcome constructive dialogue with neighborhood leaders to improve outcomes.
Taylor Zajonc
Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Mayor Keith Wilson, City of Portland
As an East Side resident, I welcome the entry of Pearl residents to the "Portland Reality" club. You're latecomers, but expect your membership cards in the mail--along with your property tax bill from the county. File that under the heading of, "We Couldn't Care Less." Tshirts and hoodies will follow, although expect them to shrink after the first laundry.
This is why shelters should not be in neighborhoods. Residents should not have to give even MORE to these assholes. Yes I see the comments about it being “their turn,” but NW and the pearl have been suffering for years and it’s only *increased* since the shelter. I moved out of that area back in 2022 because it was a mess. Dangerous people, screaming at all hours, my car was broken into 2x in a year. A rock through my apartment window. A man high on meth blocking me from getting into my building unless I helped him steal a car. The neighborhoods are coming together to hold the city accountable which I think is great. Despite all these negatives, Im hoping things will improve now that Wilson & Vasquez are starting to enforce the law, as if enforcing the law should’ve ever been in question.
Stay 30 days on the streets and you will see homelessness is profit making business. I know because I stay this shelter, I do have job but I still "kicked out" on the weekends with no where to go. So don't believe what they say until you experience it for yourself
Problem!I stay at the shelter.ive been homeless for about three months now. I also have a job, yes there are homeless who are trying everything they can to get off the streets yet! From what I've experienced, homelessness has become a profit making business. Ye it has because I have a job I am last on all list that could help me. This shelter has helped me and I know most of the people that stay there and I can say they do not cause problems because the shelter has strick rules that if we break one, we are "excluded" from staying one night. So if you really want to see is really going on with this shelter, get out there and watch us. You all really need to stop listening to people and look for yourself to see the truth!
Another thing. Tonight we had someone who came by where we wait before we can line up and started a fire and left. This person non of us has never seen before. We told urban alchemy (who watches out for the shelter and keeps everyone "in line" a.k.a makes people behave and they put out the fire.
I suggest inviting Blair Best, reporter for KGW, as she covers homelessness and drug issues in Portland.
Sad....
For what it's worth, I am sending a complaint letter to Mayor Wilson later this morning. He can't be allowed to get away with not addressing the growing problem the city has created by placing a shelter where it did. I am glad there is a oversight group who are staying on top of things.
You also ask why are there shelters being closed down and why is he claiming he added 1,500 new beds. Ya I stay this shelter and put my name in other shelters that are open 24/7. I have Monday through Friday job yet I get kicked out 7 days a week with no place to rest on the weekends. Also ask why all shelters kick people out early in the morning when they have nowhere to go
Thank you for staying on top of this. It’s so appreciated.
They are not staying on top of the homeless problem. I stay at this shelter. I have a job and have been homeless for about three months now. In this time I have seen that homelessness has become a profit making business. Shelters and programs only help enough to say "see we are helping". I say this because there are about 2/3 of shelters that are empty that's right 2/3 I know because as I said I'm homeless and put my name in all of the programs and one the person I told him if were a drug addict I'd help asap he replied "I hate to admit but your right". So you people need get there and see yourself before you praise people on the so called reporting
Living in Old Town, it's hard to be sympathetic for those in the Pearl who are now having to contend with the conditions that have plagued our neighborhood for years while Pearl residents sat back and sighed relief that those conditions didn't cross Broadway and enter their place of peace and quiet -- and I might add, safety. You'd think, with all the social service agencies located in Old Town, that there wouldn't be a tent to be found. Instead Blanchet House (and other social service agencies) attracts them like a magnet. Flanders Street has become drug dealing central. Oasis is a joke with a 1000-foot perimeter that is rife with tents and loitering. Wilson has succeeded in clearing Downtown of homeless by pushing them to the fringes -- first Old Town and now the Pearl. Shelters are a waste of money if they sit half full because the vagrants on our streets want their drugs -- not a warm place to rest their head. And I resent anyone calling these derelicts "our neighbors." They are incorrigible addicts who could say "NO" to their situation at any time but that have been enabled by the city and bleeding heart liberals for so long there is no reason to change. "Meeting them where they are" is nothing more than enabling them to continue the same behavior without consequence. So, until we see a dramatic change in thinking and how homelessness is being addressed, the number of people living on the street will continue to grow and the taxpayers will be the ones to suffer.
I just received this reply from Mayor Wilson's office to my complaint about the Mayor's silence on the oversight group's report:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Pearl District Neighborhood Association’s report raises real concerns, but it overlooks the larger reality. The Northwest Street Shelter has already brought hundreds of people from the streets of the Pearl District into safe, warm beds and connected them to care every single night.
We remain committed to addressing difficult behavior and livability concerns. The Mayor’s office is coordinating with public safety and outreach teams to respond to drug activity and ensure that transit stops and public spaces remain accessible. Progress is ongoing, and we welcome constructive dialogue with neighborhood leaders to improve outcomes.
Taylor Zajonc
Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Mayor Keith Wilson, City of Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I wonder how the Mayor's office defines "constructive dialogue." My posting this here is not an endorsement of the message.
As an East Side resident, I welcome the entry of Pearl residents to the "Portland Reality" club. You're latecomers, but expect your membership cards in the mail--along with your property tax bill from the county. File that under the heading of, "We Couldn't Care Less." Tshirts and hoodies will follow, although expect them to shrink after the first laundry.
This is why shelters should not be in neighborhoods. Residents should not have to give even MORE to these assholes. Yes I see the comments about it being “their turn,” but NW and the pearl have been suffering for years and it’s only *increased* since the shelter. I moved out of that area back in 2022 because it was a mess. Dangerous people, screaming at all hours, my car was broken into 2x in a year. A rock through my apartment window. A man high on meth blocking me from getting into my building unless I helped him steal a car. The neighborhoods are coming together to hold the city accountable which I think is great. Despite all these negatives, Im hoping things will improve now that Wilson & Vasquez are starting to enforce the law, as if enforcing the law should’ve ever been in question.
Stay 30 days on the streets and you will see homelessness is profit making business. I know because I stay this shelter, I do have job but I still "kicked out" on the weekends with no where to go. So don't believe what they say until you experience it for yourself
Problem!I stay at the shelter.ive been homeless for about three months now. I also have a job, yes there are homeless who are trying everything they can to get off the streets yet! From what I've experienced, homelessness has become a profit making business. Ye it has because I have a job I am last on all list that could help me. This shelter has helped me and I know most of the people that stay there and I can say they do not cause problems because the shelter has strick rules that if we break one, we are "excluded" from staying one night. So if you really want to see is really going on with this shelter, get out there and watch us. You all really need to stop listening to people and look for yourself to see the truth!
Another thing. Tonight we had someone who came by where we wait before we can line up and started a fire and left. This person non of us has never seen before. We told urban alchemy (who watches out for the shelter and keeps everyone "in line" a.k.a makes people behave and they put out the fire.