3 ms·

This is because Portland's homeless (like SF and Seattle), are not like Houston or NYCs homeless. They are much happier being homeless than housed, on meth inst

This is because Portland's homeless (like SF and Seattle), are not like Houston or NYCs homeless. They are much happier being homeless than housed, on meth instead of opiates (like the rest of the US), and generally reject the system and have no interest in being a part of it. Baltimore was just able to significantly reduce their homeless population by giving them housing. Portland needs the Portuguese "rehab or jail" mentality. What they're doing now is NOT working.

silverwasthere 4y ago
Rehab and jail won't teach them to pay bills and prepare dinner, will it? There's a basic nurturing element missing in all this.
- simfree 4y ago
  Rehab is nurturimg, moving those afflicted with substance use disorder into inpatient treatment for a month or two, then onto a sober house (with government subsidy for 3 to 5 months) with outpatient treatment during that time. Everett, WA has good inpatient treatment services like what I describe available to everyone. King County (containing Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, etc) & Pierce County (Tacoma, etc) have no equivalent, just terrible programs like Seadrunnar.
  - silverwasthere 4y ago
    Thanks for sharing this.
  - pstuart 4y ago
    Rehab only works for those willing to do the work. For those that cannot or are unwilling, they should be offered the choice of jail or a work camp (keep on abusing but you're spending 4 hours a day picking up garbage). We need to have compassion but it doesn't mean these people get a free pass to literally trash our commons and steal to sustain their habits.
    - eurasiantiger 4y ago
      It would be a good idea to stop the prohibition. It’s a lie to say ”we need to have compassion” when we are actively suppressing the same people with state-sanctioned violence just for trying to exist in a profoundly anti-human corposcape.
    - silverwasthere 4y ago
      Wouldn't that make for a great incentive to make a chemically dependant slave class? If the fines are less than the profits it's be great business. Many star trek episodes were written about this.
- ROTMetro 4y ago
  Most rehab places hire people who have gone through the experience and been homeless to teach and support just these sorts of things. Many places make people take turns cooking/serving/cleaning so they learn those skills. I feel like you are discrediting some amazing people who are barely out of homelessness themselves, who make minimum income, and are already treated very poorly by the clients they try so hard to help. There are some amazing people that truly do care. It's not all soulless. And this is from someone who forcibly went through and hates most of the system.
giraffe_lady 4y ago
> They are much happier being homeless than housed Having been chronically homeless and still having strong ties to the community in my area, big fucking citation needed boss. People don't generally like to be homeless or want to be. If they're choosing it over the options you're offering them, that's a good opportunity for some serious introspection about what exactly you're offering, and on what terms.
- simfree 4y ago
  Unstable shelter based housing can be godawful. People need housing that lets them work (even if they are evening or night shift), store their possessions safely, have privacy, dignity and separation to prevent the spread of colds and such. Seattle and Portland don't offer much shelter like this, the Union Gospel Mission is a hot mess and so are many of the other shelters.
  - trynewideas 4y ago
    The capacity in Portland isn't there regardless of quality: 615 shelter units available for adults at 98.7% daily utilization, up from 84.8% in August and 90.1% in October.[1] 1: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/johs/viz/ShelterUtilizationReport/Report https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/johs/viz/ShelterUtili...
trynewideas 4y ago
One-third of those swept accepted offers of shelter. Half of those couldn't find a path to even temporary housing. Without even considering the point of jailing or rehabbing 1,100 homeless people in a city that has neither the jail nor rehab capacity for its housed population,[1] the city is failing to help even the half of the fraction of homeless people who want and accept help. 1: https://www.mailtribune.com/top-stories/2022/01/29/oregon-is-no-2-in-nation-for-addiction-last-on-access-to-treatment/ https://www.mailtribune.com/top-stories/2022/01/29/oregon-is...
- throwayyy479087 4y ago
  1/3rd is pathetic. That means that 2/3rd prefer the way they live now over reintegration.
  - jkestner 4y ago
    Maybe because they’ve already had the other third’s experience. Or do you think it’s a moral failure on their part?
    - bagacrap 4y ago
      I think at the very least it casts doubt on the validity of classifying their situation as "homelessness", which strongly suggests that all they require to be ok again is shelter.
  - sudosysgen 4y ago
    There is widespread violence and sexual abuse in homeless shelters. They may be acting on past or shared experience.
    - bagacrap 4y ago
      more importantly, you're not allowed to use your drugs in the shelters
      - 4y ago
ddtaylor 4y ago
The most abused substance in Portland is fentanyl. Absolutely no comparison by volume. They are referred to as "blues" and readily available for $0.50 a pill

silverwasthere 4y ago

Rehab and jail won't teach them to pay bills and prepare dinner, will it? There's a basic nurturing element missing in all this.

