Homeless people of Portland’s Multnomah County die at a rate higher than “any major West Coast county with available mortality data.” Could it be the sweep-heavy tactics that dismantle encampments and displace residents that puts them in harm’s way? For this piece at ProPublica published in partnership with Street Roots, reporter K. Rambo set out to learn more.
“All solutions to homeless deaths begin and end with housing — with safe, stable and affordable housing,” Fowle said, adding that supportive services sometimes need to accompany that housing. “It’s an absolutely necessary condition to reduce homeless deaths.”
More picks about those who are unhoused
Her Job is to Remove Homeless People from SF’s Parks. Her Methods are Extraordinary
“To watch park ranger Amanda Barrows is to be faced with a disturbing question: If this is what it takes to help one unhoused person, how can we manage thousands?”
Theo Henderson’s Podcast Influences L.A. City Policy. For 7 Years, He’s Lived Mostly in the Park.
“There are 60,000 unhoused people in L.A. County — (Theo) Henderson prefers ‘unhoused’ because he says ‘homeless’ has become a slur — as many as 40,000 of whom are considered, like him, to be ‘unsheltered,’ living outside the shelter system in tents, informal communities, and camps.”
What Harm Reduction Really Looks Like
“Harm reduction advocates are implementing solidarity-based strategies for curbing drug overdoses in Minneapolis.”
