Chris – Page 20 – Overlook Neighborhood Association

1) Update on homeless camping

A few weeks ago, the Overlook Neighborhood Association Board adopted a statement on homelessness. We continue to urge the city to pursue the path forward laid out in the statement, which focuses on addressing the needs of both housed and homeless residents in a collaborative manner, and want to update our neighbors on its status.

Among the statement’s recommendations are increasing the number of sanctioned camps and placing them in all parts of the city; delivering additional sanitation and other services to sanctioned camps; and clearing camps in parks and on public paths as well as those where documented illegal activity occurs. All of these elements are important to solving the challenge of homelessness in our community. By providing support and relief to both sides, the city would create opportunities for dialogue and solutions that move the city forward.

Portland recently opened three sanctioned camps to provide shelter to some homeless residents. We urge the city to work with all neighborhoods to identify sites where similar camps could open and even receive support from neighborhoods.

We also learned that the city plans to resume dispersing some problem camps. That would begin to address the other side of the collaborative approach spelled out in the statement: Portland’s public spaces should be safe and accessible to all Portlanders, and camps with illegal activity should not be tolerated.

As the city considers which sites to address, we hope that Madrona Park, Overlook Park and N Going Street are high on the list. Dozens of reports from neighbors have identified dangerous, illegal and damaging activity associated with camps in those areas. The risks associated with these camps, which are all in the designated wildfire hazard zone, will only increase as the summer fire season begins.

OKNA Chair Alexandra Degher and Vice Chair Chris Trejbal had been working with a small group of other North Portland neighborhoods on advocating for this new homelessness strategy. They withdrew this week after that group abandoned key parts of the compromise approach spelled out in the statement.

Leaders from Arbor Lodge, Bridgeton and a couple of other North Portland neighborhoods no longer advocate clearing camps from parks and those with documented illegal activity until those campers can be moved to a new sanctioned site. The issue with this stance is that the timeline for developing new, sanctioned camps is unknown and camps disrupting parks and supporting illegal activity are an issue now. Therefore, Overlook is standing behind the original statement adopted by the North Portland group which supported both our housed and homeless neighbors. Overlook believes this is the only way to move forward in a practical and progressive manner. Continue reading “Overlook Neighborhood Update (May 23)”