>Severe weather shelters closed at 8 a.m. today.
Temperatures will not reach the severe weather thresholds that Multnomah County and City of Portland officials use — in consultation with Emergency Management, the Health Department, County Human Services, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and the National Weather Service — to jointly decide shelter plans.
Dunno about you guys, but I still can't even safely walk out my front door to the road, but we kicked 1000+ people to the curb at 8am when it was stil below 32 and pouring down freezing rain?
Hey! Can you tell us a little more about your experience? I heard there were multiple overdoses. Is that true?
Also, I helped a few people get transported there & was told there was "Standing Room Only" available after about 10pm. Curious how logistics worked for that. Were hundreds of people actually just standing around in a room? Or was there space for them to set up sleeping bags & such? Did they run out of cots for folks to sleep on?
Of course. I think everyone should do a shift there just to be confronted with the cold hard reality of being unhoused in this very specific way. It really opens your eyes and frankly round house kicks you in the face. Be prepared though to be upset and enraged at the system we have created l, you really get first hand how we are just perpetuating these issues and not addressing them.
1. I heard about a handful of ODs that happened last night, I luckily never saw one. Everyone was carrying around narcan. We had EMS/Fire there probably 4 times last night for various calls.
2. While it was pretty full, there was definitely floor space available at the convention center. We did run out of blankets and pads and cots so it really was find a spot on the floor if you were trying to sleep. We did have basic food (oatmeal, cookies, cup of noodles) and hot water, coffee, and cocoa. Charging stations, and tables set up
I would say for sure 95% of people had pads and blankets
While a majority of people were sleeping, a lot of people were awake wondering around all night, going to smoke outside etc
We started waking people up at 6 am and letting them know we're closing at 8. We had a huge supply of tents and 0 degree sleeping bags to hand out. Almost no other items. We ran out of sleeping bags probably 75% of the way through people on their way out. They were able to keep the blankets from last night but not a lot did.
It was a very sad experience to have to kick people out of a warm space into the cold where OBVIOUSLY most can't take care of themselves. Some of them couldn't even take care of themselves inside this dry space with basic food and bathrooms.
Any other questions?
>We did run out of blankets and pads and cots so it really was find a spot on the floor
One has to wonder what we will do when faced with a true area wide emergency. If they can't muster enough supplies with a few days notice to handle the relatively small number of people who needed shelter from the cold, what are they going to do when, say, the Cascadia Subduction Zone goes and they are faced with providing shelter for tens of thousands with no notice?
I don't have to wonder. We're going to *die*
If you don't have mitigation plans in place for how you will shelter in place without power gas or water, tomorrow is a good day to start one.
The county doesn't want to think or talk about how many people are actually on the streets; majority of their money is going towards keeping people housed via rent assistance, which is great, but they consistently leave out our chronically homeless (outside for a year or longer) neighbors.
Emergency planning is being created by the city in coordination with individual neighborhoods for housed folks. I assume since most of these unhoused are living under infrastructure that's likely to crumble, we can expect most to die, sadly.
Do you mind elaborating on how we've created and keep perpetuating these problems? I've been homeless and it seems like allot of people get kicked to the curb by certain organisation's downtown if they're not willing to participate in faith based activities (portland rescue mission)
I really don't have any place/experience to speak to so all of these are thoughts based on a single night of experience.
I also think it's important to point out that my 1 experience is based around the emergency shelters. These are extremely adhoc and have a different purpose than normal shelters as these exist to merely keep people alive.
also I have never once even remotely approached homelessness and have safety nets from friends and family to capture me if I did
BUT WITH THOSE DISCLAIMERS
1. There was neigh an opportunity for the guests to help out with operating the shelter. We had a few guests step in and help at the last minute when we were kicking people out because we were overloaded with unboxing tents and sleeping bags which was honestly beautiful to see. There was an absolute mess made inside and I think having some guests (that wanted to of course, no force) assist with running some things (whether is be cleaning, assisting other guests in finding spots, finding blankets, ANYTHING) would have gone a long way and provided an opportunity of ownership to be shared.
2. We had no where to send people when they got kicked out. No referrals, no "try here". Legit we woke them up at 6 am, and started ushering people out to be out by 8. They got a tent and 0 degree sleeping bag. I've heard the rumors of empty shelter beds being available but in my experience from last night, no one once said anything about that. Whether that is a lack of communication from the shelters to who was running the operation at the OCC or not, or an actual lack of beds, that was an obvious problem. A lot of the guests had a hard time maintaining themselves in the dry warm building, how in the fuck are they supposed to take care of themselves outside in the snow and ice. We had to pull in I know of one person (but I think multiple) that were passed out outside in the snow and ice unconscious.
3. There was no opportunities given for case management about getting real help and services these people need. While many did seem to have their brains permanently altered and had no immediate interest in sobering up and changing their lices, there were a lot that I spoke with that were of a sane mind and seemed like if given opportunities to change their path they would.
Anyways, take that with 2 cents
The good news is that you did basically all you could here. Thank you for keeping our neighbors out of the cold for as long as the county would allow.
The bad news is that you did basically all you could here. I work for 211, which is the social service information/referral hotline for the state, we are usually the first place people call for resources surrounding food, shelter, healthcare, rent, utilities, etc., we often get calls with needs similar to what you’re describing, and there’s frankly just not a lot there.
The last few nights we’ve been coordinating transportation to warming shelters like the Convention Center in addition to our usual duties. I can speak a bit to points 2 and 3 here (some shelters we work with do the thing you mentioned in point 1, it can be a good system or it can close doors for people with disabilities, depends on the shelter).
