When running for mayor, Keith Wilson gave the public an easy yardstick by which they could measure his first year in office. By Dec. 1, he said, he would add 1,500 overnight beds as a pivotal part of his strategy to end unsheltered homelessness.
Neither funding crunches nor skepticism dissuaded Wilson from pursuing this singular focus. And he has largely met the goal, as The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Lillian Mongeau Hughes reported. While his achievement comes with an asterisk – several hundred are not yet open or are “flex beds” to be set up when needed – give Wilson his due. He made a bold promise and kept it.
To be sure, no one should mistake this for a “mission accomplished” moment. As Mongeau Hughes reported, unsheltered homelessness has only increased. The lack of sufficient day centers means people are back out in the cold when overnight shelters close at 6 a.m. Employees and neighbors have reported problems at and around some of the locations. And the addition of emergency beds does nothing to change the overarching dynamic of an unaffordable housing market and a shortage of options, especially for families…