Love Our Arts & Culture Coverage?
You can help fund it!

Give now

homelessness
Posted inNews

Portland Aims to Have 780 Village-Style Shelter Beds Open by End of 2024

New humanitarian operations director says city will prioritize wraparound services to get people out of shelter and into housing.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the number of shelter beds in the county. Brandy Westerman knows she can’t solve Portland’s homelessness crisis, but she’s determined to at least try to fix it.  In September, she was named the new Emergency Humanitarian Operations director for Portland. Westerman now oversees the city’s seven […]

Posted inNews

New Report Highlights Major Gaps in Portland Region’s Shelter, Housing, and Services for LGBTQ+ Residents

Despite Portland’s reputation as a queer-friendly city, barriers to housing and shelter leave vulnerable people displaced.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

A new houselessness policy paper reveals gaps in services and support for Multnomah County’s housing-insecure LGBTQ+ residents. Portland has few resources for transgender, nonbinary, and other queer people facing homelessness, despite it being a city many people flee to from states with transphobic and homophobic policies.  A paper commissioned by the Joint Office of Homeless […]

Posted inNews

Report: 315 People Died While Homeless in Multnomah County in 2022

The annual “Domicile Unknown” report shows a sharp uptick in deaths of residents living without stable housing. Some point to disconnects in local government as catalysts.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Angela Boyd was creative. After moving to Oregon from California in her childhood, she went on to study journalism and communications at the University of Oregon, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism, with an emphasis in advertising, marketing, and fine and applied arts.  Later, she honed her craft and became a sought-after wardrobe […]

Posted inNews

A Low-Income Housing Complex Was Lauded as a Model for Pulling People Out of Homelessness. Three Years Later, Tenants Are Fleeing.

Residents at Argyle Gardens in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood report neglect, rampant theft, and habitability issues. Some are now back in shelters.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a response from Transition Projects Inc. In 2020, the Argyle Gardens apartment complex was lauded as a model for transitional housing. The 72-unit building in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood, opened by Transition Projects Inc. (TPI), contains a mix of efficiency studios and single-room occupancy (SRO) units, all […]

Posted inNews

Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Portland’s New Anti-Homeless Camping Ordinance

Attorneys with Oregon Law Center allege the city’s rules violate state legislation aimed at preventing criminalization of homelessness.
Avatar photo Courtney Vaughn

Updated: October 2 The city of Portland faces a legal challenge over its new ordinance prohibiting unhoused people from living or resting in most public spaces. A class-action lawsuit filed Friday, September 29 by Oregon Law Center, asserts the city’s restrictions on homeless camping are unconstitutional, cruel, and impossible to comply with.  A city ordinance […]

Posted inNews

Majority of Portland Street Response Workers Condemn Commissioner Gonzalez’s Tent Ban

Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Eight days before Portland’s most severe snowstorm in 80 years, Portland Commissioner Rene Gonzalez banned Portland Street Response (PSR) outreach workers from distributing tents and tarps to people living outside. In the wake of the ban, multiple PSR workers—who spoke to the Mercury on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation—say the ban […]

Posted inhomelessness

Portland’s First Sanctioned Mass Homeless Camp Expected to Open This Summer in Central Eastside

California-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy will run the 150 person camp.
Avatar photo Isabella Garcia

Portland’s first city-run, sanctioned outdoor camp for homeless residents is expected to be up and running in the Central Eastside by this summer, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Thursday. While the lease agreement has yet to be finalized, California-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy is poised to run the 150-person camp at 1490 SE Gideon, despite strong reservations […]

Posted inNews

Mayor Wheeler Again Relies on Executive Powers to Restrict Homeless Camping

Avatar photo Alex Zielinski

In his office’s latest move to restrict homeless camping, Mayor Ted Wheeler has signed an emergency declaration to prohibit camping along an extensive network of roads that are designated walking routes to Portland schools. “With limited resources, and heightened demand for services, we must prioritize to help ensure the safety of vulnerable populations in Portland, […]

Gift this article