Both Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Steve Novick have asked that their names and photos be scrubbed from a list of “supporters” of a proposed homeless campus at city-owned Terminal 1.
As of yesterday,a website for the Harbor of Hope proposal—a “multi-purpose campus” that would include shelter space, permanent housing, and services for the city’s homeless—had listed both Novick and Wheeler as supporters.
That page, under a tab titled “Our Team”, seemed to have gone public prematurely (it contained boilerplate Latin writing where there should have been actual descriptive text), but it also suggested that project boosters Homer Williams, Dike Dame, and Don Mazziotti were counting on the two men’s support.
Today, the “Our Team” tab has disappeared, and both Novick and Wheeler say they’re not there yet.
“Homer at one point asked if I could be listed as a supporter of his effort to raise money for a temporary shelter,” says Novick, referring to a 400-bed shelter Williams and his partners are hoping to set up at Terminal 1 in coming months. “I said sure.”
Novick was one of three commissioners to vote in favor of using Terminal 1 to shelter the homeless in a contentious vote last month. But he says his appearance on the Harbor of Hope site made it appear he supported the grander facility Williams and others have proposed—a model based on a San Antonio operation called Haven For Hope. “I said in light of that, I probably shouldn’t be on it,” Novick says.
Same basic deal with Wheeler. Spokesperson Michael Cox tells the Mercury that Portland’s next mayor is supportive of Williams and co.’s idea.
“While that’s the case, the designation on the website didn’t accurately capture his position on the issue,” Cox says. “He believes the Haven For Hope model shows tremendous promise and that we should analyze whether that model should apply to Portland.”
Both Novick and Cox said the now-scrapped portion of the website appeared to be an oversight, not an opportunity to mislead the public. And it’s possible the elected officials will find reason to become Harbor of Hope supporters in the future. Novick and Wheeler are planning to take a trip to San Antonio next month to take a look at the Haven for Hope facility.
“After that, I should have a better sense of whether the whole concept is something we should emulate,” Novick says.
That’s a nice snazzy new website. I now feel a strong compulsion to buy a luxury condo.
Too bad. Homer hasn’t built any condos since 2007.
They’re not condos YET.
It was such a mistake for them to put Novick and Wheeler on that site. There is already SOOOO much doubt about our city council and Wheeler is the ‘hope’ for a lot of people. This tainted that hope. There is NO WHERE to go after Harbor for Hope. Where do you go from there? That’s the end of the road for many. We need affordable housing to solve this issue, plain & simple. If Homer really wanted to help solve this HUGE problem he would focus his time and talents on affordable housing. Still…. we chase our tails at the expense of Portland’s tax payers. Makes me so sad.
Euphonius, there will never be condos there. Keep dreaming, I guess.