This past Valentine’s Day, Lillian Blackwolf was sleeping in her tent in a place locals call the Pillars, named for the concrete columns that hold up the Interstate 205 overpass above the Springwater Corridor. That’s when a Rapid Response Bio Clean truck—hired by the City of Portland to clean up homeless camps—drove down the pedestrian […]
Thacher Schmid
Posted inHousing
Illegal Airbnbs Could Take 1,500 Rentals Off Market
Illegal short-term rentals posted on Airbnb may keep more than 1,500 units out of the Portland housing market—even after the city’s much-publicized clampdown on Airbnb takes effect this winter. The finding comes at a bad time for the 47 percent of Portlanders who rent: A recent report from Metro found the Portland metro region needs […]
Posted inHousing
In An Early-Morning Crackdown, the City Swept the New Village of Hope Today
Volunteers set up the Village of Hope in a city-owned natural area in Northeast Portland on Sunday. Thomas Teal As threatened, Portland police and park rangers swooped in at roughly 7 am this morning to clear out the Village of Hope, the new homeless encampment that sprung up last weekend near Northeast Airport Way and […]
Posted inNews
Portland Has a Brand New Houseless Community
Advocates Say the Village of Hope is a Sanctuary, But the City’s Planning a Crackdown
Advocates say the Village of Hope is a sanctuary, but the city’s planning a crackdown.
Posted inHousing
A New Self-Managed Homeless Village Just Sprang Up in Northeast Portland
The “Village of Hope” Sits on City-Owned Land, and Is the First Such Community to Emerge Under Mayor Ted Wheeler
Volunteers carry gear into the “Village of Hope,” a new self-managed homeless village that sprang up in deep Northeast Portland today. Thomas Teal Portland’s newest houseless village popped up this morning on city-owned land in a far-flung, woodsy corner of Northeast Portland’s Wilkes Neighborhood. At 10 am, a group of a dozen volunteers, led by […]
Posted inHousing
R2DToo Is No Longer in the Epicenter of Portland’s Homelessness Crisis
Seven Months After the Village Moved, A Lot Has Changed. And A Lot Hasn’t.
Seven months after the village moved, a lot has changed. And a lot hasn’t.
Posted inNews
As Winter Approaches, the Homeless Are Using Dangerous Methods to Keep Warm
It’s a Costly Side Effect of Portland’s Housing Crisis
It’s a costly side effect of Portland’s housing crisis.
Posted inNews
ICE Detainees in the Dalles Are Planning Another Hunger Strike, Advocate Says
JOHN MOORE / GETTY IMAGES A group of roughly 20 immigrant detainees being held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a privately run facility in the Dalles will go on hunger strike today, according to a clergyman working with the inmates. Rev. Richard “Red” Stevens tells the Mercury inmates being held at the […]
Posted inNews
Why Is It So Hard to Figure Out What ICE is Up To?
Despite Increased Enforcement—and Misinformation—the Agency No Longer Has Public Information Staff in the Pacific Northwest
Despite increased enforcement—and misinformation—the agency no longer has public information staffers in the Pacific Northwest.
Posted inHousing
Some Landlords Are Abusing a State Fund for Poor Renters
A New Bill from Speaker Tina Kotek Could Help
A new bill from Speaker Tina Kotek could help.
Posted inHousing
Through the “Eviction Mill”
As the Housing Crisis Worsens, Landlords Have a Friend in the County Court
As the housing crisis worsens, landlords have a friend in the county court.