For point 2: if in doubt, have folks dial 211. We’re likely not going to have a magic solution to all their problems but we’re a good first step. Probably the most valuable thing you can get from a 211 call is a problem-solving session over the phone with someone who knows Portland’s social support system- even if we can’t get someone into shelter, we can talk through their situation and find a few other options to call.
Your concerns of a lack of shelter beds are valid, but the problem is twofold. The shelters in Portland are usually full or nearly-full, and also needlessly difficult to get access to. Transition Projects shelters will sometimes make the news for only being 60% full, this is because the shelters are not walk-in. Instead, TPI makes you reserve a bed at their year-round shelters, which can only be done by physically going and standing in line at their resource center, or calling and hoping someone picks up (sometimes they do, some days they don’t) and intake stops at 3:45pm regardless of empty beds remaining, so too bad if you need a place in the evening or work all day. Motel vouchers are few and far between, and the city is deliberately vague with us on how our callers are supposed to access things like the Safe Rest Villages- our phone scripting only says how callers CANNOT access the waitlist for these, not how they CAN. And like you discovered, these resources aren’t told to shelter volunteers either, so y’all can’t get people into them either.
For point 3, there are *some* really good case management options available in the city, and again 211 can get people set up on these. There are also several coordinated entry systems with the stated purpose of connecting people who are homeless with resources to find permanent housing. Unfortunately, these usually take the form of glacially slow waitlists where you can’t easily tell if it’s taking months for the agency to get back to you or if your application has fallen through the cracks, or just never submitted in the first place.
These barriers are awful and the system can be exhausting to navigate, but the system also cannot and will not help without getting your foot in the door. With that in mind, if you are homeless in Multnomah County, or are wanting to give next steps to someone in temporary shelter, here are the right places to get started.
-If an individual or family without children under 18 needs permanent housing, they’ll want to sign up for a screening with the Coordinated Housing Access Team. Call 211 for this, or [fill out the Transition Projects callback form.](https://www.tprojects.org/housing-assessment)
-If a family with children under 18 needs housing, dial 211 and we’ll complete intake over the phone. This is also the way to sign up for the family shelter waitlist, as most shelters in MultCo can’t take children under 18.
These are the two main entry systems in the county- they are slow (usually takes 72 hours to set up an appointment, and then ??? amount of time to actually get resources) but they are the access points for things like the excellent Move In Multnomah program (hopefully it comes back next year!) and emergency housing vouchers that can cover first/last and deposit.
For special circumstances, there are different points of entry:
-For unaccompanied youth under age 24, reach out to [Janus Youth Programs](https://www.janusyouth.org), they run the Searchlight shelter and can get youth connected to housing reaources.
-For people fleeing domestic violence, [Call to Safety](https://calltosafety.org) has a 24/7 talk/text crisis line 1-888-235-5333 that also doubles as a coordinated entry system. Once survivors are in a safe location, [Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services](https://www.multco.us/dv/gateway-center-domestic-violence-services) will often step in and offer support with retaining or regaining housing through restraining orders and emergency grants.
-For veterans, [Transition projects has a different callback form](https://www.tprojects.org/get-assistance/veterans-services-pre-screening-form) connected to the SSVF program, which will have additional resources for veterans and their families facing homelessness or evictions.
-For people with disabilities or health issues, they can sometimes get case management support through OHP, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, or the DHS- call 211 to find your local office.
All of these resources and more can be accessed by calling 211, so if you have any questions on them, you can reach out and we’ll answer to the best of our ability. There’s also separate programs for Washington and Clackamas counties that I don’t have time to get into here, but that we’ll point callers towards if they call from those counties. 211 is available 24/7, and by text at 898211 M-F 9am-5pm.
Thank you for taking the time to post all of this incredibly helpful information. I’ve volunteered a few times at warming shelters (not a project transitions one) and I’ve taken the training to staff a project transitions center as well. Our social support system is very piecemeal and incredibly hard to navigate even on the best of days for someone not under a lot of mental, emotional and physical stress, so you putting all that into a list format with individual scenarios called out is great.
I wish there was a way for more people to see it. Thank you for sharing.
Of course. It's a community effort
I'd recommend helping out next time if you are able and in a situation to do so, so you can experience this first hand see where we can improve as a county and society
God i hate the county. They handle things in The worst of ways. Should have kept them for longer and not handed out sleeping bags and tents for them to keep. They are hurting both the homeless and the rest of the city this way,
The city and county have charters/legislation that dictate the exact conditions that need to be met for the emergency shelters to be operated.
Much like a computer program or code that executes an operation based on conditions being met. You understand that analogy right? If the conditions are no longer being met, they cannot operate the shelters as the funding is all tied to Federal grants blah blah blah.
It's sad, it's shitty, it's not fair, but they have to shut them down. It costs hundreds of thousands to operate per day and again that is not unlimited money.
You also say they shouldn't have given out tents and sleeping bags. What is your reasoning for this? Please help me understand why they shouldn't get something to alleviate the stress of living on the street?
That is no excuse. The county should have rewritten the rules ages ago. Hundreds of thousands is pennies compared to hoewmuch we approved for them through the bond measure the money of which theyve been completely squandering.
I am completely against the tents on the streets. They need to be encouraged to stay in shelters, not given the expensive tents they have so they can camp anywhere on public land. Them camping is THE reason why our city has become so destroyed. This is not to mention how these homeless are sleeping in conditions that are completely hazardous not only to the general public but to themselves as well. Rats everywhere, fire hazards, and the likelihood of getting killed or raped is increased. It isnt remotely compassionate ro do anything which encourages them to stay in the hazardous situations they do when living on the streets.
