Oct 31, 2021 was the end of our first year of the GNP. I thought you’d like to see what all of your dedication and hard work has done to help our unsheltered neighbors. It’s a long list, but that’s thanks to all of you committing to the work. You should all be proud of yourselves, I know I am!
Alcohol wipes
5
Batteries
6
Blankets, fleece
362
Blankets, mylar
243
Blankets, wool
19
Bug Spray
2
Bungee cords
197
Coats
27
Condoms
12
Cooling towels
72
Deodorant
12
Dog food
105
Energy Bars
139
Ensure
87
Fem. Hygiene
157
First-aid kits
277
Flashlights w/batteries
421
Gloves
424
Hand/foot warmers
73
Hand sanitizer
493
Hats, Baseball
158
Hats, warm
413
Hat/Scarf combos
8
Hydration packets
280
Hygiene kits
667
Light cards
64
Masks
421
Ponchos
125
Rose City Resource Guides
175
Rubber gloves
6
Sandwiches
17+
Scarves
26
Sharps containers
9
Snack boxes
96
Socks
1,531
Spray bottles, reusable
6
Sunscreen
18
Sweatpants
43
Sweatshirts
61
Tarps
140
Tents
60
Toilet paper
7
Toothbrush kits
4
Trashbags
1,386
Water
2,400
Water bottles, reusable
6
Wipes
513
With our continued efforts, we can play a part in helping those on the street get through this winter with the gear so necessary for survival. Thank you to all of you.
In Portland, some neighborhood associations assist homeless residents, rather than rally to eject them
From Oregonlive
Updated: Mar. 27, 2021, 11:04 a.m. | Published: Mar. 27, 2021, 7:00 a.m.
Ramona Kearns (center) hands a bottle of hand sanitizer to a person inside a tent. Kearns, Missy Voux and Robert Northman check on their homeless neighbors in downtown Portland once a week, distributing food, water, gloves, flashlights and other gear to people who want it. They’re part of a neighborhood association that focuses on filling service gaps by picking up trash, providing necessities and checking in on those living on the street. (The Oregonian)
Tony Gonzales finds solace as he rests on a concrete space an arm’s reach from a downtown Portland church, its steeples stretching heavenward on either side. He sleeps in a gray and green tent, neatly tucked at the edge of the sidewalk, trying to be unobtrusive to passersby. His goal: to be invisible. To just make it safely through the night.
“I don’t really like it here. It’s uncomfortable. My situation, it’s embarrassing,” he said on a recent blue-sky Sunday. “At night I can hear people yelling and it bothers me. I wish they would stop.”
A lot of life squeezes into the four-square block section of downtown he now calls home. Archways of trees with spring buds. Red brick walkways. Buildings dripping with history. Tents that are temporary homes. And housed neighbors who, as they walk down the street to the hair salon or coffee shop, sometimes avert their eyes from things they find hard to see.
But there are also those who feel moved to help their neighbors experiencing homelessness – and want them to know they aren’t invisible.
“I think every neighborhood association should understand who their neighbors are,” said retiree David Dickson, who co-leads volunteer homeless outreach for the Downtown Neighborhood Association.
From Lents to Sunnyside to downtown, self-governed neighborhood groups are setting their sights on a new goal of filling homeless services gaps. They have organized trash clean-ups, free showers, laundry services, food and cold weather gear distribution and weekly wellness checks.
Gonzales appreciates the kindness neighborhood volunteers have shown him.
Such actions mark a distinct change in Portland. Historically, neighborhood associations from Overlook to Laurelhurst to Mt. Scott-Arleta expressed wariness or outright hostility to shelters or other communal living spaces for people experiencing homelessness existing within their bounds.
Ramona Kearns (left), Robert Northman (center left) and Missy Voux (center right) distribute food and cold weather gear to George (right). Kearns, Northman and Voux check in on their homeless neighbors in downtown Portland once a week, distributing food, water, gloves, flashlights and other gear to people who want it. They’re part of a neighborhood association that focuses on filling service gaps by picking up trash, providing necessities and checking in on those living on the street. (The Oregonian)
When the Sunnyside neighborhood found itself occupied by a large homeless community centered on its public school playground last year, however, the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association responded by, among other actions, launching a free shower program.
