City and Country struggle to address Homelessness Crisis
"Living in Portland, Oregon’s biggest city, does not prove to be so accessible for many people in this state. Incomes do not seem to be rising despite the costs of rent."
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There have been multiple million-dollar packages passed in the court system to combat the homelessness crisis in Portland, yet no real progress has been made. Multnomah County has dealt with several issues throughout the years, including the ongoing homelessness crisis. Although there’s been some progress with funding and sponsorship in money for the ongoing homelessness crisis, there have been many obstacles. And it looks like the intervention has also slowed down. According to some reports of a budget oversight committee for the Office of Homeless Services in Multnomah County, the city hasn’t been getting the help needed from county officials.
Despite the help that the committee and proposal have gotten from the taxes of high-income earners, the county has repeatedly emphasized that these methods are still not enough to solve the problem.
Many can ascertain the issue of homelessness has not been addressed well here as one County commissioner, Sharon Meieran supported. Homelessness and crime have been the popular issues used by election candidates to debate and establish talking points.
“There is still no master plan that has shown real results of solving this crisis,” Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran stated.
Meieran also stated that while someone has been assigned to take charge, they need to be more cohesive and united to create a plan in the first place. There is no coordination apparent between the committee overseeing the county and the city. There are many issues of funding and where to put that huge amount of money towards a cause. For example, last year, Mayor Wheeler’s idea to address homelessness was snubbed by Board commissioners in a county funding vote. Even as solutions are proposed, the movement to bring those solutions to real life doesn’t come easily.
Despite all the solutions proposed, there are still many causes that have found the uprooting of people’s lives inevitable. Low rent continues to be the cause of homelessness and the prospects are bleak. Living in Portland, Oregon’s biggest city, does not prove to be so accessible for many people in this state. Incomes do not seem to be rising despite the costs of rent. The minimum wage continues to be a contentious issue since, despite increases, it does not always correspond to a living wage. There is just not enough affordable housing to meet the rising demand, especially when there is not sufficient housing.
When addressing all the solutions that have not worked, some solutions have offered some refuge beyond the difficulties. There is supportive permanent housing which is one of the ways that Oregon is combating the homelessness crisis. This method fuses housing with any support services one can find resources to stay housed. These all range from job training programs to onsite substance abuse treatment to child care.