My morning as mayor of Portland, Ore., began with the discovery of bones in the remnants of a burnt homeless encampment. The police told me they had not yet established how long her body had remained undiscovered. The investigation into whether her death was a tragedy or a crime will take time.
Her death was likely a lonely one, one of hundreds of unsheltered deaths that now plague Portland. Before running for mayor, I’d spent years on a self-funded quest across America to understand the homelessness crisis, learn from other cities and leaders who had turned the tide against the growing crisis, and bring those ideas and action to a Portland I no longer recognized. I came away with a powerful realization: unsheltered homelessness is a solvable crisis, but only if we work together.
Since my election, I spend much of my days convincing government, private, and nonprofit leaders of their crucial role. Too often, our homeless meet closed doors in their moments of greatest need. Hospitals struggle to treat those whose needs far exceed their ability to provide care. Business owners struggle to serve those who disrupt their livelihood. We have too few behavioral health and substance treatment beds. Neighborhoods don’t want to see tents, trash, or derelict RVs, police are reluctant to arrest those who will return within hours, and prosecutors hesitate to prosecute those for whom the justice system has become a revolving door with few good outcomes. Counties and cities argue about jurisdiction and funding, and state and federal authorities argue much the same. Most agree on just one thing: someone should do something, but it should be someone else…