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People who have chosen to live without attachments, people who are refused jobs or stable housing, people addicted to drugs or gambling, or people who have been evicted

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Sometimes people choose to live as wanderers or just without housing, but most people who are homeless have not had enough money to afford stable housing anymore. Many homeless people have mental illnesses because people are less likely to hire someone with conditions of that sort.

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Henry and Amelia

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Why Portland's Homeless Problem Is the Worst in the Nation

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The alleys of Portland, Oregon, are strewn with piles of garbage and used drug needles, reflecting a growing problem of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness. Mental illness is now more common among the homeless in Oregon than in any other state.

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homelessness could be helped by using taxpayer money to help and to try to give those who want out opportunities to become successful. One way this could be helped is to help homeless people try to get jobs and to make sure they have  back up options incase if some jobs don't work out, since it is hard for homeless people to be hired and to keep their jobs.

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The main causes of homelessness are substance/drug abuse, mental illness, and job loss

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How Do People Become Homeless? (Published 2020)

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People who have experienced homelessness share their stories.

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I think people who are houseless are people that want to be flexible and move around seeing different parts of the world or nation. It doesn't necessarily mean they couldn't afford a house if they needed one. -Owen, Sophia S. , Yuankai

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Homeless people are people who don't have a place to call home cuz some people have houses but they think they have a home so being homeless means you just don't have a place to call home 

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Homeless people are people who don't have a place to call home cuz some people have houses but they think they have a home so being homeless means you just don't have a place to call home 

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They could be evicted because of a certain disability or not being able to afford a house. They could also choose to be homeless to lessen stress or other personal reasons. Drug addictions and gambling could also lead to them losing everything. Things out of their control could also cause homelessness such as natural disasters. -Yuankai, Sophia S, Owen

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Someone becomes homeless because they run out of money and are forced to live on the streets or because they went through something and they feel like they don't have a place to call home 

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Someone becomes homeless because they run out of money and are forced to live on the streets or because they went through something and they feel like they don't have a place to call home 

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I think we should take steps to making housing more affordable so people don't have to get evicted and I think that landlords should be a little more lenient on pricing 

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I think we should take steps to making housing more affordable so people don't have to get evicted and I think that landlords should be a little more lenient on pricing 

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Donations, soup kitchens, more affordable housing, and homeless shelters definitely help homeless people but don't necessarily make them not homeless. Rehabilitation centers for homeless people who are also drug addicts can help them get off the streets, but in the end there isn't really a fix all solution when it comes to homelessness.
- Yuankai, Sophia S, Owen
https://joinpdx.org/get-involved/?gclid=CjwKCAjwiaX8BRBZEiwAQQxGx0KMIS8FfsB8yT1ac1QlFE33DARJ29GJ2u8-YiYFoaNVqXO1gbGvpBoCFY8QAvD_BwE

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There was a story on the news that I saw there was this philanthropist who decided to buy out an old jail in Oregon and he is transforming the jail into a rehabilitation center for the homeless. In addition to this idea, we could create programs in which these rehabilitation centers recommend certain people for positions in businesses so they can potentially get out of the cycle of homelessness.

Some things we can do to help people who are homeless or houseless are that we can donate

food and clothes to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks. Something else that we can do to help them is that we can donate money to homeless shelters to help them take care of the people in need, especially the homeless. We can also volunteer at the food banks and homeless shelters, because they need help, as well as advocate for them, and most importantly, treat them with kindness.

--Shawn, Hunter, Christian

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There are lots of homeless people in Portland which is sad because they don't have a good home to live in. People who don't have jobs or are on drugs.

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There are lots of homeless people in Portland which is sad because they don't have a good home to live in. People who don't have jobs or are on drugs.

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https://www.portlandoregon.gov/toolkit/article/562207

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Homeless people are people who dont have enough money to afford a house. They can become drug addicts and many homeless people are veterans.

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Homeless people are people who dont have enough money to afford a house. They can become drug addicts and many homeless people are veterans.

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Someone can be homeless through losing their job or someone who doesn't want to keep a job. They can also be people who are wanderers, also known as drifters. Some other causes of this can be drug overdose/addiction, mental illness, excessive gambling, somehow they lose their home without even knowing (this happened to Charley), or they can’t pay the bills (which also happened to Charley). Property values can also rise to the point where people cannot afford the rent, causing them to have to be houseless, or during a recession, where an average person’s income decreases significantly, causing them to potentially be houseless. War and natural disasters can also cause a person to be houseless, because if your home is bombed or if it is on fire, you are going to end up houseless.

--Christian, Hunter, Shawn

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Someone who is homeless/houseless is someone who has either chosen to be homeless(a drifter) or someone who is homeless unintentionally. Homeless people are people that have no belongings, or no community. Houseless people on the other hand are the people you often see on the streets, they are the people without a material building to call home. 

--Christian, Hunter, Shawn

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People become houseless because they can't get a house or they don't want a house. Some reasons people might not be able to get house are because:
- Substance abuse
- High housing costs/Poverty
- Escaping domestic violence
- Mental health problems
- Contrasting opinions
- Physical disabilities
These things make it harder for someone to find a house of find the money for a house.

By Scarlet, Ria, and Tom

https://lifebridgenorthshore.org/what-are-the-most-common-reasons-for-homelessness/

https://nlchp.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf

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Sometimes homelessness is not a choice it is either forced because financial difficulty or other issues. Drug usage can also affect someones ability to function making life decisions harder. Some people unfortunately are born into homelessness and in most places in the world it a very hard system to break. Break downs within families and relationships can also cause homelessness.

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Provide homeless people with housing instead of increasing the capacity of homeless shelters that in a lot of cases just leads to them on the streets again because the shelter is only temporary. According to this article this is the first step to aiding homeless in Portland.

Sameer, Morgan, and Maddie

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Spoiler alert: We know how to solve homelessness. At least that's what Dennis Culhane says, and he should know: the professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania has dedicated his entire professional life to researching the issue.

"These are not intractable problems," says Culhane of the complex crises that combine to push people onto the streets. "They can be solved."

It's a statement that seems at odds with the overwhelming scope of the houselessness epidemic in Portland and Oregon right now. The most recent Multnomah County Point-in-Time count, from 2017, showed a 10 percent increase in Portland's total homeless population compared to two years previously. And for many residents, a walk through Old Town, the Central Eastside, or other neighborhood pockets makes it clear: homelessness is far from solved.

It isn't as if the powers that be aren't trying. In 2016, Multnomah County announced it would guarantee shelter for every child in Oregon. But the county had to walk back the promise in 2017 after overflowing shelters required the county to fork out for motel rooms and costs skyrocketed.

