Hope, Sanctuary, and Friendship... Operation Nightwatch provides C I T Y O F P O R T L A N D welcoming place to feel at home RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS Page 5 JULY - SEPTEMBER 2018 | ISSUE 3 INSIDE A MESSAGE FROM MAYOR TED WHEELER Addressing Chronic Homelessness 3 As the Mayor of Portland, one of the most exciting aspects of my job is collaborating with my colleagues around Outreach Spotlight: the state of Oregon. Recently, I had the opportunity Operation Nightwatch 5 to moderate a panel for the League of Oregon Cities’ conference on the topic of homelessness. The panel Portland Park Rangers: included Mayors Cathy Clark from Keizer, Royce Embanks Here to Help 6 from Madras, Lucy Vinis from Eugene, and Arline LaMear from Astoria. PPB Portland ID Project 7 For me, the biggest takeaway was that homelessness is not just a Portland problem—not by any stretch. Homelessness is New Syringe Boxes Installed 7 a growing and urgent problem that many cities in Oregon face. For us to even have a chance at solving homelessness will require our collective Community Impact: 8 best efforts. Activating Public Spaces On one hand, it was concerning to hear from my colleagues how significant and Community Resources 9 widespread the issue has become in Oregon and across the country. This was something we already knew, but to hear firsthand was alarming. Homelessness is rapidly becoming the issue, as it already is in Portland. But, on the other hand, I left Central City Concern 10 feeling encouraged. The cities of Oregon are working together and sharing ideas, best practices, and new innovative approaches to help solve the problems associated HUCIRP Updates 11 with homelessness. David Livingston: A New Chapter 12 From Tigard to Central Point to Lebanon and to The Dalles, the problem of homelessness is a central and growing issue. It knows no boundaries. It has no party PBOT’s Vehicle Inspection Team 13 affiliation. It has taken hold in cities large and small. At the conference, I learned about highly innovative initiatives happening around the Questions from the Community 14 state. For example, in Madras, they have the “Community in the Park” program – an annual event for the Jefferson County community to receive free services. Continued on Page 2 MAYOR’S MESSAGE While there are many innovative Continued from Page 1 programs across the state, our City- County Joint Office of Homeless Services C I T Y O F P O R T L A N D Eugene is leading the effort with their is seen by many around the region as Operation 365 program that focuses a successful model of cooperation and RESPONSE TO on getting veterans off the street. coordinated budgeting. I was happy to Communities are coming together, and share our results to the conference. HOMELESSNESS progress is being made. Throughout the conference, I was further I also learned that as significant as our galvanized by the solution of supportive Quarterly Newsletter homeless situation is in Portland, leaders housing. Supportive housing — deeply July - September 2018 | Issue 3 from across Oregon look to Portland and affordable housing combined with Multnomah County for leadership on this support services — is often the most issue. They are counting on us to lead the effective way to serve a significant way. share of our neighbors experiencing homelessness. In many respects, we have a head start. Portland and Multnomah County have Supportive housing is humane and The City of Portland Response to about 1500 shelter beds, for example. cost-effective, compared to the expense Homelessness includes articles and of hospital and jail beds. It’s also the information from several sources: most sustainable solution to address the livability challenges that come when The Joint Office of Homeless people in crisis must live their private “Government alone lives in public. Services (JOHS) The City of Portland and Multnomah A Home for Everyone cannot solve County are working toward producing 2,000 units of supportive housing by Central City Concern (CCC) homelessness. 2028 — and are already well underway, with 500 units already produced or in production. City of Portland Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact By comparison, I learned that other Homelessness is a large issue; it is Reduction Program (HUCIRP) communities around the state and” in a complex issue and as Mayor, I am the Metro region have few, if any, year- approaching it with a sense of urgency. Portland Bureau of Transportation around shelter beds to meet the needs We can solve homelessness. I am (PBOT) of people experiencing homelessness. confident that cities in Oregon will continue to lead on this issue. It was made clear to me at our gathering Portland Parks & Recreation that we have a need for a statewide Cities must work in partnership with agenda, which includes cities big and the state and federal government, the This newsletter is intended to small. private sector, nonprofits, the faith help