Charlie Hales is pursuing new methods to create more shelters.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Portland mayor Charlie Hales is pursuing new methods to create more shelters for the city’s growing homeless population.
He asked City Council to declare a state of emergency Tuesday.
“When I came into office, the single-night count of homeless told us we had 1,800 Portlanders sleeping unsheltered. That same count, two years later, barely budged. And yet we had spent millions of dollars and countless staff time,” the mayor said in a news release. “We’ve tried slow-and-steady. We’ve tried by-the-book. It’s time to add the tools we currently lack.”
The state of emergency would allow the city to waive zoning codes and convert city-owned buildings into shelters through an expedited process. It would also enable the city to work with Multnomah County, which can request that Gov. Kate Brown declare a state of emergency in Portland, as well. That would waive portions of the state building codes, which would allow for the conversion of buildings to shelters, and to expedite the building of the new, permanent supportive housing sites for those who have been served by the Unity Center, the soon-to-be-created psychiatric emergency center in Portland.
(SOURCE: Portland Business Journal)
Los Angeles and Seattle recently made similar decisions.
“I believe that the west-coast cities dealing with rising rents and intractable homelessness must work together,” Hales told the council this morning.
Portland rents have rapidly increased over the past year—by some estimates, the steepest climb in the U.S. It’s unclear how Hales’ proposal would affect those rent costs, however.
(SOURCE: Willamette Week)
The population has become more visible in recent months.
Hales noted that the single-night homeless count in Portland has not budged much in two years, despite spending “millions of dollars and countless staff time.”
“We’ve tried slow-and-steady. We’ve tried by-the-book. It’s time to add the tools we currently lack.”
(SOURCE: Portland Tribune)
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