We have succeeded in reducing the number of homeless veterans to "functional zero"-meaning the number of vets experiencing homelessness is less than the number being connected with permanent housing each month-thanks to an Obama-era federal program and its local implementation by governments and nonprofits. There's our relatively new Joint Office of Homeless Services, which brought the delivery of all city and county homeless services under one banner in 2016. Many programs-a mobile housing team that helps families get into housing, a pilot project to fund long-term rent vouchers for senior citizens-have helped vulnerable populations. And last November, voters approved an unprecedented $652.8 million bond to create affordable housing across greater Portland.

And yet, it seems like the city's homelessness problem is bigger than ever, even as we earmark more and more resources to fix it. The story is the same up and down the West Coast, from Seattle to Los Angeles, as dramati cally rising housing costs outpace attempts t o shelter each city's citizens. What will it take to move the needle?

"The absence of access to affordable housing is the principle barrier to ending homelessness," says Joint Office of Homeless Services head Marc Jolin, cutting to the heart of the matter. "You can't end homelessness without housing, whatever else you're able to do for someone."

He's talking about a "housing first" approach, a policy that is fast becoming the international gold standard for helping people experiencing homelessness. In Finland-the only European country that has managed to reduce its homeless population in recent years-"housing first" has been a national policy for more than a decade.

"It means that we provide homeless persons a permanent housing solution- a rental flat with your own rental contract, and also [caseworkers assigned to help with service access] if that's needed," says Juha Kaakinen, the CEO of a Finnish foundation focused on homelessness and a pioneer in "housing first" circles. In short, Finland invested aggressively in housing while removing barriers to accessing it, and the pay-off has been extraordinary. (Finland, a country of 5.5 million people, funds housing programs in large part through proceeds from a state-run gambling company. For more on how Oregon uses its lotto money, see page 58.)

"The homeless counts are still going down," says Kaakinen, who says it's hard to find anyone sleeping on the streets in the capital of Helsinki these days. As housing units went up, Finland's shelter bed numbers decreased-he says they even converted some former shelters into housing units.

Portland, meanwhile, has been increasing its shelter capacity. (We're up to 1,365 publicly funded beds now.) That may meet a short-term need, but, according to Kaakinen, it could actually damage our chances of long-term success. "It keeps the system as it is. It doesn't solve the issue," he says. "In many cases people return to the streets from temporary accommodation, and there seem to be not so many routes forward."

Social scientist Culhane puts a finer point on it: "You know what they call peo ple who are in shelters? They call them homeless people who are in shelters."

The real success, say the experts, lies in a twofold approach: 1) rapid rehousing and prevention for those tipping into crisis homelessness, and 2) supportive housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness. The latter can involve creating a support team for each person housed, or purpose-built housing with health care and addiction and mental health counseling on-site. Portland's already making inroads, with the city and county committing in 2017 to build 2,000 new supportive housing units by 2028. But that's a 10-year deadline for an urgent need and many feel we can't wait that long.

So what's the stumbling block? "The issue is not that we don't know what we need to do," says Jolin. "It's that we can't scale our responses to the level of need."

"Scaling" our response is the imperative that everyone agrees on. What it means is putting more money-a lot more money-and resources into what we're currently doing to effect bigger changes. And it has to happen without the kind of federal funding cities and states might be used to; the Trump administration has consistently cut budgets to housing benefits and reduced federal investment in affordable housing. If West Coasters are going to spend more to make more impact, they're going to have to do it with less federal help.

The good news is that states are taking matters into their own hands, and there are signs that things are shifting on a regional level: as California considers a new bill to make way for higher-density development, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek is also drafting a legislative proposal to change single-family zoning in smaller cities and towns to make space for more affordable housing.

These are the kind of ideas that have the rest of the country taking notice. "The homelessness crisis on the West Coast is driving a whole different political conversation," says Culhane.

Locally, there are bright spots, too: Multnomah County's promise of shelter for every child didn't work, in part because it wasn't replicated around Oregon, drawing families in need to Portland and overloading services here. But last November Oregonians passed Measure 102, amending the state constitution to make it easier for cities and towns around the state to fund the construction of affordable housing. That's a statewide approach that could ease pressure on Portland and the county's already stretched services.

For Jolin, solutions lie in fixing problems before they become systemic. "Really thinking about how we bring down rents on units or increase the incomes that folks have available to them, that's work that we need to be doing," he says. "Beyond that, we have to look at how folks who are coming out of the criminal justice system are being given or not given the opportunity to rebuild their lives. That work of looking upstream at the institutions that are leading folks to become homeless is as important and, over time, probably more important than having the crisis response system we have here."

But, as Jolin points out, we also need to serve those already on our streets. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's proposed 2019-20 budget includes millions for programs specifically aimed at just that, including more than $870,000 for a pilot program to provide mobile showers and bathrooms, and $500,000 for the development of a new approach to responding to 911 calls related to street homelessness. Then there are the dozens of nonprofits already doing the tough work of helping their houseless neighbors across the metro area. (To read about four of them, see right.)

While Culhane commends that work, he urges people to keep their eyes focused on bigger systemic change. "The energy that people put into starting these small programs should really be put into starting a political campaign to right the ship," he says with bracing clarity, urging individuals to work to elect 2020 candidates-from city council to president-who support strong investment in ending houselessness.

What's needed is a united, aggressive, and systemic approach. It can't be done with "lots of little pails of water," says Culhane. "There's a much bigger problem here."

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We Know How to Solve Homelessness in Portland. What's Stopping Us?

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Spoiler alert: We know how to solve homelessness. At least that's what Dennis Culhane says, and he should know: the professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania has dedicated his entire professional life to researching the issue. "These are not intractable problems," says Culhane of the complex crises that combine to push people onto the streets.

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Many people in Oregon are homeless even today. Some people even call Portland the city of bridges as some of the homeless people seek shelter under them. It is estimated that around 3,800 people in just the Multnomah county are homeless.
-Sameer, Maddie, Morgan

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My hometown, Portland, Oregon, has a homelessness problem. Portland is often called the City of Bridges-more than a dozen cross the Willamette and Columbia Rivers-and beneath almost all, at one time or another, one sees miserable-looking camps constructed of tents, plastic tarps, and shopping carts. It's impossible to avoid running into homeless people downtown, where ragged people sleep on park benches and in doorways, and where you can't walk long without being hit up for spare change. You can hardly drive near the city center without encountering men or women holding up cardboard signs asking for money at an intersection.

