Amidst the continuing struggle with homelessness in Portland, the City’s Street Services Coordination Center (SSCC) shared insights into their efforts to support the homeless population and address related concerns over the past week. Focused on collecting waste, assessing and removing hazardous encampments, offering shelter referrals and more, the SSCC represents a coalition of city services working to mitigate the impact of homelessness with a degree of compassion.
The latest report, published by the City of Portland, outlined their actions between December 15 and 21. Key figures from last week’s outreach include the provision of shelter referrals to 49 individuals in need, with 16 accepting the referral and 13 staying at least one night in the provided shelters. Since April 2022, a total of 8,833 shelter referrals have been made, and 2,745 people have used a shelter bed, according to the SSCC report.
The Impact Reduction Program, an integral part of the SSCC, is tasked with the assessment of camp sites reported by community members. Last week saw them receive 1,749 new reports, with 712 concerning individuals living in vehicles. Within that period, approximately 666 camp sites received assessment for health and safety concerns, resulting in the cleanup of biohazardous materials and garbage collection. Moreover, 418 active campsites were visited by the team to engage with the residents and provide direct resource referrals when possible…