@ISIDEWITHQuestionsHousing IssuesStarted 3yrs agoActive 3 days ago

Should homeless individuals, that have refused available shelter or housing, be allowed to sleep or encamp on public property?

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 198 4870 voters.

46%
Yes
54%
No
33%
Yes
53%
No
13%
Yes, and create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine
1%
No, and make it a criminal offense

Historical Support

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from 4870 voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @932FW2Manswered…3yrs3Y

Yes, and we should look at why they have refused available shelter i.e. maybe they have had bad experiences before

 @B39L9NLanswered…6 days6D

i think they should be highly encoraged, but if they seriously dont choose to tell them you cant sleep on public property make that clear first!

 @B39HN54answered…6 days6D

If they consistently refuse it, they should not be allowed to, as it is their own fault for refusing aid

 @B39BYMTanswered…6 days6D

Unless they have a good reason i.e bad shelter and housing conditions, they shouldn't be allowed to encamp.

 @B38YCYRanswered…7 days7D

We all deserve the right to shelter and life’s basic needs. Look at the reasons why and work with the person to gain access to accommodation

 @B38WB2Ranswered…7 days7D

Find out the reason they refused and offer appropriate assistance.There is a lot of ableism among housing staff. Maybe what they were offered was not accessible or safe.

 @B35DK7Ganswered…2wks2W

We’ve paid people to run our country and come up with solutions. The owner should not be on the homeless person but on the team of country managers.

 @B327Z83answered…2wks2W

No, however we should create programs to help them more and try to find the problem on why they have refused the available shelter so we can improve it.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…5mos5MO

Drug Crisis Prompts Portland to Reboot City Government

In a sign of either hope or desperation, Portland voters decided to throw out their entire government structure and replace it with a weaker mayor, expanded City Council and ranked choice voting.A major driving factor was the passage of “Measure 110” decriminalizing all drugs in 2020, which was backed by 74 percent of Multnomah County’s residents. Voters couldn’t — or at least didn’t — anticipate how this policy change would reshape a city already strapped for money, dealing with a public health crisis and confronting rising rates of homelessness and fentanyl abuse.Drug use shot up, homelessness worsened and taxpayers fled.“Political rhetoric in 2020-2021 in the City of Portland was incredibly ideologically driven,” Gonzalez said, explaining that there was a “default conversation” on topics like homelessness or police reform that shut down an exchange of ideas.The City Council race, meanwhile, is mayhem. Portland is switching from four at-large seats to twelve seats representing four districts. The dozens of candidates include Black Lives Matter leaders, nonprofit advocates, business owners and police officers.There are 19 people running for mayor and 98 people seeking seats on the City Council. They’re nearly all campaigning on left-of-center platforms — this is Portland.Pandemic closures, protests, elevated crime rates and rising homelessness buffeted many liberal cities in recent years, including San Francisco and Minneapolis. But policy choices made by the city and state aggravated their impact in Portland.The ramifications are measurable: Nearly 12,000 people moved out of Multnomah County between 2020 and 2023, per data from Portland State University. The exodus between 2020 and 2021 alone took nearly $1.1 billion in taxable income out of the city, according to data analyzed by the Economic Innovation Group. Portland’s once bustling downtown is nearly empty, and a negative national reputation clouds its economic future.Drug decriminalization and the city’s open camping rules compounded the feeling of insecurity. Homeless encampments spread through empty public spaces and filled sidewalks during the lockdown, and some became epicenters for the fentanyl trade. Even Portlanders who voted for decriminalization and believe in a compassionate approach to homelessness didn’t feel as safe in their own neighborhoods.

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