Roughly 620,000 people live in Portland, and the suburbs push the metro area population to more than 2.3 million. As of January 2015, Multnomah County, which includes most of the city proper and all the city center, had 3,801 homeless people. Of these, according to the county's biennial count, about 800 live in temporary shelters, 1,000 are in transitional housing, and more than 1,800 are "unsheltered"-that is, sleeping under bridges, in parks, and on sidewalks.

Almost everyone who visits me asks what's wrong with this place. Portland is a prosperous, high-tech Pacific Rim city, so why does it have so many street people? Is something uniquely the matter with the city? Not necessarily. But Portland is a better place to be homeless than most American cities. The weather is mild, the citizens are generous-Portlanders spend millions yearly in private donations and tax dollars trying to help the homeless-and public officials are blocked by the courts from regulating vagrancy in ways that are routine elsewhere. Some homeless actually move to Portland from other cities. Homelessness is so visible here that it has encouraged not only expansive nonprofit relief efforts, some of which seem to be doing real good, but also, in at least one case, an innovative approach that may truly ease the problem-and that other cities might consider adopting.

About three-fourths of Portland's homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and roughly half have a mental illness."

Homelessness is not a new issue in American life, but it started getting much worse everywhere-not just in Portland-beginning in the 1970s, thanks to the deinstitutionalization movement, which closed many state psychiatric hospitals. According to the Treatment Advocacy Center in Arlington, Virginia, by 2010, the number of beds per capita in psychiatric hospitals had plunged to 1850s levels. When the most severely mentally ill patients were freed from a system discredited by 1960s social movements and books like Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, they were ill-prepared for normal life. Many found themselves relegated to a Hobbesian existence on sidewalks.

"Dammasch State Hospital closed 20 years ago," says David Willis, the homeless-services coordinator at Union Gospel Mission, a Christian nonprofit. "Some went into adult foster care, but others stayed on the streets. The people who work in foster care don't have a background in psychiatric counseling or care. They can't handle these people. And mentally ill homeless people can't help themselves. Somebody has to take care of them. Somebody has to make sure they bathe, change their clothes, and take their medications."

Portland city councilman and housing commissioner Dan Saltzman agrees. "That did increase the homeless population on the streets of Portland and a lot of other cities," he says of deinstitutionalization. "It's a nationwide problem, and it really pulled the rug out from underneath a lot of people. Community resources were supposed to be put into place when we closed the big institutions, but the second part didn't happen."

About three-fourths of Portland's homeless are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and roughly half have a mental illness of one kind or another, though many remain undiagnosed. "We see people with schizophrenia, depression, and trauma," says Alexa Mason at the Portland Rescue Mission, another Christian nonprofit that provides food, blankets, and temporary shelter downtown. "Women on the streets are likely to be assaulted within 72 hours. Men get beat up. Just living outside is traumatizing. . . . When you add that on top of schizophrenia or dissociative disorders, people keep getting worse. This is one thing that everybody in government, social services, and the business community agrees on."

Not everyone on the streets is mentally ill, and not all are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Some just lost their jobs, slipped through the cracks, and found themselves in a maze from which they couldn't escape. What almost all of them share, however, are weak social and family ties. "Almost everyone we help here is struggling without any support network," says Mason. "A lack of family support is the one common denominator that unites almost everybody."

But these problems aren't confined to the American Northwest; why does Portland seem to have so many more homeless people than elsewhere? One reason may be simple: Portland is a relatively "easy" place to be homeless-or, at least, it's less brutal than elsewhere. Portlanders are indeed tolerant, and so are the police-not necessarily because they want to be but because they have to be. The city has repeatedly passed anti-panhandling statutes and so-called sit-lie ordinances, which ban sitting and lying on sidewalks, but they're tough to enforce, thanks to reliably libertarian interpretations of Oregon's constitution by the state supreme court and lower-level circuit courts. The result is that homeless people are more visible-and more numerous-here than in many other cities.

Portland's gentle climate is another factor. Contrary to popular belief, Portland gets a third less rain than New York City, and the temperatures are milder year-round. Snow falls and sticks only once every few years. Sleeping outside in January's 40-degree weather may not be comfortable, but it sure beats sleeping on the sidewalk in, say, Chicago, where one night in subzero weather can be fatal.

Portland's nonprofit homeless services are extensive. "Portland Rescue Mission provides emergency services including meals, showers, clothing, and shelter for people living on the streets," says Mason. "It's open 24/7. We have mail service for about 1,000 people. From November 1 through March 31, we offer a free blanket exchange every night." Though it doesn't have beds for everyone-those get awarded by daily lottery-Portland Rescue Mission never runs out of food. "We have really good food here," says Stacy Kean, the communications director at Union Gospel Mission, "food that you would want to eat. Having breakfast here is like going out to brunch. We have fresh scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes." "You wouldn't believe how much food they have in the freezer," a friend who volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank told me. When homeless people in downtown Portland ask passersby if they have any spare change, most of us assume that they need money for food. They don't.

Are the homeless coming to Portland from elsewhere? "I don't really believe these stories about other jurisdictions buying homeless people bus tickets to Portland," says Commissioner Saltzman, but then he concedes: "Portland is a tolerant city and has a moderate West Coast climate, so I think there's some truth to it." "Most of the homeless people I know are from Portland or another West Coast city," says Mason, "but I have met people who said they were homeless somewhere else and moved here intentionally to take advantage of Portland's services and milder weather." Agrees Willis of Union Gospel Mission: "They're from Seattle. Texas. Alabama. People are coming here because we make it comfortable to be homeless."

If Portland Rescue Mission is like an emergency room on the ragged edge, Union Gospel Mission resembles a long-term-care unit. Its approach is worth emulating. It was founded in Portland in 1927, when 40 area churches came together to provide meals, shelter, and religious guidance to the destitute as part of a larger mission across the United States and Canada. Back then, the organization's services resembled those provided by the Portland Rescue Mission today; but 25 years ago, its directors changed focus to treat one of the primary causes of homelessness: drug and alcohol addiction. Today, Union Gospel Mission dedicates most of its resources to a comprehensive multiyear program called Life Changes. The mission still provides meals and hygiene kits to anyone who needs them, but the only way anyone can spend the night there when it's not below freezing outside (as it can be on some winter nights) is by agreeing to participate in the program. Like Portland Rescue Mission, Union Gospel Mission is a faith-based charity that receives no government funding.