Hannah Wallace, who leads that project, said the work started after neighborhood residents elected a new association board last summer, resulting in “new blood” and “an attitude change.”
Dickson said the Downtown Neighborhood Association board similarly saw a changing of the guards last spring.
Typically in Portland, where neighborhood associations were granted city-conferred powers decades ago, these groups have focused on safety issues, litter and social activities like hosting movies in the park. “Not a lot have homelessness committees,” Dickson said.
Volunteers who’ve joined the new movement hope it will catch on across all of Portland’s 94 neighborhood associations. Currently, at least 15 groups are engaged in some sort of organized homelessness endeavor, according to a poll of neighborhood officials.
BOTTOMLESS NEED FOR OUTREACH
Every Sunday at 1 p.m., downtown residents Dickson and Stephanie Hansen, who was formerly homeless, meet outside of Hansen’s apartment near Southwest 10th Avenue and Main Street. They are one of 14 homeless outreach teams within the Downtown Neighborhood Association. Each has an assigned set of blocks to walk around once a week with a wagon full of granola bars, water, coffee, socks, blankets, hygiene products and more for people living on the street. Teams have been doing this since November.
“We provide survival items for folks, but it is equally important to build relationships and trust over time,” Dickson said. “We want them to know we are there to support them and we can provide information about mental health services, shelter, and to really just listen and be a good neighbor.”
Starbucks donates the coffee. The group buys half the gear with private donations. The other half is provided by the joint city and county supply warehouse.
The downtown association is currently the only neighborhood group that picks up supplies on a weekly basis, said Multnomah County communications director Julie Sullivan-Springhetti. The city spreads $2 million across all 94 neighborhood associations which can be used for any programming costs, including homeless outreach.
This past Sunday, Dickson and Hansen met right on schedule. The weather hinted at spring, enjoyable for a stroll around the neighborhood, but still too cold to comfortably live outside.
Dickson started walking, pulling the heavy red wagon that Hansen had packed full. Before they made it even half a block, a man gingerly stopped them and asked for water. He’s not homeless, rather he lives down the street in an affordable housing complex. But he was hungry and thirsty and low on cash. They handed him water, plus a bag filled with fruit and protein bars – they know the need reverberates further than just their houseless neighbors.
Within their few blocks, Dickson and Hansen walked past nearly 25 tents. They stopped to say hello at each. Darlene Garrett, who chairs the downtown association’s homeless outreach committee, estimates about 200 people are experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the downtown area, based on a count the association conducted. The outreach teams take notes and keep tallies each week as well.
“Knock-knock, anybody home?” Dickson called, leaning toward a blue tent covered in water-resistant layers to fend off the cold. “We have cold weather gear, socks and gloves.”
One woman said yes to coffee – two sugars and cream. Another man asked for a tad extra sugar if there was any to spare.
The wagon-toting duo continued walking. They compared notes on who they had seen recently and where others had moved on to. They recently connected one man to a free clothes bank to help him prepare for a job interview. They chatted about a mental health training they participated in, another initiative from the downtown group to help neighbors interact with neighbors.
Missy Vaux (center) and Ramona Kearns (background) check on their homeless neighbors in downtown Portland once a week, distributing food, water, gloves, flashlights and other gear to people who want it. They’re part of a neighborhood association that focuses on filling service gaps by picking up trash, providing necessities and checking in on those living on the street. (The Oregonian)
Then Hansen pointed out burn marks on the sidewalk that crept up a disheveled tree. Her knowing face crinkled into worry. “See this darkness here,” she said. “This is from a tent fire. People just trying to stay warm.”
As Dickson and Hansen were about to turn a corner, a man named Jeffrey asked if they had any snacks. He is living off a disability check while he rooms at a halfway house for those recovering from mental health issues a block away.
He accepted a bag of food, then Hansen offered him socks.
