I would be interested to know what the capacity is to house people in the Oregon State Hospital, an why it seems that the state, and NGO's insist on setting up outdoor camps, tent cities, RV parks, and little tiny glorified garden shed housing complexes instead of congregate housing that would share services, and create an actual social accountability way for people to get the help they need.
In a better sort of world, a voter-taxpayer could pose this question to his or her representatives at the city, county and state level and expect that at least one of them would provide a useful reply.
My cynical answer is that ideology dictates how government, the nonprofits and activists respond to the crisis in homelessness. The basic ideological premise is that the homeless, like addicts, are traumatized victims. For that reason, they must never be expected to do anything do not want to do, as that would re-traumatize them. Also, even though it appears that they've hit rock bottom, the houseless possess autonomy that must be respected. That's another reason for crafting solutions that don't impose expectations on the homeless. We must trust that they will know whether and when to accept services, etc. This explains why some activists treat "sweeps" of high-risk homeless encampments as if they were crimes against humanity. (Far from being the sort of violent raids that the term "sweeps" implies, city-run clearances provide those those affected with reasonable prior notice (assuming they have their wits about them) and with assistance before, during and after the removals.)
Several years ago, when the Mayor wanted to create one or more larger homeless centers that would be closer to essential services, many homeless activists denounced the proposal. Specifically, they opposed allowing the city to "force" the homeless to move. Secondly, they attacked the centers as "concentration camps." Of course, they had to cast aspersions on Portland's business community, suggesting that it was all just an attempt to get the homeless out of sight. Well, the activists were right about that last part, but they have a way of turning the victims of unchecked homelessness such as businesses and residents into perpetrators just for wanting clean and safe streets and neighborhoods.
The Multnomah County Chair, Jessica Vega Pederson, is one of the greatest obstacles to reform along the lines you suggest. She has an iron grip on the County Commission agenda. Nothing comes before the Commission without her approval. For years, she has promoted an unworkable "housing-first" homeless policy that leaves the homeless on the streets while housing construction proceeds at a glacial pace. As Mr. Dahlgren has reported here previously, when the homeless are housed it is on a no-strings-attached basis. They are under no obligation to use the services that taxpayers are providing at considerable expense. Activists have a history of disparaging shelters for allegedly being unsafe, and the press parrots those claims uncritically. Pederson's critics on the County Commission say that the County's record of managing nonprofit contractors is abysmally bad. Problems include vague descriptions of their deliverables and a failure to track the contractors' progress toward their obligations.
I'm not pulling these ideas out of thin air. Some are rooted in the harm reduction ideology that is now drug policy throughout Oregon. Others come from Mr. Dahlgren's earlier posts. The paragaph about the homeless center is based on items published in the local news.
Unfortunately you are correct. An entire culture of inventing rights that don't and should never exist, such as a "right" to housing, and as you correctly stated the failed policy of "housing first" has created this homeless industrial complex, and the way it has been established allows many to claim they are providing solutions, when in fact they are feeding the problem.
I don't know if it's the case that housing first doesn't work, and I don't think this post disproves that in any way. I think it's correct to point out the absurdity of not trying to identify people to confirm that they've received services and have homes they can go to, and I also agree that it's weird that we invent all these rights out of nowhere. But all that can be true and still be the case that getting homeless people into homes is the way to solve the problem.
Great article Kevin. I hope the powers that be are listening and keeping up on your articles and video journalism on Instagram. Somehow, this is something I never knew about, but it does not surprise me either. This is why caseworkers are needed to provide supervision and to monitor the lives of longtime drug addicts. But try getting a caseworker to do this, it's not easy. I've gotten two people set up with caseworkers, including my second husband, so that there would be people to oversee their lives, make sure they pay their rent, etc, but after six months, they drop the people who need them. It's impossible sometimes, to make a difference in peoples lives who just need that extra bit of help and supervision. When you consider that there is no accountability and the wasted resources, it is reprehensible to me that homeless social service agencies don't do better...
Perhaps the Trump administration may take more interest in curbing this sort of waste and mismanagement than Oregon's governor and attorney general. On the other hand, Trump's follow-through is not the best.
Thank you Kevin for bringing this to the publics attention. I emailed the new Portland City Mayor so he can see the insanity of this system (if he's not already aware). He claims that he is friends with JVP even though his plan is to stop handing out tents and tarps and she turned around and continued doing so through the NGO's. The first order of business (after of course getting the people back to the office downtown) would to be audit all these NGO's that are making a fortune off the Homeless Industrial Complex.
Rings true. That is exactly what is happening. Have you had any meetings with someone who can affect change and get the "industry" accountable, on track with date or does the "industry" do everything they can to stay opaque as the good people who work and keep homes in Portland stand by with compassion and hope that a true leader can navigate this mess, clean it up and make Portland safe and clean again? What about you? You have the interest, the unflagging concern - what is your direction with all this?
This is one of Kevin's viral videos 8.1 million views and counting…."Go to Blanchet, get high". If you haven't seen this you should watch it. It's worth a re-watch too.
I would be interested to know what the capacity is to house people in the Oregon State Hospital, an why it seems that the state, and NGO's insist on setting up outdoor camps, tent cities, RV parks, and little tiny glorified garden shed housing complexes instead of congregate housing that would share services, and create an actual social accountability way for people to get the help they need.