The program's first three to four months comprise the Stability phase, which often begins with detoxing. Next comes the Healing phase, where residents get counseling and work therapy. Some stay for up to a year in what's called the Passage phase, while they find a job and save money. It's hard for me to imagine how a chronically homeless addict who hasn't worked for years can ever live a normal life again, but Kean, the communications director, insists that it's possible. "I've seen it hundreds of times," she tells me. "Working this program, healing past traumas, and committing to living clean and sober make a huge difference. People need a social support structure. If your friends are healthy and are making good choices, you'll do a lot better than if your friends are shooting up and drinking all the time. We become their new social support network. We connect them with churches, recovery groups, schooling, and jobs so that they can build something positive in their lives. We discourage them from going back to their old dysfunctional friends and relationships."

The brand-new facility is impressive. It's no luxury hotel, but with its spacious and clean rooms, it's much nicer than my old college dorm complex. The heat and noise from the street seem miles away.

"I was trying to get clean for years," says Doug, a young man in the cafeteria who is currently in the Passage phase. "I lived in a clean and sober house, but I lost my paychecks to gambling and they kicked me out. I had nowhere to go. It was dangerous out there, and I felt all empty inside." Nowadays, he talks like someone with his act together. He says that he's starting college in the fall and plans to major in psychology.

When I asked Kean about the waiting list to get in, she said that there isn't one-they have ten spaces available that nobody wants. Why don't more people want to come inside out of the heat or the cold? "Because they don't want to stop using drugs," Doug says bluntly. "It's hard for some of them to deal with other people and structure." Willis adds: "What they want is to live the way they've been living, only inside and for free. Most of them don't want to change." As Doug concludes, "there are rules and boundaries in here, but actually that's a good thing. This place will be my backbone as I go forward."

Just behind the Union Gospel Mission is a semipermanent homeless site that looks like a refugee camp. Right to Dream Too (which the organizers abbreviate as R2D2, after the bleeping robot in Star Wars) was erected on an empty private lot four years ago by Ibrahim Mubarak, who greets me with a smile, dressed in a flowing gold robe and a white Islamic skullcap. His real name is Keith Jackson, and he grew up in Chicago, where he ran with the Black Gangster Disciples, the murderous street gang founded by David Barksdale. Mubarak used and sold drugs, fought the law and lost, and spent time on the streets before getting clean, converting to Islam, and transforming himself into a homeless activist.

Some people live at the camp while others just spend the night once in a while. Mubarak says that 276 people who once slept there have since found housing and 250 people found work, though I have no way of confirming those numbers. Before he let me in, he asked me to read and agree to the Code of Conduct posted at the security gate. "I know you're not going to violate any rules," he said, "but we ask everyone to read this and agree to it before they come in here." The rules are straightforward: no weapons, no violence, no drugs, and no degrading racist, sexist, or homophobic remarks. Everyone who uses one of the portable toilets must submit to a pocket search to ensure that they aren't carrying drugs or paraphernalia.

R2D2 includes men's and women's sleeping tents and a couples sleeping tent. It has a kitchen with a hot-water tank and ample cleaning supplies. Behind the kitchen is a computer lab, which Mubarak calls the "Empowerment Center." Next to the back wall of the Union Gospel Mission is the "Membership Area," where a dozen or so individual backpackers have pitched tents semipermanently. "Everyone who lives here has to be looking for a job and housing," Mubarak says. "They can't just squat here"-though one wonders if some of the homeless here aren't doing just that.

Mubarak was homeless once. He founded R2D2 as a place where the homeless can have what he calls "safe rest." "You can't get a job or housing without safe rest-if you can't bathe and if you have to carry all your personal possessions with you. Would you hire an unkempt guy who brings everything he owns to a job interview? I wouldn't. Neither would you."

He wants to open several more of these "rest areas" throughout Portland to get homeless people off sidewalks, out from underneath bridges, and out of doorways downtown. His is an operation similar to Portland Rescue Mission, only he's doing it outside and with almost no budget. But I had to ask: Why are these people sleeping in tents behind the Union Gospel Mission building when they could live inside for free?

"Union Gospel Mission," Mubarak says, "wants to program everyone to live their way instead of the way each individual wants to live." I'm reminded of what David Willis at the mission said-that many homeless people don't want to change.

Many Portlanders wish that R2D2 would go away. It's an eyesore, admittedly. If the camp were cleared by the police, though, the people sleeping there likely wouldn't go far. They'd turn up in parks, doorways, underneath bridges-somewhere in town. The city isn't buying them bus tickets to Idaho.

In 2000, before the courts struck down one of Portland's sit-lie ordinances, a group of homeless people, tired of getting rousted from doorways downtown, pushed their shopping carts together under a bridge, pitched some tents, and called the place home. The city chased them from that spot, so they moved to another bridge and got tossed out again. Realizing that these people weren't going away, the city finally relented and allowed them to pitch their tents on a city-owned lot near a drainage canal-across from the Columbia River Correctional Institution, a state-run prison, and on the other side of the fence from Portland International Airport. From Portland officials' point of view, the location was perfect. They wouldn't hear complaints from the neighbors because there weren't any neighbors. The homeless campers dubbed their site Dignity Village, with the motto "Out of the Doorways."

When I drove out to visit, I expected Dignity Village to look like a cross between a refugee camp and a slum-but it doesn't. After the residents found themselves with a permanent location, they upgraded their accommodations by scrounging together as much money as they could-from donations and panhandling to odd jobs and recycling bottles and cans-to purchase cast-off and recycled materials for the construction of what Portlanders call "tiny houses." The houses aren't fancy, but many sport some style-Victorian spindles and moldings on the front porches, properly pitched roofs, decorative paint jobs, and climbing ivies growing up the exterior walls. Compared with lodging under the Burnside Bridge (among others), these accommodations are luxury estates.

The atmosphere in Dignity Village is surprisingly pleasant-friendly, orderly, even civilized. The streets are quiet because nobody owns a car. The village is governed by an elected council, with Rick Proudfoot as CEO. He was thrilled when I showed up and asked for a tour. "There were some spaces closer in that the founders wanted," he says. "But it's actually better that we're out here away from town. This place wouldn't exist as it does now if it were in the city center. It would have been a magnet for dope dealers, or all the users would have come in and ruined it."

The city contract requires Dignity Village inhabitants to provide their own security-they have resident security guards, and visitors must check in-but they would have done that, anyway. "We don't want somebody coming in here and wandering off with our stuff," Proudfoot says. "This is the smallest little gated community in Portland."

In 2005, Proudfoot, now 47, lost his job as a foreman at Freightliner after an injury. He lived on unemployment and savings for a year and a half but couldn't find another job and ended up on the streets and, eventually, in Dignity Village. His story-that of a capable middle-class person winding up homeless-is far from typical. "A lot of people here have been homeless long-term, for ten-plus years," he explains. "A lot have had substance-abuse problems. Ten years ago, I would never have associated myself with these kinds of people. I don't mean to sound snobbish, but I was making almost $100,000 a year with overtime."