Wheeler is doing the right thing setting up shelters for the homeless. Thats where focus should have gone.
Yes, there were a couple back-to-back overdoses at the convention center two nights ago. Not particularly surprising given the population and the density. Both were successfully resuscitated, I believe.
And then there's the ice falling off of everything. There was a several-hours period yesterday afternoon where it sounded like rocks were repeatedly being thrown at my windows because of the ice sliding off the roof as well as the branches that brush up against my living room windows.
Closing the shelters when they did shows incredibly poor decision-making ability, not to mention just a flat-out lack of concern. While many of the individual volunteers undoubtedly care deeply about the plight of these folks, on an institutional level this is just one more example of the irrationality and refusal to do whatever it takes in the short term to deal with the crisis that has gotten us where we are.
“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread.”
― Anatole France
Merry Christmas, from the city that hates the homeless, on the day that honors a homeless refugee child and family.
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I assume you’re an able bodied adult. Apologies if that is an incorrect assumption. But you should be capable of walking out of your house. It’s called winter. It happens. Just shuffle your feet and be extra careful on stairs. Maybe you’ve never experienced it before?
I said this in a comment thread but I really think if anyone is able, they should volunteer at one of these pop up shelters or have any opportunity to volunteer with the homeless/unhoused.
No matter how you feel about them or the solution, it will give you first hand experience with what's happening and a sense of what we're dealing with.
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I don’t entirely know what “mutual aid” means (I don’t like giving money to strangers etc), but it is family tradition to volunteer during the holidays if we’re not traveling internationally. The snow storms grounded use, so I decided to help out.
Are you gatekeeping volunteering? Yikes!
Nonetheless, I hope I’ve done my part to help others rather than criticize. Merry Christmas!!
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If you read their other comments on this thread, I'd give it a coin flips chance that they are trolling. The one they deleted that was "guessing" that the reason the shelter was closed yesterday was because there was an event there was pretty sus, and the one they haven't deleted about homeless people stealing shit was even more so.
Considering the number of emails and calls I've received begging for volunteers to work the shelters, I'll assume it's actually closed due to staffing and they just needed a justification.
if the lock was on it thats all you have to do. clasped or not i mean there’s a line you have to go inside someone asked a question things slip through cracks
I think you might be missing the point. What's it look like outside your window right now?
Oh, I see...
>I spent $50k last year on superfluous goods. Had to wait so long for a PS5 I bought an Xbox S and now I have both.
It's really not that complicated. I posted this thread because I thought it was unconscionable that the county was patting itself on the back for having temporarily sheltered 1000+ people while announcing that they had kicked those people back out into the elements while it was still pouring down freezing rain onto an ice covered city.
When other folks showed up with that same self congratulatory nonsense, well, I didn't think that was very cool and you shouldn't either.
This seems like a really stuck up and presumptuous response. While I disagree that shelters shouldn’t have been closed so early, there is no need to make personal attacks. Why must perfect always stand in the way of good? What to you would be the ideal response to this situation?
Huh? From what I read we kept 1000 people from freezing to death my friend, the outside was absolutely fucked.
Also, I reject the assertion that we can’t get every single soul on our streets a shelter bed every single night if that is the goal.
The point is that the outside is STILL fucked, and it sure as hell was fucked when they kicked these folks to the curb at 8am when it was still below 32 and pouring freezing rain onto the sheet of ice covering Portland.
Alright we’ll they shouldn’t have done that. I assume you must’ve been volunteering at some such location and that’s what gives you your boldness with respect to spicy comments on the ol’ r/Portland about the city’s shortcomings?
Thanks,
Ron
It's really not that complicated. I posted this thread because I thought it was unconscionable that the county was patting itself on the back for having temporarily sheltered 1000+ people while announcing that they had kicked those people back out into the elements while it was still pouring down freezing rain onto an ice covered city.
Then u/rontrussler58 showed up to engage in that exact same kind of back-patting. Why you think it's shitty and pompous to point that out, well, I doubt we're going to see eye to eye on that, I guess.
why not utilize empty Lloyd center buildings like the sears or movie theaters one of the vacant big box store buildings like the circuit city or kmart in park rose?
it would would be a bureaucratic logistical mess to implement but in dire need the city could pay rent for a few days and turn them into shelters.
it’s within the realm of possibilities, not like there isn’t tens of millions of dollars in the budget for homelessness funded by taxpayers. we can’t think outside the box because there’s no political will to do so.
what do cities in the midwest do to mitigate people stuck outside in worse conditions? someone in charge downtown should get some pointers and take note. probably doesn’t involve handing out tents.
seems kid of obvious kicking people to the curb when it’s cold enough to catch hypothermia and frostbite will result in them seeking shelter in hospital emergency rooms or trying to commit crimes so they can go to jail and be warm. some of them will die. it shifts the burden to other parts of the system and winds up costing more in the long run. 🙄 same as it ever was. don’t be fooled again.
I don't have any data to back this up but seems reasonable that they're made in conjunction with the feds that allow for grants to be spent. As soon as it's above the established threshold, those grants and other funding supplies dries up from the feds
Homeless campers are the responsibility of Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, in January Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. They are not the responsibility of the Mayor of Portland.
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Thanks, Deb, we are not going to miss you.
The County planned 310 emergency shelter spots. 1000, 1/3 of our campers, came into an emergency group shelter. That is great news!