simfree 4y ago
Rehab is nurturimg, moving those afflicted with substance use disorder into inpatient treatment for a month or two, then onto a sober house (with government subsidy for 3 to 5 months) with outpatient treatment during that time. Everett, WA has good inpatient treatment services like what I describe available to everyone. King County (containing Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, etc) & Pierce County (Tacoma, etc) have no equivalent, just terrible programs like Seadrunnar.
- silverwasthere 4y ago
  Thanks for sharing this.
- pstuart 4y ago
  Rehab only works for those willing to do the work. For those that cannot or are unwilling, they should be offered the choice of jail or a work camp (keep on abusing but you're spending 4 hours a day picking up garbage). We need to have compassion but it doesn't mean these people get a free pass to literally trash our commons and steal to sustain their habits.
  - eurasiantiger 4y ago
    It would be a good idea to stop the prohibition. It’s a lie to say ”we need to have compassion” when we are actively suppressing the same people with state-sanctioned violence just for trying to exist in a profoundly anti-human corposcape.
  - silverwasthere 4y ago
    Wouldn't that make for a great incentive to make a chemically dependant slave class? If the fines are less than the profits it's be great business. Many star trek episodes were written about this.
ROTMetro 4y ago
Most rehab places hire people who have gone through the experience and been homeless to teach and support just these sorts of things. Many places make people take turns cooking/serving/cleaning so they learn those skills. I feel like you are discrediting some amazing people who are barely out of homelessness themselves, who make minimum income, and are already treated very poorly by the clients they try so hard to help. There are some amazing people that truly do care. It's not all soulless. And this is from someone who forcibly went through and hates most of the system.

giraffe_lady 4y ago

> They are much happier being homeless than housed Having been chronically homeless and still having strong ties to the community in my area, big fucking citation needed boss. People don't generally like to be homeless or want to be. If they're choosing it over the options you're offering them, that's a good opportunity for some serious introspection about what exactly you're offering, and on what terms.

simfree 4y ago
Unstable shelter based housing can be godawful. People need housing that lets them work (even if they are evening or night shift), store their possessions safely, have privacy, dignity and separation to prevent the spread of colds and such. Seattle and Portland don't offer much shelter like this, the Union Gospel Mission is a hot mess and so are many of the other shelters.
- trynewideas 4y ago
  The capacity in Portland isn't there regardless of quality: 615 shelter units available for adults at 98.7% daily utilization, up from 84.8% in August and 90.1% in October.[1] 1: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/johs/viz/ShelterUtilizationReport/Report https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/johs/viz/ShelterUtili...

trynewideas 4y ago

One-third of those swept accepted offers of shelter. Half of those couldn't find a path to even temporary housing. Without even considering the point of jailing or rehabbing 1,100 homeless people in a city that has neither the jail nor rehab capacity for its housed population,[1] the city is failing to help even the half of the fraction of homeless people who want and accept help. 1: https://www.mailtribune.com/top-stories/2022/01/29/oregon-is-no-2-in-nation-for-addiction-last-on-access-to-treatment/ https://www.mailtribune.com/top-stories/2022/01/29/oregon-is...

throwayyy479087 4y ago
1/3rd is pathetic. That means that 2/3rd prefer the way they live now over reintegration.
- jkestner 4y ago
  Maybe because they’ve already had the other third’s experience. Or do you think it’s a moral failure on their part?
  - bagacrap 4y ago
    I think at the very least it casts doubt on the validity of classifying their situation as "homelessness", which strongly suggests that all they require to be ok again is shelter.
- sudosysgen 4y ago
  There is widespread violence and sexual abuse in homeless shelters. They may be acting on past or shared experience.
  - bagacrap 4y ago
    more importantly, you're not allowed to use your drugs in the shelters
    - 4y ago

ddtaylor 4y ago

The most abused substance in Portland is fentanyl. Absolutely no comparison by volume. They are referred to as "blues" and readily available for $0.50 a pill