Though he's not happy to be here, Proudfoot admits that his life is less stressful now. After paying for food, his living expenses run only about $100 a month. "I don't have cash to spend on crap I don't need, but once you get past the point where you've simplified your life-you have enough food, clothes to wear, and a little bit of entertainment-you don't need very much else."

Dignity Village costs local taxpayers nothing. Residents pay all their own utility bills, including $35 a month for space rent. They pitch in to pay for community water, electricity, garbage collection, and a wireless Internet account. The houses have no indoor plumbing and most aren't wired for electricity, but three have solar panels, and all are kept warm in the winter with propane heaters. Charging stations for cell phones and laptops have been placed near the community kitchen, the community shower house, and the portable toilets. Rain catchment systems alleviate water costs. I wondered aloud if the word "homeless" truly applies any longer to these people. "Technically," Proudfoot says, "this is transitional housing. That's why we want to get our own property. We won't have to sit under a city contract any more."

Many residents have jobs, though they aren't full-time. One guy mows lawns. Another chops and sells firewood. Proudfoot fixes computers when he isn't busy managing the village's day-to-day operations. "I'd like to get out of here," he says, "but I'm trying to improve this place while I'm here. I get a little depressed every now and then, but I don't dwell on it. While I'm here, I want to do the best job I can and make this place the best it can possibly be."

It's a decent place-certainly the best "homeless camp" I've ever seen-not only because the residents have improved it over time but also because the rules impose just enough personal responsibility on everyone. Drug and alcohol offenses or disruptive behavior will get a person evicted, as will missing rent three months in a row or refusing to put in the required ten hours per week of community service. Proudfoot insists that, aside from their extremely low incomes, he and his neighbors aren't so different from everyone else in the city-and I believe him. They pay their own bills. They work. They take care of their community and one another. They're drastically at odds with the stereotypical homeless person-yet many of them were stereotypical homeless people, sleeping under bridges, pushing around shopping carts, and all the rest of it. What changed, then? Three things: they found a place to call their own, they cobbled together some structure and rules in their lives, and they worked hard to better their circumstances. Now that they have something to lose, they're forced to be responsible. It wouldn't have happened without the city's blessing and help, but it's not a big-government program-it's not any kind of program.

Proudfoot has a pension waiting for him from Freightliner-he worked there for 17 years-but he can't touch it until he's 55. When he does get his pension, he won't bother renting or buying a regular home. "I'll be fine," he says. "I'll find a piece of property and build a tiny house on it. I'm used to it."

Some homeless advocates insist on what they call a "housing first" model. The theory is that if the government provides homeless people with rent-free apartments while they get their lives sorted out and find a job, they'll be able to pay the rent themselves after a few months. But Portland would rather focus on making affordable housing available through the private sector. "We can't just put people in housing," says Commissioner Saltzman. "It wouldn't be sustainable. We have more of a balanced approach."

The best solution, Saltzman believes, is getting real-estate developers to set aside units for low-income people. The last thing the city wants is the public-housing blocks that other cities built during the 1960s and 1970s, which turned into crime-ridden slums almost everywhere they were tried. Saltzman wants mixed-income communities and developments so that poverty isn't concentrated, but the city can't do it without the private sector, and funding affordable housing is "bafflingly complicated," he says. "Developers aren't interested in anything other than market-rate housing, so we're trying to establish incentives. We'll allow them to build higher, for instance. And it's easier for developments to pencil-out [turn a profit] if high-paying renters are in the same building as low-income people. Rent from the penthouse units can subsidize rent for the moderate units."

An even better option might be more of those "tiny houses." Dignity Village proves that they can work, at least for some homeless people. Basic tiny-house structures with just 200 square feet or so can be purchased for as little as $3,000. I found one on tinyhouselistings.com for only $1,200. A person could work part-time at Starbucks and afford one; a homeless person could conceivably panhandle enough to buy one with cash if he didn't spend the money on drugs or booze (a big if, obviously). Those who are a little better off can buy something much nicer for $20,000. Tiny homes are a potential solution for the working poor as well as the homeless, but so far, most tiny houses in America exist in rural locations because urban zoning generally doesn't allow them. Portland mayor Charlie Hales wants to change city zoning laws to allow for more tiny houses, and Josh Alpert, his director of strategic initiatives, says that it's only a question of when.

But they wouldn't work for everyone. What about the mentally ill? What about substance abusers who can't or won't change? What about those who can't or won't get a job? Not even super-affordable housing comes free. Dignity Village won't accept substance abusers, and they've kicked people out who can't or won't pay rent.

Some homeless people-like Rick Proudfoot-are staggeringly unlucky, but many are, at least to an extent, the authors of their misfortune. Others-like schizophrenics and other mentally ill people-are simply unable to take care of themselves inside or outside a tiny house or affordable apartment. Some people still aren't going to make it. Some will hit bottom and stay there, no matter how many affordable units we build and no matter how generous and tolerant we are. "These ten-year plans to end homelessness haven't gotten us anywhere," says Saltzman. "I'd never attach a deadline to ending it. I just don't think it's something we can totally eliminate unless you're Minneapolis during the winter and people have no choice but to leave. But I don't know where they go."

A lot of them wash up out West-not just in Portland but in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles-where the weather is kinder. We can reduce the numbers living on the street, and Portland may show a way to begin to do so. At the same time, it's clear that the problem will remain one to be managed rather than solved.

Top Photo: Notwithstanding its prosperous, high-tech identity, Portland has a large homeless population. (JOHN RUDOFF/DEMOTIX/CORBIS)

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My hometown, Portland, Oregon, has a homelessness problem. Portland is often called the City of Bridges-more than a dozen cross the Willamette and Columbia Rivers-and beneath almost all, at one time or another, one sees miserable-looking camps constructed of tents, plastic tarps, and shopping carts.

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-Andrew, Cade, Cameron, Calvin

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As the economic expansion nears a post-World War II record, local concerns about jobs and the economy have faded. In Portland, attention has turned to populations that the recovery has left behind-those living on the streets, in shelters, or in transitional housing.

In an October 2017 survey, Portlanders ranked "shelter for people who are homeless" as the second most urgent issue that elected leaders should do something about. 1 The cost of housing was the first. Reflecting the public's concern, civic leaders and advocacy organizations have placed the homelessness crisis high on their policy agendas, and each county in the region has launched a plan to end, or substantially reduce, homelessness.