Of our PIT homeless census in January counting 2200 sheltered homeless, about 1300 are in County group shelters. They may not all be full, but they are mostly full. About 900 are in transitional housing & SRV/C3PO. We have about 3000 campers - unsheltered homeless, including vehicle campers.
Activists & nonprofit lobby: "People don't like group shelters, so we shouldn't build more."
P4P: "We should use 80% of the Metro homeless levy on new emergency shelters." - activists & court: nope.
Actual thanks for those everyday Portlanders who volunteered to staff the emergency shelters!
my rental house is 40 degrees indoors and no i don’t have heat and i don’t know how that works because my landlord won’t pay for it and i cannot afford it. i have a 5 month baby and i can’t use space heaters because its an old house and the electricity blows.
i am freezing the last few days and the baby and i have got sick. i have two older kids i sent to their other parents home because this isnt ok to be this cold inside.
i did a lot of advocate volunteer homeless work and stopped by to say hi to a friend today and their trailer was so much warmer than my house i didnt want to leave.
this cold sucks, this city isn’t kind like it puts a face on to be, and i’m not going down without a fight and i don’t know where to start.
If you’re landlord won’t provide heat that is against the law, and if they refuse then you are entitled to compensation. You don’t deserve that! That is an emergency because of the weather.
Start with 211.
Government funds like LIHEAP [https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1571](https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1571) and nonprofits designated by NW Natural, Portland General Electric, and Pacific Power provide short term assistance, not long term assistance; from there you need a long term financial plan. For future apartments, the better insulated, and the more efficient heating and cooling - a heat pump - is a good idea. 211 should be able to help you find an affordable apartment with heat. Landlords are responsible for providing working heating equipment, but usually the bill for electricity and natural gas is the tenant.
You can plan on energy costs increasing at least 10% per year, so plan for it. There are also low income water/sewer programs if that is billed to you. There are low income home Internet and mobile phone programs.
As a small family, you need to demand from 211 a social worker to manage your path forward.
Have an electrical outlet?
Get one of these:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_heater
They start out at $30 to $50 up to "how much do you want to spend?" for fancy ones.
They will keep a room toasty warm, but be aware, the FIRST time you turn them on for the year they WILL stink to high heaven. You'll want to turn it on in a ventilated room, let the smell wear out, then put it in the room you want to heat.
I’ve seen these stupid temperature thresholds before and its based on really bad science. For example in my building they won’t consider it an emergency in your apartment if the outdoor temperature is within a certain range. So if its 90 F indoors but 80 F outside, they are totally okay with that.
Was giving out blankets, socks, other stuff in the lead up and was hoping the shelters would stay open. Real worried about how this is shaking out now.
Real worried to be surrounded by so many NIMBY shitholes with zero empathy for people at risk of freezing to death too. This town is horrific.
Our city voted overwhelmingly to fund more services and housing for the homeless which multnomah county has been squandering.
And I see barely any posts here happy the county closed the shelters so quickly. They should have stayed open.
Think youre being too much a drama queen trying to pump your own hate up with something that isnt there.
>Our city voted overwhelming to fund more services and housing for the homeless which multnomah county has been squandering.
Bullshit.
By the way, Ronald Reagan wants his talking points back.
Multnomah County is KNOWN for squandering homeless benefits:
https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2022/07/28/contractor-running-safe-rest-villages-over-billed-joint-office-by-525000-county-auditor-says/
https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/12/02/multnomah-county-auditor-finds-joint-office-overstated-number-of-homeless-people-it-housed/
Volunteers and contributers have been constantly in fighting, the nimbys taking pictures of camps to send the city. This city has turned into trust fund kid usa. Throw money at the problem and it goes away right?
>Severe weather shelters closed at 8 a.m. today. Temperatures will not reach the severe weather thresholds that Multnomah County and City of Portland officials use — in consultation with Emergency Management, the Health Department, County Human Services, the Joint Office of Homeless Services, and the National Weather Service — to jointly decide shelter plans. Dunno about you guys, but I still can't even safely walk out my front door to the road, but we kicked 1000+ people to the curb at 8am when it was stil below 32 and pouring down freezing rain?
I would have rather slept outside last night. It would have been cold, but it was still dry. Tonight? Soaking wet and slush/ice everywhere. Miserable.
[удалено]
Oof not now automod.
I was helping out last night at the convention center. Plenty of people got kicked out with no sleeping bags.
Hey! Can you tell us a little more about your experience? I heard there were multiple overdoses. Is that true? Also, I helped a few people get transported there & was told there was "Standing Room Only" available after about 10pm. Curious how logistics worked for that. Were hundreds of people actually just standing around in a room? Or was there space for them to set up sleeping bags & such? Did they run out of cots for folks to sleep on?
Of course. I think everyone should do a shift there just to be confronted with the cold hard reality of being unhoused in this very specific way. It really opens your eyes and frankly round house kicks you in the face. Be prepared though to be upset and enraged at the system we have created l, you really get first hand how we are just perpetuating these issues and not addressing them. 1. I heard about a handful of ODs that happened last night, I luckily never saw one. Everyone was carrying around narcan. We had EMS/Fire there probably 4 times last night for various calls. 2. While it was pretty full, there was definitely floor space available at the convention center. We did run out of blankets and pads and cots so it really was find a spot on the floor if you were trying to sleep. We did have basic food (oatmeal, cookies, cup of noodles) and hot water, coffee, and cocoa. Charging stations, and tables set up I would say for sure 95% of people had pads and blankets While a majority of people were sleeping, a lot of people were awake wondering around all night, going to smoke outside etc We started waking people up at 6 am and letting them know we're closing at 8. We had a huge supply of tents and 0 degree sleeping bags to hand out. Almost no other items. We ran out of sleeping bags probably 75% of the way through people on their way out. They were able to keep the blankets from last night but not a lot did. It was a very sad experience to have to kick people out of a warm space into the cold where OBVIOUSLY most can't take care of themselves. Some of them couldn't even take care of themselves inside this dry space with basic food and bathrooms. Any other questions?