outline the City’s response community, and others for the best to homelessness and to inform Shelter is only a part of our plan. We results. Government alone cannot solve also focus on prevention, social services, homelessness. the community on what the City, and housing. Last year, Portland and County, and their nonprofit partners Multnomah County helped nearly 6,000 We know what the problem is. We know are doing to promote public health people from homelessness back into what the solutions are. We know we all and safety, livability, and to provide housing. have a role to play. Will you continue to shelter for those experiencing work with me to solve this urgent issue? homelessness or living outside. More than 8,700 people visited a homeless shelter in Portland or Multnomah County last year, and we For more information on have increased the number of shelter homelessness services in Portland, beds markedly in recent years. visit A Home for Everyone. Last year, nearly 35,000 people received some form of assistance through the Joint Office and its partners. If all of those people were a city in Oregon, it would be one of the largest, based on population served. 2 MAYOR’S TRASH INITATIVE On the 30th anniversary of downtown Portland’s Clean & Safe District, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced his next step in committing to keep our streets free of litter. As of the beginning of October, the City provides trash service six days a week, and daily service will be offered downtown in early 2019. In addition, Bud Clark Commons Clean & Safe will purchase 100 additional garbage bins for downtown Portland. ADDRESSING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS “It is critical that we put our money and Joint Office of Homeless Services Sets Stage for Major efforts where our mouth is, and this Expansion of Supportive Housing additional pick-up schedule is just one of the ways we are doing that,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said at the event. “This is City of Portland and Multnomah County are taking important steps in their just the first announcements of several shared commitment to create 2,000 units of supportive housing — part of a to come for how, as your Mayor, I will compassionate, cost-effective strategy for addressing chronic homelessness. address the dirty work of getting trash cleaned up in the city—in order to make Commissioners from both governments met side-by-side at Portland City Hall Portland more livable for everyone.” on September 11 for their first joint work session since February 2017. They The Mayor is dedicated to creating a heard a report from the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), a nationally program that will streamline the cleanup recognized expert in affordable and supportive housing, that lays out the of trash and debris throughout the specific next steps and costs needed to meet the 2,000-unit goal by 2028. City, with a goal of making the City of Portland the cleanest and most livable They also heard about how a community-wide initiative led by the County and city in the United States. the City of Portland achieved record outcomes last year. This work by partners in A Home for Everyone has been carried through by the two-year-old Joint In partnership with City bureaus and Office of Homeless Services. external stakeholders, the Mayor’s Office is working to find creative and Overall, more than 35,000 people received some level of housing and effective solutions to address these wraparound services, including nearly 6,000 who were helped off the streets beautification opportunities. The City of Portland intends to make fast progress into permanent housing. That collaboration, and the success achieved with new on several projects that will result in investments since 2014 when A Home for Everyone was created, will serve as sustainable change surrounding the the foundation to add new supportive housing units. cleaning of trash and debris. “That’s something we can all be collectively proud of,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “I’m confident we can continue to address this humanitarian crisis by continuing to place people into housing.” “We stepped into uncharted territory and we bound ourselves together with one vision,” Chair Deborah Kafoury said. “Our coordinated and data-driven approach has made great strides. And we have momentum. It’s crucial that we keep it going.” Continued on Page 4 3 ADDRESSING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS “Failure to invest in solutions to chronic Affordable units created through a Continued from Page 3 homelessness will cost us even more.” separate, regional bond campaign for housing this fall, led by Metro, also Supportive housing an Major progress already under way could contribute. In addition, the plan essential solution for chronic will work with state and regional efforts homelessness The new report from CSH makes clear around supportive housing.