But despite these efforts, most Portlanders believe the problem is getting worse. This report seeks to advance the policy discussion for a problem that some residents and policymakers have deemed intractable. It reviews the literature on homelessness determinants, explores local trends in homelessness, puts Portland's challenges into a broader national context, and organizes possible responses into a four-part policy framework.

The region's policy discussion might improve if homelessness were described as two related crises.

One involves roughly 1,700 chronically homeless individuals facing barriers to housing, such as mental and physical disabilities, substance abuse issues, criminal records, and/or other problematic circumstances. Every community across the country-large and small-has people with severe personal challenges who will struggle to maintain stable housing absent significant, sustained support. Portland's challenge is not unique.

The second crisis involves tens of thousands of households: the episodic, short-term homeless plus the growing numbers of severely cost-burdened renters on the verge of homelessness. Portland's second crisis is worse than that in most other places, and it has two causes: an under-supplied regional housing market and an unresponsive, discretionary rental assistance program. The two crises require different strategies and tactics.

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Homelessness in the Portland Region " Oregon Community Foundation

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In an October 2017 survey, Portlanders ranked "shelter for people who are homeless" as the second most urgent issue that elected leaders should do something about. 1 The cost of housing was the first.

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Someone who is homeless is someone who doesn't have a home to live in. Anyone can becoming homeless, it can be someone who was kicked out, someone who became addicted to drugs or someone who doesn't feel a sense of home. In Portland, homelessness is a big issue.

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Why Portland's Homeless Problem Is the Worst in the Nation

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The alleys of Portland, Oregon, are strewn with piles of garbage and used drug needles, reflecting a growing problem of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness. Mental illness is now more common among the homeless in Oregon than in any other state.

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By Grant, Etti and Emily
Homelessness and hunger go side by side because if people cannot pay for rent their next meal may be uncertain as well. Saturday Samaritans is an organization that feeds the homeless every single Saturday. Many people need this meal and by getting the meal for free they may save it up every single week and in the future may have enough to buy a house or rent for some type of better shelter.

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History

In 2012, Michael Tabor and Philip Sakash began traveling the streets of Portland every Saturday, serving sandwiches (and later warm meals) to people living on the street. They prepared the meals in the home kitchen of Kevin Tabor. The food was served tailgate style, with an informal , friendly atmosphere and the flexibility to move as the street population moved.

Eventually the group of volunteers began cooking warm meals at Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church, partnering with the church community. Over the first three years, they met up with others doing the same work, as well as newcomers with a heart to join them. The group of volunteers grew and the work continued, entirely self-funded. Come rain, snow, sweltering heat or hail, the group only missed two Saturdays. Neighbors living on the streets of Portland could count on a warm nutritious meal and good fellowship every Saturday.

By 2015 there was a consistent route of travel for the first few Saturday serving locations. The group always served first at SE 11th and Pine, near St. Francis church. This location was a place where many homeless gathered to make use of the church's support services. Then it was on to a few other locations, including Colonel Sumners Park and Jackson's Shell station at 621 SE Grand Avenue. The station has compassionately welcomed the team to serve in their parking lot every Saturday.

By 2015 the group was blessed in many ways. The group acquired a mobile barbecue set up that was a hit with everyone. When barbecue is served, people on the streets gather in droves. By now more people were volunteering and contributing time, gasoline, vehicles, and funding to the program. Although funding was still tight and often uncertain, some donations came in through Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church to help fund the work. The church itself covered the electricity for refrigeration of food and meal preparation, as well as space to store food and equipment. City Bible collaborated with the group in the acquisition of food donations. A Taco Del Mar owner from Cascade Station contributed 200 burritos every Saturday for about two years. Sometimes the people on the street would insist on giving a dollar or two. In fact, one homeless participant went to the store to buy fresh meat to add to the grill to share with others.

In 2016, the group expanded its mission and organized a "Street Store", modeled after a South African event, to distribute clothing and gear before the cold winter set in. The Street Store was designed to distribute clothing in an independent shopping manner, offering a sense of choice and a feeling of dignity for the participants. The Street Store evolved into a Street Market held annually in the fall. In 2017 the event expanded in donations and required rental of a large truck to support the event that coincided with a festive barbecue and utilized the parking lot at Jackson's Shell Station.

In April of 2017, the group incorporated as a 501(c)3 non-profit and officially became Saturday Samaritans. Students from Pacific Northwest College for the Arts (PNCA) worked with the team to develop the logo and a set of marketing tools. Today the Saturday Samaritan Board and volunteers continue the legacy of bringing homemade food, compassion, clothing, and other support to the vulnerable persons who call the streets of Portland their home.

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In 2012, Michael Tabor and Philip Sakash began traveling the streets of Portland every Saturday, serving sandwiches (and later warm meals) to people living on the street. They prepared the meals in the home kitchen of Kevin Tabor. The food was served tailgate style, with an informal , friendly atmosphere and the flexibility to move as the street population moved.

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There are many effective methods of combating homelessness both locally in Portland, but also all around the country. Taxes do cover homeless services, but that isn't enough. You can reach out and donate money to organizations that deal with homelessness, or instead of donating money, you can donate services to homelessness organizations such as a soup kitchen, other homeless shelters, and/or food banks that help feed people who have very little money to feed themselves. Every little bit helps. Helping homeless people isn't limited to just donating and volunteering at shelters however, as mentioned in the attached article, organizing or even donating to a food or clothing drive is important because it gives resources to those who have few.
https://www.portlandrescuemission.org/news/about-homelessness/5-ways-to-help-someone-homeless-this-winter/

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Senna, Tiago, Sophia (R.)                                                     Various different environmental and societal events can have an effect on homelessness. Sometimes, people become addicted to various drugs and alcohol, along with gambling, which leads to poverty and eventual homelessness (if one doesn’t have the money to support any of the three). Those who are released from prison can also struggle to make the  minimum wage, along with immigrants (both legal and illegal). Financial struggles can cause people to lose their homes; this can be attributed to various things including, but not limited to, being fired from a job, economic depression, or a global pandemic. Veterans can also be traumatized from their time in war (and some are in situations where family members don’t want to put in the resources necessary  to take care of them), which leads to mental health issues such as PTSD. Natural disasters are the final big thing that can cause homelessness. A big fire (as seen in California right now), an earthquake, a tsunami, or a hurricane (as seen in in the SE portion of the United States) can cause thousands of people to simultaneously lose various properties and possibly their homes. Many other factors can also have an effect on homelessness, but these are the biggest things that came to mind for us. 

