It is coming apparent to most Portlanders that no matter how much we spend on this, no matter how many meetings they hold, no matter how much time we spend on the issue that homelessness in town will only get worse if we stop enforcing the rules and laws that we already have on the books. It is especially getting worse in regards to drug use and sales in our parks and on our streets, with almost zero enforcement.

One of the problems the city has is the way homelessness interfaces with the city. Residents and business owners have zero assurance their doorway won't turn into a shooting gallery or someone won't camp outside their door. Even if these things happen, they're stonewalled by an apathetic city government.

Go ahead, spend away, but until we enforce laws that bring civility to the streets—the problem will continue to get worse. We are seeing the evidence of that on our streets.

But the self-congratulatory agencies and advocates will pat themselves on the back everytime they think they've scored more money or opened more shelter spaces—but there's 10 new people lined up behind them looking for services and many people are running empty with regard to their compassion levels.

Many people support spending on the homeless, but it's a give and take that street level conditions improve and they can open a business or walk down the street without seeing blatant drug use or sit in the park and not experience misery around every nook.

We've been spending millions on this problem with worsening street conditions.

What gives? The advocates say more money will make the conditions better. Either they're lying or we're stupid to believe them. I am confused.

Agreed, ws. I'd also like to point out that this is all the exact same discussion that led to the Bud Clark commons:

"We need shelter beds. We need a drop-in center for services. We'll add hundreds of permanent units for the hardest to serve."

So we do all that, at great expense to us all, and just a couple of years later we're hearing about how heartless the city is and we don't take care of anybody and we don't have any shelter beds. We just built 100 of them for something like $45 million. Are we expected to do another one of those each year? How about a little appreciation for what the City and taxpayers HAVE done and do every day for this population?

I know it didn't house everyone, because that is impossible. But it is a blatant lie that the taxpayers of Portland haven't done a lot to try to help this problem. Through that lens, all of these people just look entitled and unappreciative to me. Street Roots and Denis included.