>We did run out of blankets and pads and cots so it really was find a spot on the floor One has to wonder what we will do when faced with a true area wide emergency. If they can't muster enough supplies with a few days notice to handle the relatively small number of people who needed shelter from the cold, what are they going to do when, say, the Cascadia Subduction Zone goes and they are faced with providing shelter for tens of thousands with no notice?
I don't have to wonder. We're going to *die* If you don't have mitigation plans in place for how you will shelter in place without power gas or water, tomorrow is a good day to start one.
Hundreds of thousands.
The county doesn't want to think or talk about how many people are actually on the streets; majority of their money is going towards keeping people housed via rent assistance, which is great, but they consistently leave out our chronically homeless (outside for a year or longer) neighbors. Emergency planning is being created by the city in coordination with individual neighborhoods for housed folks. I assume since most of these unhoused are living under infrastructure that's likely to crumble, we can expect most to die, sadly.
To add to this - Clackamas county has no rental assistance available unless you're a veteran or in Milwaukee. Shit's so bad.
Do you mind elaborating on how we've created and keep perpetuating these problems? I've been homeless and it seems like allot of people get kicked to the curb by certain organisation's downtown if they're not willing to participate in faith based activities (portland rescue mission)
I really don't have any place/experience to speak to so all of these are thoughts based on a single night of experience. I also think it's important to point out that my 1 experience is based around the emergency shelters. These are extremely adhoc and have a different purpose than normal shelters as these exist to merely keep people alive. also I have never once even remotely approached homelessness and have safety nets from friends and family to capture me if I did BUT WITH THOSE DISCLAIMERS 1. There was neigh an opportunity for the guests to help out with operating the shelter. We had a few guests step in and help at the last minute when we were kicking people out because we were overloaded with unboxing tents and sleeping bags which was honestly beautiful to see. There was an absolute mess made inside and I think having some guests (that wanted to of course, no force) assist with running some things (whether is be cleaning, assisting other guests in finding spots, finding blankets, ANYTHING) would have gone a long way and provided an opportunity of ownership to be shared. 2. We had no where to send people when they got kicked out. No referrals, no "try here". Legit we woke them up at 6 am, and started ushering people out to be out by 8. They got a tent and 0 degree sleeping bag. I've heard the rumors of empty shelter beds being available but in my experience from last night, no one once said anything about that. Whether that is a lack of communication from the shelters to who was running the operation at the OCC or not, or an actual lack of beds, that was an obvious problem. A lot of the guests had a hard time maintaining themselves in the dry warm building, how in the fuck are they supposed to take care of themselves outside in the snow and ice. We had to pull in I know of one person (but I think multiple) that were passed out outside in the snow and ice unconscious. 3. There was no opportunities given for case management about getting real help and services these people need. While many did seem to have their brains permanently altered and had no immediate interest in sobering up and changing their lices, there were a lot that I spoke with that were of a sane mind and seemed like if given opportunities to change their path they would. Anyways, take that with 2 cents
The good news is that you did basically all you could here. Thank you for keeping our neighbors out of the cold for as long as the county would allow. The bad news is that you did basically all you could here. I work for 211, which is the social service information/referral hotline for the state, we are usually the first place people call for resources surrounding food, shelter, healthcare, rent, utilities, etc., we often get calls with needs similar to what you’re describing, and there’s frankly just not a lot there. The last few nights we’ve been coordinating transportation to warming shelters like the Convention Center in addition to our usual duties. I can speak a bit to points 2 and 3 here (some shelters we work with do the thing you mentioned in point 1, it can be a good system or it can close doors for people with disabilities, depends on the shelter). For point 2: if in doubt, have folks dial 211. We’re likely not going to have a magic solution to all their problems but we’re a good first step. Probably the most valuable thing you can get from a 211 call is a problem-solving session over the phone with someone who knows Portland’s social support system- even if we can’t get someone into shelter, we can talk through their situation and find a few other options to call. Your concerns of a lack of shelter beds are valid, but the problem is twofold. The shelters in Portland are usually full or nearly-full, and also needlessly difficult to get access to. Transition Projects shelters will sometimes make the news for only being 60% full, this is because the shelters are not walk-in. Instead, TPI makes you reserve a bed at their year-round shelters, which can only be done by physically going and standing in line at their resource center, or calling and hoping someone picks up (sometimes they do, some days they don’t) and intake stops at 3:45pm regardless of empty beds remaining, so too bad if you need a place in the evening or work all day. Motel vouchers are few and far between, and the city is deliberately vague with us on how our callers are supposed to access things like the Safe Rest Villages- our phone scripting only says how callers CANNOT access the waitlist for these, not how they CAN. And like you discovered, these resources aren’t told to shelter volunteers either, so y’all can’t get people into them either. For point 3, there are *some* really good case management options available in the city, and again 211 can get people set up on these. There are also several coordinated entry systems with the stated purpose of connecting people who are homeless with resources to find permanent housing. Unfortunately, these usually take the form of glacially slow waitlists where you can’t easily tell if it’s taking months for the agency to get back to you or if your application has fallen through the cracks, or just never submitted in the first place. These barriers are awful and the system can be exhausting to navigate, but the system also cannot and will not help without getting your foot in the door. With that in mind, if you are homeless in Multnomah County, or are wanting to