“White socks! I love to wear fresh socks,” he exclaimed. “I hate walking around on old socks that feel like sandpaper.” The team handed him a second pair. He was exuberant.
Finally, the two came upon Gonzales’ tent. Dickson yelled out his scripted “knock-knock,” and was initially brushed off. But Gonzales and his neighbor in the next tent over both perked up with the offer of blankets.
“Whatever you guys want to give us, we need,” Gonzales said, thanking the team and asking how their day was going.
Dickson saw that Gonzales didn’t have a cover over his tent like most campers. He rooted through the wagon and pulled out a blue tarp and an insulation blanket. He instructed: “put this blanket between your sleeping bag and the ground.” The blanket will keep the sleeping bag from being soaked in condensation and the tarp will provide a stronger layer against wind and rain.
Gonzales was thankful – he had never before seen outreach workers in his neighborhood.
“I know there are so many programs available to help us, but I really appreciate that they came to us,” Gonzales, 40, said. “I am really shy and sometimes feel overwhelmed going to a resource center to ask for help. I feel embarrassed to have to ask … I think it’s really awesome that they put forth the effort to come to us.”
NEXT: TACKLING TRASH
About 20 feet away and across the street from Gonzales’ spot sat a pile of trash. Or what appeared to passersby as trash. Garrett, the downtown homeless/houseless committee chair, asked Gonzales if he knew to whom the items belonged.
“The guy down there declared he was going to move out of his tent and start moving his stuff out the other day because he didn’t want it, but he is still living here and he keeps taking things back from the pile,” Gonzales told her. The team chose not to report the trash to the city since the items appeared to be someone’s belongings but said they would check back another day to see if residents wanted help cleaning up.
As the volunteers handed out socks and coffee, a frazzled security guard approached. The man, dressed in a black uniform, said he didn’t want to cause harm to those living along the sidewalk but asked Hansen if she could help him converse with the unsheltered residents about the litter accumulation.
The downtown group provides trash bags and reports piles of trash to the city when necessary. However, they never do so without talking to people living nearby first. What looks like garbage to one person could be someone’s prized possessions or last remaining memories of their life prior to losing housing.
But controlling weekly rubbish is the one challenge the downtown group’s members are struggling to wrap their minds around, Dickson said. It’s the next project the volunteers plan to tackle.
Robert Northman (left) picks up trash as Missy Vaux and Ramona Kearns (background) speak to one another. Northman, Voux and Kearns check on their homeless neighbors in downtown Portland once a week, distributing food, water, gloves, flashlights and other gear to people who want it. They’re part of a neighborhood association that focuses on filling service gaps by picking up trash, providing necessities and checking in on those living on the street. (The Oregonian)
Other neighborhood groups have been faced with the same challenge. In Sunnyside, volunteers led a clean-up at the beginning of the year near Southeast 36th Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard. They worked together with the area business district and a local business to rent a $400 Dumpsterfor a day. Volunteers first talked to two individuals who were living unsheltered in the area to make sure they were comfortable with the clean-up.
“We don’t want to see homeless individuals be pushed out, we just want regular trash pick-up,” said Wallace, leader of the neighborhood’s free showers project. “The two guys who were living there said it was wonderful we were cleaning up and asked how they could help.”
While housed neighbors have regular trash and recycling pick-up services, those living unsheltered largely do not. Additionally, while many neighborhood associations run litter pick-up programs, those groups aren’t equipped to address substantial waste that can comewith encampment living.
“I know the city is overwhelmed right now and they don’t have enough manpower, so we did what the city couldn’t do,” Wallace said. “This is what neighborhood associations have the potential to do.”
Wallace hopes eventually a nonprofit can provide more sustainable services than their group can, but they plan to continue doing regular trash clean ups in the meantime. “If the city would give us a Dumpster that they could cart away on a weekly basis, that would help us,” she said. “We have volunteers to do the actual trash pick-up, but no way to dispose of the trash.”
Organizations like SOLVE, which leads large trash pick-ups and coordinates removal, and Adopt One Block, which assigns volunteers to regularly pick up trash, can offer some assistance to the neighborhood groups. The city already coordinates with SOLVE, said Seraphie Allen, policy adviser to Mayor Ted Wheeler.
