Statement on Resolution 901 to Ban Unsanctioned Public Camping
As nonprofits that serve or advocate for LGBTQ+ people experiencing houselessness, Basic Rights Oregon, Cascade AIDS Project, the PDX Trans Housing Coalition, and Pride Northwest oppose Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Ryan’s proposal to ban unsanctioned public camping and force people living outdoors to move to mass shelters (Resolution 901).
This proposal is, first of all, not realistic. Securing locations for the shelters it envisions would be difficult, if not impossible. Operating them would be prohibitively expensive, and the proposal does not identify any funding sources.
Even if the mayor and Commissioner Ryan’s proposal were realistic, it would be ineffective and harmful. Displacing people living outdoors; forcing them into one-size-fits-all mass shelters; and arresting those who cannot or will not comply would not help unhoused people achieve stability, and would in fact destabilize many, prolonging Portland's houselessness crisis.
Mass shelters are especially inappropriate for populations with specific needs, such as transgender, non-binary, and other LGBTQ+ people experiencing houselessness. We know that this population faces marginalization, harassment, and even violence in such environments. We are disappointed that City Council’s only LGBTQ+ member, Commissioner Ryan, would make a proposal putting members of our community in harm’s way.
We urge Commissioners Rubio, Hardesty, and Mapps to vote no on Resolution 901.
Cascade AIDS Project
About Cascade AIDS Project
CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.