In a better sort of world, a voter-taxpayer could pose this question to his or her representatives at the city, county and state level and expect that at least one of them would provide a useful reply.
My cynical answer is that ideology dictates how government, the nonprofits and activists respond to the crisis in homelessness. The basic ideological premise is that the homeless, like addicts, are traumatized victims. For that reason, they must never be expected to do anything do not want to do, as that would re-traumatize them. Also, even though it appears that they've hit rock bottom, the houseless possess autonomy that must be respected. That's another reason for crafting solutions that don't impose expectations on the homeless. We must trust that they will know whether and when to accept services, etc. This explains why some activists treat "sweeps" of high-risk homeless encampments as if they were crimes against humanity. (Far from being the sort of violent raids that the term "sweeps" implies, city-run clearances provide those those affected with reasonable prior notice (assuming they have their wits about them) and with assistance before, during and after the removals.)
Several years ago, when the Mayor wanted to create one or more larger homeless centers that would be closer to essential services, many homeless activists denounced the proposal. Specifically, they opposed allowing the city to "force" the homeless to move. Secondly, they attacked the centers as "concentration camps." Of course, they had to cast aspersions on Portland's business community, suggesting that it was all just an attempt to get the homeless out of sight. Well, the activists were right about that last part, but they have a way of turning the victims of unchecked homelessness such as businesses and residents into perpetrators just for wanting clean and safe streets and neighborhoods.
The Multnomah County Chair, Jessica Vega Pederson, is one of the greatest obstacles to reform along the lines you suggest. She has an iron grip on the County Commission agenda. Nothing comes before the Commission without her approval. For years, she has promoted an unworkable "housing-first" homeless policy that leaves the homeless on the streets while housing construction proceeds at a glacial pace. As Mr. Dahlgren has reported here previously, when the homeless are housed it is on a no-strings-attached basis. They are under no obligation to use the services that taxpayers are providing at considerable expense. Activists have a history of disparaging shelters for allegedly being unsafe, and the press parrots those claims uncritically. Pederson's critics on the County Commission say that the County's record of managing nonprofit contractors is abysmally bad. Problems include vague descriptions of their deliverables and a failure to track the contractors' progress toward their obligations.
I'm not pulling these ideas out of thin air. Some are rooted in the harm reduction ideology that is now drug policy throughout Oregon. Others come from Mr. Dahlgren's earlier posts. The paragaph about the homeless center is based on items published in the local news.
It's a huge mess.
Unfortunately you are correct. An entire culture of inventing rights that don't and should never exist, such as a "right" to housing, and as you correctly stated the failed policy of "housing first" has created this homeless industrial complex, and the way it has been established allows many to claim they are providing solutions, when in fact they are feeding the problem.
I don't know if it's the case that housing first doesn't work, and I don't think this post disproves that in any way. I think it's correct to point out the absurdity of not trying to identify people to confirm that they've received services and have homes they can go to, and I also agree that it's weird that we invent all these rights out of nowhere. But all that can be true and still be the case that getting homeless people into homes is the way to solve the problem.
Idk for sure, but I don’t think anyone wants to stay in a state hospital.
Homeless, Inc: when a system profits from the problem, fixing it becomes a conflict of interest.
Great piece, Kevin. The truth is tough.
Kevin,
Is DA Schmidt still after you on his witch hunt? Can't wait until Nathan Vasquez takes over 1/1/2025. Stay strong mi amigo. https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/04/kevin-dahlgren-homelessness-service-provider-theft-misconduct-charges/
Great article Kevin. I hope the powers that be are listening and keeping up on your articles and video journalism on Instagram. Somehow, this is something I never knew about, but it does not surprise me either. This is why caseworkers are needed to provide supervision and to monitor the lives of longtime drug addicts. But try getting a caseworker to do this, it's not easy. I've gotten two people set up with caseworkers, including my second husband, so that there would be people to oversee their lives, make sure they pay their rent, etc, but after six months, they drop the people who need them. It's impossible sometimes, to make a difference in peoples lives who just need that extra bit of help and supervision. When you consider that there is no accountability and the wasted resources, it is reprehensible to me that homeless social service agencies don't do better...
Perhaps the Trump administration may take more interest in curbing this sort of waste and mismanagement than Oregon's governor and attorney general. On the other hand, Trump's follow-through is not the best.
Thank you Kevin for bringing this to the publics attention. I emailed the new Portland City Mayor so he can see the insanity of this system (if he's not already aware). He claims that he is friends with JVP even though his plan is to stop handing out tents and tarps and she turned around and continued doing so through the NGO's. The first order of business (after of course getting the people back to the office downtown) would to be audit all these NGO's that are making a fortune off the Homeless Industrial Complex.
Rings true. That is exactly what is happening. Have you had any meetings with someone who can affect change and get the "industry" accountable, on track with date or does the "industry" do everything they can to stay opaque as the good people who work and keep homes in Portland stand by with compassion and hope that a true leader can navigate this mess, clean it up and make Portland safe and clean again? What about you? You have the interest, the unflagging concern - what is your direction with all this?
This is one of Kevin's viral videos 8.1 million views and counting…."Go to Blanchet, get high". If you haven't seen this you should watch it. It's worth a re-watch too.
https://twitter.com/kevinvdahlgren/status/1609300954112987137