“Some neighborhood associations want (the city) to completely remove camps and want to know when we will be moving a site, but we will not engage in that way,” Allen said. “However, the element of direct outreach like the Sunnyside and Overlook neighborhoods have taken to create relationships with neighbors, we are very supportive of that.”
Nicole Hayden reports on homelessness for The Oregonian. Follow her on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden. Reach her at nhayden@oregonian.com or (810) 210-1561.
The Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) needs your help in an exciting new initiative. The Portland Downtown Good Neighbor Project will support approximately 200 unhoused downtown neighbors by distributing essential goods for survival (water, cold weather clothing, etc.) and building “good neighbor” relationships.
Call for Volunteers
The initial call is for volunteers to deliver cold weather gear: hats, gloves, scarves and socks. We already have commitments from Transition Projects, Blanchet House, and Northwest Pilot Project to donate items. Our challenge is to find PEOPLE to serve as Good Neighbors.
Teams
Volunteers will work in teams of 2 or 3, with each team assigned to a segment of the downtown. You may sign up as individuals or as teams.
Orientation/Training
Volunteers will receive initial orientation. Ongoing training will include information and referral and mental health first aid.
Timing
A Zoom orientation meeting will be held the week of November 16, 2020. The program will kick off soon thereafter.
Longer Term Goal
The long term goal is to build relationships. Consistent with the solution ideas presented at our November forum, we want to build community and be a support system to help our unhoused neighbors find a way to a better life. For example, this might include referral to places like Bybee Lakes Hope Center or Cascadia Behavioral Health for rehabilitation or Work Systems Inc. for assistance in finding a good job.
To Sign up or Ask Questions
Contact DNA Homeless/Houseless Co-chairs to sign up or ask questions:
Mayor Wheeler’s Office contacted us on April 7, informing us of a temporary Outdoor Emergency Shelter for people living without shelter, or for those living in shelters that cannot provide social distancing guidelines during Portland’s COVID-19 state of emergency. One of the three sites is in Old Town on Block R, this is the fenced vacant block just west of the former Greyhound Station bounded by NW Glisan/Hoyt/6th/Broadway, (NW 6th and Glisan).
A link to the FAQ sheet about this project, sent by the Mayor’s Office is below.
Based on the information from the City, this camp site is to be terminated 21 days after the end of the City of Portland State of Emergency including any further extensions by the Mayor and that all applicants are being explicitly told the shelter arrangement is temporary. This camp will comply with social distancing guidelines
This was proactive communication from the Mayor’s Office. We look forward to their support as we continue in the work on mitigating homelessness in Downtown Portland.
Please forward comments and questions to darleneurbangarrett@gmail.com, co-chair of the DNA Homeless Houseless Team.
Best Regards for You and Yours
Darlene Urban Garrett Co-Chair DNA Homeless Houseless team
Mayor’s response to Questions Temporary Emergency shelters
Posted April 22/2020
Questions asked by the Oldtown Neighborhood Association’s Board Communication with Mayor’s Wheeler’s office regarding this temporary emergency sheltering plan. This shelter is in the Oldtown Neighborhood Association boundaries. These are their questions with the Mayor’s response.
Outdoor Emergency Shelters
We understand staffing is being provided by JOIN. Is Multnomah County providing resources for JOIN? We are concerned about their ability to provide sufficient staff for the OutdoorEmergency Shelters.
Yes, Multnomah County will expand their contract with JOIN as the provider. JOIN will be hiringnumerous temporary employees.
Help us understand what JOIN’s role is going to look like there and what is their staffing plan andcapacity to staff these camps?
