Portland City Councilors have spent the past 11 months allowing Mayor Keith Wilson to roll out his solutions to the city’s homeless crisis without criticism or impediment. But just days after Wilson’s self-imposed Dec. 1 deadline to end unsheltered homelessness, several councilors are calling for a change of course.
“Right now in this moment, our responsibility is simple: stop people from falling into homelessness,” said Councilor Candace Avalos at a Wednesday rally outside of Portland City Hall. “I believe we can choose a future where housing is a human right, not something you earn by surviving impossible odds.”
Avalos represents East Portland’s District 1 along with Councilors Jamie Dunphy and Loretta Smith. The three councilors introduced a proposal Wednesday to redirect $21 million in recently-identified, unspent city housing dollars toward programs that keep people from becoming homeless…