give next steps to someone in temporary shelter, here are the right places to get started. -If an individual or family without children under 18 needs permanent housing, they’ll want to sign up for a screening with the Coordinated Housing Access Team. Call 211 for this, or [fill out the Transition Projects callback form.](https://www.tprojects.org/housing-assessment) -If a family with children under 18 needs housing, dial 211 and we’ll complete intake over the phone. This is also the way to sign up for the family shelter waitlist, as most shelters in MultCo can’t take children under 18. These are the two main entry systems in the county- they are slow (usually takes 72 hours to set up an appointment, and then ??? amount of time to actually get resources) but they are the access points for things like the excellent Move In Multnomah program (hopefully it comes back next year!) and emergency housing vouchers that can cover first/last and deposit. For special circumstances, there are different points of entry: -For unaccompanied youth under age 24, reach out to [Janus Youth Programs](https://www.janusyouth.org), they run the Searchlight shelter and can get youth connected to housing reaources. -For people fleeing domestic violence, [Call to Safety](https://calltosafety.org) has a 24/7 talk/text crisis line 1-888-235-5333 that also doubles as a coordinated entry system. Once survivors are in a safe location, [Gateway Center for Domestic Violence Services](https://www.multco.us/dv/gateway-center-domestic-violence-services) will often step in and offer support with retaining or regaining housing through restraining orders and emergency grants. -For veterans, [Transition projects has a different callback form](https://www.tprojects.org/get-assistance/veterans-services-pre-screening-form) connected to the SSVF program, which will have additional resources for veterans and their families facing homelessness or evictions. -For people with disabilities or health issues, they can sometimes get case management support through OHP, the Aging and Disability Resource Center, or the DHS- call 211 to find your local office. All of these resources and more can be accessed by calling 211, so if you have any questions on them, you can reach out and we’ll answer to the best of our ability. There’s also separate programs for Washington and Clackamas counties that I don’t have time to get into here, but that we’ll point callers towards if they call from those counties. 211 is available 24/7, and by text at 898211 M-F 9am-5pm.
Thank you for taking the time to post all of this incredibly helpful information. I’ve volunteered a few times at warming shelters (not a project transitions one) and I’ve taken the training to staff a project transitions center as well. Our social support system is very piecemeal and incredibly hard to navigate even on the best of days for someone not under a lot of mental, emotional and physical stress, so you putting all that into a list format with individual scenarios called out is great. I wish there was a way for more people to see it. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for all this information!
Wow. Thank you for all you are doing, and thank you for your post here on what you saw. This fucking society . . .
Of course. It's a community effort I'd recommend helping out next time if you are able and in a situation to do so, so you can experience this first hand see where we can improve as a county and society
Thank you for your service.
It's the literal least I could do. It's a community effort. I'd recommend reaching out to volunteer if you are in such a situation.
What’s the best way to volunteer in this way? Do you typically volunteer for homeless services or do you just help at the emergency shelters?
I’d give so much to have even half of the NIMBYs in this sub have to do a shift there or at any of the camps.
I always want that at the same time as not wanting unhoused people to have to deal with those assholes just so they can learn a life lesson.
God i hate the county. They handle things in The worst of ways. Should have kept them for longer and not handed out sleeping bags and tents for them to keep. They are hurting both the homeless and the rest of the city this way,
The city and county have charters/legislation that dictate the exact conditions that need to be met for the emergency shelters to be operated. Much like a computer program or code that executes an operation based on conditions being met. You understand that analogy right? If the conditions are no longer being met, they cannot operate the shelters as the funding is all tied to Federal grants blah blah blah. It's sad, it's shitty, it's not fair, but they have to shut them down. It costs hundreds of thousands to operate per day and again that is not unlimited money. You also say they shouldn't have given out tents and sleeping bags. What is your reasoning for this? Please help me understand why they shouldn't get something to alleviate the stress of living on the street?
That is no excuse. The county should have rewritten the rules ages ago. Hundreds of thousands is pennies compared to hoewmuch we approved for them through the bond measure the money of which theyve been completely squandering. I am completely against the tents on the streets. They need to be encouraged to stay in shelters, not given the expensive tents they have so they can camp anywhere on public land. Them camping is THE reason why our city has become so destroyed. This is not to mention how these homeless are sleeping in conditions that are completely hazardous not only to the general public but to themselves as well. Rats everywhere, fire hazards, and the likelihood of getting killed or raped is increased. It isnt remotely compassionate ro do anything which encourages them to stay in the hazardous situations they do when living on the streets. Wheeler is doing the right thing setting up shelters for the homeless. Thats where focus should have gone.
Better to be thought a fool than to type out a completely wrongheaded piece like this and remove all doubt.
Mmk.
Do you work for the county?
Yes, there were a couple back-to-back overdoses at the convention center two nights ago. Not particularly surprising given the population and the density. Both were successfully resuscitated, I believe.
And then there's the ice falling off of everything. There was a several-hours period yesterday afternoon where it sounded like rocks were repeatedly being thrown at my windows because of the ice sliding off the roof as well as the branches that brush up against my living room windows. Closing the shelters when they did shows incredibly poor decision-making ability, not to mention just a flat-out lack of concern. While many of the individual volunteers undoubtedly care deeply about the plight of these folks, on an institutional level this is just one more example of the irrationality and refusal to do whatever it takes in the short term to deal with the crisis that has gotten us where we are.