On each site, JOIN will have:
a) 2 Gate Crew Check-In, Decontamination, & Security Staff on 24/7.
b) 1 Sanitation & Safe Eating Coordinator 40 hrs./a week
c) SHARED STAFF across all three sites will be a Training Coordinator (train all staff and leadtrainings with all campers) and Health Coordinator (respond to basic first aid and behavioralhealth
d) There is a large coalition of organizations that will be supporting these places as well such as Street Roots, Sisters of the Road, Free Hot Soup, Trans Housing Coalition, Portland Street Medicine, Coalition for Communities of Color, Ground Score/Trash for Peace, Oregon Harbor of Hope and a few others.
We would like a clear understanding of staffing and management plans for the camp sites. It is imperative to have adequate security and management.
PPB and JOIN will be meeting to develop a safety plan for when and how police should be called and to discuss expectations and management. We will share the Safety and Operations Plan with you when it is finalized.
There has been increased campers on the streets in and around the Old Town neighborhood. Will these campers be re-directed into the Outdoor Emergency Shelters?
There was a request from our social service providers for a location in Old Town. Because of theconcerns that people were congregating for food and hygiene services. Unsheltered folks in old town will be engaged from our outreach teams asking for them to apply to complete intake form. Street Roots is one of the physical places where people can submit their intake forms.
We understand that we of the sites will be specified for certain populations. If that is the case,how will this project help to alleviate the campers in Old Town?
While there is a prioritization for culturally specific services, people cannot be denied services if they are not that identity. There are numerous people who identify as LGBTQ+ and BIPOC in Old Town and can be prioritized. We advocate for those who are on the streets in Old Town to be relocated to the Outdoor Emergency Shelters. My understanding is that this is one of the prioritizations for that site though not the sole determination for prioritization.
What is the definition of “the duration of the City of Portland’s COVID-19 state of emergency”?What is temporary? What are the chances that this will ever go away once it is set up?
As written in our site use agreement with JOIN, the permit shall be terminated 21 days after the end ofthe Portland State of Emergency including any further extensions by the Mayor (I do not know when that will end as that is determined by Mayor and Public Health authorities). All applicants are being explicitly told this is temporary and it is written at the top of the intake forms and if chosen will be intheir participation agreement. The Mayor, Commissioner Hardesty and the rest of council are alignedthat these are temporary spaces.
What is the communication strategy with the stakeholders in the affected neighborhoods? We have created an excel spreadsheet of business and neighborhood organizations in the area. Would greatly appreciate if you felt there were additional people we should reach out to.
ATTACHMENT 2: MAYOR WHEELER’S FACT SHEET ON THIS PROJECT AND A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF SHELTERING FOR OUR HOMELESS NEIGHBORS DURING THIS COVID 19 EMERGENCY
FAQ Outdoor Emergency Shelters: April 10, 2020
What are the Outdoor Emergency Shelters?
Outdoor Emergency Shelters are temporary tent villages that will provide adults experiencing homelessness access to a supportive environment, as well as regular meals, water, hygiene amenities and restrooms. They will offer people living without shelter a safer and healthier place to stay throughout the duration of the City of Portland’s COVID-19 state of emergency.In accordance with CDC and Public Health guidelines on physical distancing, tents at each sitewill be placed within 12’x12’ spaces, and tents will be uniformly spaced to create at least 10 feetof separation between each tent. Each site will have a fence and a designated point of entry to protect residents’ privacy and tokeep the sites secure. In addition to restrooms and handwashing stations, each site will also offer drinking water, aphone charging station, a cooking area and regular trash service. A shower truck will service allthree sites.
The sites will share a health coordinator who can respond to basic first aid and behavioralhealth calls 24/7. The City of Portland will be providing tents, as well as sleeping bags and cots. Each tent will beon a platform.
Why are they necessary?
Living without shelter is traumatizing and life-shortening even when our community isn’t facing apandemic. That’s why local governments, service providers and advocates work all the time tohelp people into shelter and housing. But during an outbreak like COVID-19, that work is even more urgent. While many people with COVID-19 will have only mild to moderate symptoms and recover without medical intervention, that may be less true for our neighbors experiencinghomelessness. They tend to be older or have more underlying health conditions, both of which put them at higher risk of serious symptoms and potentially fatal infections.
