Portland’s Harbor View Park is now scary, filthy and inaccessible to the taxpayers.
Dani Laliberte interviews a woman in her tent at a homeless encampment along Portland’s Fore River Parkway Trail. Laliberte is an outreach worker and team lead for Opportunity Alliance’s PATH team, which provides support to homeless people in Cumberland and York counties. It’s also part of Portland’s Encampment Crisis Response Team, a new approach from the city and community groups to reduce the number of people sleeping outside. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
“Two months into the team’s work, only three people have been placed in shelters or housing,” according to a recent Press Herald story about Portland’s new Encampment Crisis Response Team (“Instead of sweeping homeless encampments, Portland is trying a new housing-focused approach,” Aug. 7).
While the ideal of the “housing first” model is lovely, the city asserts it’s a success measured in inches – it needs more time. How much time, as residents avoid city parks? How many dogs or children have to step on an uncapped needle?
My wife has suffered repeated exposure to public urinating, defecation and verbal harassment at Harbor View. I recently called the police about screaming, caterwauling and “effing” the world, and called again later in the week – I didn’t feel safe leaving my house – somebody was standing on our corner screaming.
Portland’s “housing first” results so far shout inadequate response, failure – time to switch gears or add in another layer.
I suggest sanctioned camping be permitted in only one city-designated area, with water, toilets and dumpsters. If it’s good enough for Portland, Oregon, it’s good enough for Portland, Maine: “Portland’s first sanctioned mass homeless camp expected to open this summer in Central Eastside,” Portland (Ore.) Mercury, March 9.
Getting folks in one place, they can be known and have their problems identified. Supervision and care can be delivered to one location. And taxpayers will thank the city for fixing our public parks problem.
David Smith
Portland
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