Housing advocates and two City Council members rallied in front of Portland City Hall starting at noon on Wednesday to demand that the city focus on housing homeless people instead of creating large, new shelters.
The Welcome Home Coalition, a key organizer behind the Metro homeless services tax that voters approved in 2020, will present a petition with more than 2,000 signatures asking the City Council to “stop funding mass shelter expansion and the harmful sweeps of tents and RVs … and put funding towards long-term housing solutions.”
A few dozen people attended the rally, including Eli Johnson, owner of Portland-based Atlas Pizza, who was one of the featured speakers…