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Senna, Tiago, Sophia (R.)                                                     Various different environmental and societal events can have an effect on homelessness. Sometimes, people become addicted to various drugs and alcohol, along with gambling, which leads to poverty and eventual homelessness (if one doesn’t have the money to support any of the three). Those who are released from prison can also struggle to make the  minimum wage, along with immigrants (both legal and illegal). Financial struggles can cause people to lose their homes; this can be attributed to various things including, but not limited to, being fired from a job, economic depression, or a global pandemic. Veterans can also be traumatized from their time in war (and some are in situations where family members don’t want to put in the resources necessary  to take care of them), which leads to mental health issues such as PTSD. Natural disasters are the final big thing that can cause homelessness. A big fire (as seen in California right now), an earthquake, a tsunami, or a hurricane (as seen in in the SE portion of the United States) can cause thousands of people to simultaneously lose various properties and possibly their homes. Many other factors can also have an effect on homelessness, but these are the biggest things that came to mind for us. 

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Senna, Tiago, Sophia (R.)        In order to combat homelessness, our group believes the government must first give medical attention to those who need it. By helping others with their addictions (to alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc), we would be helping them sustain themselves for everything else that they would eventually be done to help them in order to solve their homeless problem. Next, we believe creating housing and providing a way to sustain said housing is the second step to solve homelessness. Then, we think that the government should provide jobs for that homeless population in order to have them help work for the housing that the government is providing. All of this would be done with a governmental system that checks in with them in order to make sure that everything is going well for them. 

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Senna, Tiago, Sophia (R.)        In order to combat homelessness, our group believes the government must first give medical attention to those who need it. By helping others with their addictions (to alcohol, drugs, gambling, etc), we would be helping them sustain themselves for everything else that they would eventually be done to help them in order to solve their homeless problem. Next, we believe creating housing and providing a way to sustain said housing is the second step to solve homelessness. Then, we think that the government should provide jobs for that homeless population in order to have them help work for the housing that the government is providing. All of this would be done with a governmental system that checks in with them in order to make sure that everything is going well for them. 

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A Coordinated Approach

To end homelessness, a community-wide coordinated approach to delivering services, housing, and programs is needed.

Creating Systems That Work

Housing as the Solution

The solution to homelessness is simple - housing. Rapid re-housing is an intervention designed to quickly connect people to housing and services.

Rapid Re-housing

Assistance for the Most Vulnerable

Sometimes people need longer-term rental assistance and services supports to achieve stability. Permanent supportive housing is a proven solution to homelessness for the most vulnerable.

Permanent Supportive Housing

Designing a Crisis Response

An effective crisis response system can help people quickly exit homelessness.

Crisis Response

Increasing Employment and Income

Programs designed to assist low-income people increase their income are critical to supporting housing stability.

Income Opportunity and Services

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To end homelessness, a community-wide coordinated approach to delivering services, housing, and programs is needed. Creating Systems That Work The solution to homelessness is simple - housing. Rapid re-housing is an intervention designed to quickly connect people to housing and services. Rapid Re-housing Sometimes people need longer-term rental assistance and services supports to achieve stability.

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The following is a list of general statistics taken from the 2015 point-in-time count, conducted by Multnomah County. Although the overall number of homeless people in Multnomah County between 2013 and 2015 did not change - despite the worsening affordable housing crisis - there are still serious concerns. On one particular night, 3,800 people slept on the streets, in shelter, and in temporary housing, and an estimated 12,000 people were doubled up, many in overcrowded and often unsafe conditions.

Over the past two years, there has been a 17% decline in chronic homelessness among individual adults; a decrease in unsheltered veterans; and a 27% reduction in the percentage of people experiencing homelessness for two or more years.

However, this year's point-in-time count found a 48% increase in the number of unsheltered African-Americans from two years ago. Due to differences in the definition of "homeless" between HUD and Multnomah County, it is still a work in progress to find more accurate numbers of homelessness among communities of color. Nevertheless, supplemental data indicates that levels of homelessness have increased in these communities, including, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asians.

Consider the following data from the 2015 Point-In-Time Count of Homelessness in Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County, Oregon (for details, see the narrative that follows the chart):

HUD Homeless Number: 3,801

2013-15 %∆ of HUD homeless: 14% decrease*

2013-15 %∆ of homeless people who are unsheltered: <1% decrease

3 fastest growing unsheltered populations: African-American adults; women; people older than 55

3 fastest growing HUD homeless populations: African-American adults; women; people older than 55

*Using 2014 definitions, we would have documented a 4% increase.

**Only reflects unaccompanied youth, not young people in families.

Children & Families

On the night of the count, 374 children under the age of 18 were identified as homeless. Nearly all were in families, and a growing percentage were in families that reported sleeping outside or in their car on the night of the count: A total of 152 people in families, including 76 children, were unsheltered on the night of the count, which is a 24% increase compared with 2013.

There was also an increase in the number of chronically homeless families: 64 of the people in families on the night of the count were chronically homeless, compared with 52 in 2013, and over half of the chronically homeless families in 2015 were unsheltered. Families with children also make up a disproportionate percentage of the report's estimated 12,000 people who are doubled up or living in motel rooms on any given night. Given that homelessness can have profound negative short and long-term consequences for their lives, we must continue to prioritize ending homelessness among children.

Women

Over the past two years, the number of adult women experiencing homelessness grew by 15% (from 1,089 to 1,161 women). Nearly half of the women surveyed reported having been victims of domestic violence, and 67% reported having a disability. The additional vulnerability of women, and in particular women of color, to violence and severe trauma once they become homeless is well-documented. It must be a priority to take action and to work with our healthcare and domestic violence system partners to provide women the housing options and services they need to reverse this trend.

Older

Our street and shelter homeless population is aging. The number of homeless people over the age of 55 increased by 23% - from 571 to 704 - from 2013 to 2015. As the population ages, we need to evaluate how this trend affects the types of housing and services we provide in our ending homelessness systems.

Disabled

The percentage of people surveyed who report being disabled has not changed significantly but it remains very high (57%) and it is even higher for certain groups (for example, 67% of women report being disabled). Board members with expertise in the area of mental health point out that given the trauma associated with homelessness, a much higher percentage of the homeless population would likely qualify as having a mental health disability than is documented through the survey. It is thus essential that we prioritize access to healthcare and an adequate supply of permanent supportive housing if we are to succeed in ending homelessness.

East County

The geographic distribution of homelessness remained relatively unchanged from 2013, except in one area: Gresham/East County. In that area, the reported number of people who were unsheltered (sleeping outside, in parks and other areas not intended for human habitation) increased significantly, from just 65 in 2013 to 176 this year. Discussions with stakeholders in the area suggest that this increase is largely the result of improved surveying of the area; while there has been a real increase in street homelessness since 2013, the 2015 number is closer to what actually existed in 2013 than what was reported in that year's street count.