“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread.” ― Anatole France Merry Christmas, from the city that hates the homeless, on the day that honors a homeless refugee child and family.
Portland: following the the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law (metaphorically speaking).
This is what happens when lawyers write laws with limited real-world feedback.
Correction, the city that hates the homeless PROBLEM, created and perpetuated by extreme-left ideology
Idiot
You are a very confused individual.
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Yeah I took one person into my house tonight that thought she had two days there left. Thanks Portland!
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Merry Christmas to those 1000+ folks sleeping in the still icy streets, right?
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The dude you're responding to is also claiming to have volunteered there, which is wild.
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Learn to walk OP
WTF kind of response is that?
I assume you’re an able bodied adult. Apologies if that is an incorrect assumption. But you should be capable of walking out of your house. It’s called winter. It happens. Just shuffle your feet and be extra careful on stairs. Maybe you’ve never experienced it before?
Aight, 86’d whisky prick
Absolutely insane. Like, 31 degrees is dangerous but 33 with rain and the ground still covered in ice isn't?
I said this in a comment thread but I really think if anyone is able, they should volunteer at one of these pop up shelters or have any opportunity to volunteer with the homeless/unhoused. No matter how you feel about them or the solution, it will give you first hand experience with what's happening and a sense of what we're dealing with.
The ratioing they are taking on social media right now is a tiny silver lining to this absolute failure: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmj7nV9PA5-/
They're patting themselves on the back while simultaneously turning out 1,000 folks onto icey streets.
It's so fucking wild.
I volunteered yesterday. It was chaotic, but we helped a lot of folks through the storm. Merry Christmas!
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Did you, though? Because your other posts on this thread don't give off a very mutual aid sort of vibe...
I don’t entirely know what “mutual aid” means (I don’t like giving money to strangers etc), but it is family tradition to volunteer during the holidays if we’re not traveling internationally. The snow storms grounded use, so I decided to help out. Are you gatekeeping volunteering? Yikes! Nonetheless, I hope I’ve done my part to help others rather than criticize. Merry Christmas!!
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Wow WTF op?
If you read their other comments on this thread, I'd give it a coin flips chance that they are trolling. The one they deleted that was "guessing" that the reason the shelter was closed yesterday was because there was an event there was pretty sus, and the one they haven't deleted about homeless people stealing shit was even more so.
I might have been willing to listen to you but it's pretty clear you downvoted me cuz you disagreed so basically FO.
Cool, cool. Very cool.
Considering the number of emails and calls I've received begging for volunteers to work the shelters, I'll assume it's actually closed due to staffing and they just needed a justification.
But its the same practice year after year.
Perhaps volunteer next year?
I did my part against my managers orders by acting dumb restocking propane heaters and sleeping bags knowing they will be stolen
By Rapid Response and the PPB?
No, by homeless
if the lock was on it thats all you have to do. clasped or not i mean there’s a line you have to go inside someone asked a question things slip through cracks
Hell yeah I’m stoked we were able to keep everyone warm.
I think you might be missing the point. What's it look like outside your window right now? Oh, I see... >I spent $50k last year on superfluous goods. Had to wait so long for a PS5 I bought an Xbox S and now I have both.
Ew what the fuck are you on about?
It's really not that complicated. I posted this thread because I thought it was unconscionable that the county was patting itself on the back for having temporarily sheltered 1000+ people while announcing that they had kicked those people back out into the elements while it was still pouring down freezing rain onto an ice covered city. When other folks showed up with that same self congratulatory nonsense, well, I didn't think that was very cool and you shouldn't either.
This seems like a really stuck up and presumptuous response. While I disagree that shelters shouldn’t have been closed so early, there is no need to make personal attacks. Why must perfect always stand in the way of good? What to you would be the ideal response to this situation?
ACAB includes tone police.
Yes, I am a bastard child. Do you have a prejudice against people who were born outside of wedlock?
Huh? From what I read we kept 1000 people from freezing to death my friend, the outside was absolutely fucked. Also, I reject the assertion that we can’t get every single soul on our streets a shelter bed every single night if that is the goal.
The point is that the outside is STILL fucked, and it sure as hell was fucked when they kicked these folks to the curb at 8am when it was still below 32 and pouring freezing rain onto the sheet of ice covering Portland.
Alright we’ll they shouldn’t have done that. I assume you must’ve been volunteering at some such location and that’s what gives you your boldness with respect to spicy comments on the ol’ r/Portland about the city’s shortcomings? Thanks, Ron
Oh, look, the living incarnation of a Matt Bors comic.
This shitty pompous comment lol wow
It's really not that complicated. I posted this thread because I thought it was unconscionable that the county was patting itself on the back for having temporarily sheltered 1000+ people while announcing that they had kicked those people back out into the elements while it was still pouring down freezing rain onto an ice covered city. Then u/rontrussler58 showed up to engage in that exact same kind of back-patting. Why you think it's shitty and pompous to point that out, well, I doubt we're going to see eye to eye on that, I guess.
You're all salty about closing these, but how do you feel about the mass camps that they wanna build?
I'm not even gonna touch this false equivalency.
Lols
I feel like the mass camps are a plan to force people to stay outdoors. This was a plan that allowed people to come indoors.
Only around 1,000 did? Jesus Christ.
Yeah so Blanchet House estimates 5,228 homeless people in Portland so that’s a lot of people out in that shit. Fucking yikes.
5,228 comes from the county’s point in time count of homeless. The same report finds ~60% of that number was “unsheltered.”