Creating these Outdoor Emergency Shelters — providing places to wash hands, go to thebathroom, and sleep and spend time at safe distances — is another way the community canstep up and limit the spread of this illness among those who are most vulnerable.Because COVID and the need for physical distancing has forced libraries, cafes and daycenters to either close or shorten their hours, limiting access to showers, meals, bathrooms andmore, these sites will also fill an important service gap in the community at the same time as they offer safer places to sleep.
Where will these shelter open?
At this time, the City of Portland has identified three properties, two in the Central Eastside an done in downtown. The east sites are at SE Water and SE Main and at SE Water and SE Salmon. The west site is at NW Broadway and NW Hoyt.
What’s the timeline for creating and then opening these sites?
The goal is to stagger the opening of all three sites as soon as late next week. Some construction workmay start by the end of this week.
Who will these shelters serve?
These sites will serve adults, either singles or people in partnerships, currently living without shelter in Multnomah County. Families or people younger than 18 won’t be able to access thesesites.People will also be able to bring their pets.
How many people will each site serve?
Each site will host 45 tents. Because some tents will host partners, the number of people served at each site may be larger than 45.
What is the intake process for residents?
Spaces will be available by reservation only. JOIN is collaborating with community partners for the intake processes.
Will walk-in or drop-off access be accommodated?
No. These sites won’t be able to accommodate people who walk up seeking a space or anyonewho might be dropped off without a reservation.
Will guests be allowed to use their own tents and sleeping bags? Will they be able tostore belongings?
No. To maximize use of space, the City of Portland will be providing new tents and sleeping bags for all guests. Guests at each site will also be able to store their belongings, including any tents or bedding they may have been using before coming to the Outdoor Emergency Shelter.
How will these sites be organized to support physical distancing as well as hygiene and sanitization procedures?
Public health guidance: Each site will adhere to guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Multnomah County Public Health.
Strict cleaning and personal hygiene protocols: Staff will regularly disinfect all communal property and shared spaces. Disinfectants and handwashing stations will be provided at the gate. Handwashing stations will also be provided next to portable toilets. Staff will also educate people about safe handwashing and sanitization practices, andexplain why hygiene and sanitization are important for everyone’s health and safety.
Sharing information about symptoms: Anyone who develops respiratory symptoms must report them soon as they are aware of them. People with symptoms will bescreened and referred to medical motel shelters as needed, just like someone who develops symptoms in an indoor shelter.
Visitor policy: Like at other shelters in the community, guests will not be able to invite visitors into the space. Guests will be able to come and go from the sites as they need, just like at other shelters, but they will be highly encouraged to practice safe physical distancing at all times.
Who is responsible for ensuring safety and providing services at these sites?
JOIN is working with the City of Portland and the Joint Office of Homeless Services to provide tents and sleeping bags, and access to handwashing stations, toilets, trash service, showers, nutritious meals, and mental and physical health services. JOIN and the Portland Police Bureau are working together to create a collaborative public safety plan.
JOIN has created an organizing committee, which currently includes organizers and workers from JOIN, Afro Village, Coalition for Communities of Color, Dignity Village, Gather, Make Shelter, Ground Score / Trash for Peace, Hygiene4All, Portland Street Medicine, Portland People’s Outreach Project, Right 2 Dream Too, Street Roots, Sisters of the Road, The Equi Institute, and the PDX Trans Housing Coalition.
OTHER FACTS:
Here’s a basic rundown of the efforts that the Joint Office and the County have made to create social distancing within our existing shelter system.
We opened up the Oregon Convention Center and three Portland Parks & Recreation Community Centers: Charles Jordan, East Portland, and now Mt. Scott (opened today). This has allowed us to resume normal intake into the shelter system.
In addition, for individuals in the shelter system that exhibit COVID-like symptoms, we are using hotels and motels to quarantine those individuals. They are getting tested for COVID at these sites and being monitored in the event that the symptoms require more serious medical care.
Cole Merkel, Deputy Director for Outreach and Engagement for the Here Together Coalition, will explain the details of the May 19 ballot initiative that will provide more than 250 million dollars to fund homeless services in the Metro county area.