Housing Figures

30% of AMI for 1 person HH: $15,450

30% AMI for 4 person HH: $22,050

HUD FMR for 1 bdr: $793

HUD FMR for 2 bdr: $944

Local General Fund into the Continuums of Care: $30.5 million City and County

McKinney $ into the Continuums of Care: $15.5 million ($5 million add from federal government)

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The following is a list of general statistics taken from the 2015 point-in-time count, conducted by Multnomah County. Although the overall number of homeless people in Multnomah County between 2013 and 2015 did not change - despite the worsening affordable housing crisis - there are still serious concerns.

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Even with the ACA, families still face high deductibles, expensive prescriptions, and large co-pays. These expensive costs can push a family over the edge - deciding whether to pay a $1,500 deductible for a medical emergency or $1,400 in rent is a hard decision to make.

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Causes of homelessness - Portland Homeless Family Solutions

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Even with the ACA, families still face high deductibles, expensive prescriptions, and large co-pays. These expensive costs can push a family over the edge - deciding whether to pay a $1,500 deductible for a medical emergency or $1,400 in rent is a hard decision to make.

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There are many reasons why someone could become homeless. Some include eviction,  being kicked out, spiritual reasons, etc. These are just some of the reasons people can become homeless.

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Homelessness is unique for each person experiencing it.

Homelessness is both the cause and effect of other problems, ranging from chronic substance abuse, financial instability caused by unemployment or underemployment, mental illness, domestic abuse, and more. Most often, it is a complex set of circumstances, choices and traumas that lead a person to this point.

Foreclosure. Recently, foreclosures have increased the number of people who experience homelessness.

Poverty. Homelessness and poverty are inextricably linked. Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities.

Eroding Work Opportunities. Reasons why homelessness persists include stagnant or falling incomes and less secure jobs which offer fewer benefits.

Decline in Public Assistance. The declining value and availability of public assistance is another source of increasing poverty and homelessness. Federal and state cuts have affected those in our communities without other resources.

Domestic Violence. Battered women who live in poverty are often forced to choose between abusive relationships and homelessness.

Mental Illness. Mental illness is becoming a rapid reality in this country and our community as well. It is a significant contributor to homelessness. Serious mental illnesses disrupt people's ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management. Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others' guidance and react irrationally. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.

20 - 25% of the homeless population in the United States suffers from some form of severe mental illness (in comparison, only 6% of Americans are severely mentally ill.)

Serious mental illnesses disrupt people's ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management.

Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others' guidance and react irrationally. This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.

As a result of these factors and the stresses of living with a mental disorder, people with mental illnesses are much more likely to become homeless than the general population.

Poor mental health may also affect physical health, especially for people who are homeless. Mental illness may cause people to neglect taking the necessary precautions against disease. When combined with inadequate hygiene due to homelessness, this may lead to physical problems such as respiratory infections, skin diseases, or exposure to tuberculosis or HIV.

Many of the homeless population in the United States also suffers from substance abuse and dependence. Some mentally ill people self-medicate using street drugs, which can lead not only to addictions, but also to disease transmission from injection drug use. This combination of mental illness, substance abuse, and poor physical health makes it very difficult for people to obtain employment and residential stability.

Addiction Disorders. The relationship between addiction and homelessness is complex and controversial. While rates of alcohol and drug abuse are disproportionately high among the homeless population, the increase in homelessness over the past two decades cannot be explained by addiction alone. Many people who are addicted to alcohol and drugs never become homeless, but people who are poor and addicted are clearly at increased risk of homelessness.

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What causes homelessness? - Solutions Center

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Homelessness is unique for each person experiencing it. Homelessness is both the cause and effect of other problems, ranging from chronic substance abuse, financial instability caused by unemployment or underemployment, mental illness, domestic abuse, and more. Most often, it is a complex set of circumstances, choices and traumas that lead a person to this point.

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There are many reasons why someone can become homeless. Here are a few examples:
Eviction
Mental Illnesses
Kicked out of the house by family members
Intentionally left house because of unstable living situation
Other financial reasons

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Homelessness: Causes, Types and Facts | Crisis UK

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Find out the causes, effects, and types of homelessness - and what we’re doing to end it for good.

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it is very common for houseless people in Portland to suffer from some from of mental illness and or disability. I think that this can sometimes have a little bit to do with the idea that houseless people commonly abuse substances, because the two can go hand in hand when you're under the extreme stress of living outside.
-Marin

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It is way more common for underprivileged people (mentally ill people, people with learning disabilities, people of color, and poor people) to become houseless at some point in their lives. People will often become homeless if they're getting out of an abusive relationship, kicked out of their house, or unable to pay their rent/mortgage. 

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It is way more common for underprivileged people (mentally ill people, people with learning disabilities, people of color, and poor people) to become houseless at some point in their lives. People will often become homeless if they're getting out of an abusive relationship, kicked out of their house, or unable to pay their rent/mortgage. 

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Marin

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Every winter my mom and I deliver hot apple cider, gloves, and socks to the homeless community in Portland. I think acts of kindness in general can make a big impact in peoples' lives if they're struggling. Donating, giving food and supplies, and funding institutions for mentally ill people are also extremely important.

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A homeless person is somebody who has no place of residence, Oregon has a large population of homeless citizens, and many of them have addictions. However, anyone can become homeless under the right circumstances, and that stress can lead to them making more and more bad decisions.

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It is possible for anybody to become homeless, most of the time it is because of unstable income, and the person or family cannot pay for their housing, heating, electricity and etc, and it causes them to lose their homes. Another Problem that can arise is the fact that there is no open housing affordable to the more poor population. There are a lot of homeless people from different racial groups/minorities, and people who have mental disabilities such as learning disabilities.

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Homelessness does not have one solution, nor an instant solution, but there are some routes we could take that could slowly make the situation better. The first one is to support the homeless people around you. even simple things like giving a meal can save somebody money that can be used to slowly save up to a position where they are more stable. one of the best ways that you can help is to donate food and clothes to charities that support the homeless population. over time those small gifts of canned beans, warm socks and towels can seriously better a person's situation. Another route we can take is to slowly reduce the price of housing. this one would take a very long time considering that if it gets too low too fast, the amount of open housing will decrease dramatically, making the rarity, and therefore the price of housing rise again, and wouldn't be a long term solution. obviously there is no perfect way to solve homelessness, but just making an effort to help is always better