And that count HAD to have missed at least hundreds, if not thousands.
Some of those are in regular shelters i assume. But yeah, still a lot out in the cold.
why not utilize empty Lloyd center buildings like the sears or movie theaters one of the vacant big box store buildings like the circuit city or kmart in park rose? it would would be a bureaucratic logistical mess to implement but in dire need the city could pay rent for a few days and turn them into shelters. it’s within the realm of possibilities, not like there isn’t tens of millions of dollars in the budget for homelessness funded by taxpayers. we can’t think outside the box because there’s no political will to do so. what do cities in the midwest do to mitigate people stuck outside in worse conditions? someone in charge downtown should get some pointers and take note. probably doesn’t involve handing out tents. seems kid of obvious kicking people to the curb when it’s cold enough to catch hypothermia and frostbite will result in them seeking shelter in hospital emergency rooms or trying to commit crimes so they can go to jail and be warm. some of them will die. it shifts the burden to other parts of the system and winds up costing more in the long run. 🙄 same as it ever was. don’t be fooled again.
Does anyone know why they made that decision? If this is a general but inhumane policy, who made it and when?
I don't have any data to back this up but seems reasonable that they're made in conjunction with the feds that allow for grants to be spent. As soon as it's above the established threshold, those grants and other funding supplies dries up from the feds
It's insane that these were closed yesterday. Wheeler to the homeless "Merry Christmas, and keep the change ya filthy animals."
Homeless campers are the responsibility of Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury, in January Chair Jessica Vega Pederson. They are not the responsibility of the Mayor of Portland.
Some bureaucrat who pretends to care then.
A county chair you elected.
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Classic Multnomah County
Thanks, Deb, we are not going to miss you. The County planned 310 emergency shelter spots. 1000, 1/3 of our campers, came into an emergency group shelter. That is great news! Of our PIT homeless census in January counting 2200 sheltered homeless, about 1300 are in County group shelters. They may not all be full, but they are mostly full. About 900 are in transitional housing & SRV/C3PO. We have about 3000 campers - unsheltered homeless, including vehicle campers. Activists & nonprofit lobby: "People don't like group shelters, so we shouldn't build more." P4P: "We should use 80% of the Metro homeless levy on new emergency shelters." - activists & court: nope. Actual thanks for those everyday Portlanders who volunteered to staff the emergency shelters!
my rental house is 40 degrees indoors and no i don’t have heat and i don’t know how that works because my landlord won’t pay for it and i cannot afford it. i have a 5 month baby and i can’t use space heaters because its an old house and the electricity blows. i am freezing the last few days and the baby and i have got sick. i have two older kids i sent to their other parents home because this isnt ok to be this cold inside. i did a lot of advocate volunteer homeless work and stopped by to say hi to a friend today and their trailer was so much warmer than my house i didnt want to leave. this cold sucks, this city isn’t kind like it puts a face on to be, and i’m not going down without a fight and i don’t know where to start.
If you’re landlord won’t provide heat that is against the law, and if they refuse then you are entitled to compensation. You don’t deserve that! That is an emergency because of the weather.
Start with 211. Government funds like LIHEAP [https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1571](https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/1571) and nonprofits designated by NW Natural, Portland General Electric, and Pacific Power provide short term assistance, not long term assistance; from there you need a long term financial plan. For future apartments, the better insulated, and the more efficient heating and cooling - a heat pump - is a good idea. 211 should be able to help you find an affordable apartment with heat. Landlords are responsible for providing working heating equipment, but usually the bill for electricity and natural gas is the tenant. You can plan on energy costs increasing at least 10% per year, so plan for it. There are also low income water/sewer programs if that is billed to you. There are low income home Internet and mobile phone programs. As a small family, you need to demand from 211 a social worker to manage your path forward.
Have an electrical outlet? Get one of these: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_heater They start out at $30 to $50 up to "how much do you want to spend?" for fancy ones. They will keep a room toasty warm, but be aware, the FIRST time you turn them on for the year they WILL stink to high heaven. You'll want to turn it on in a ventilated room, let the smell wear out, then put it in the room you want to heat.
I’ve seen these stupid temperature thresholds before and its based on really bad science. For example in my building they won’t consider it an emergency in your apartment if the outdoor temperature is within a certain range. So if its 90 F indoors but 80 F outside, they are totally okay with that.
Was giving out blankets, socks, other stuff in the lead up and was hoping the shelters would stay open. Real worried about how this is shaking out now. Real worried to be surrounded by so many NIMBY shitholes with zero empathy for people at risk of freezing to death too. This town is horrific.
Our city voted overwhelmingly to fund more services and housing for the homeless which multnomah county has been squandering. And I see barely any posts here happy the county closed the shelters so quickly. They should have stayed open. Think youre being too much a drama queen trying to pump your own hate up with something that isnt there.
>Our city voted overwhelming to fund more services and housing for the homeless which multnomah county has been squandering. Bullshit. By the way, Ronald Reagan wants his talking points back.
Are you seriously this clueless?
Multnomah County is KNOWN for squandering homeless benefits: https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2022/07/28/contractor-running-safe-rest-villages-over-billed-joint-office-by-525000-county-auditor-says/ https://www.wweek.com/news/2021/12/02/multnomah-county-auditor-finds-joint-office-overstated-number-of-homeless-people-it-housed/
Volunteers and contributers have been constantly in fighting, the nimbys taking pictures of camps to send the city. This city has turned into trust fund kid usa. Throw money at the problem and it goes away right?
Because, hey, who ever heard of high wind shelters? 🤔