Response to Mayor Wilson’s Shelter Enforcement Plan

Last week Portland Mayor Keith Wilson announced that the city will resume enforcement of the public camping ordinance starting November 1st. This is yet another attempt by the city to imply that homelessness is resulting in a public safety crisis, when in fact, our unhoused neighbors are extremely vulnerable and at high risk of experiencing violence and trauma at the hands of the housed community.

This is a concerning development in the criminalization of homelessness in our city. While the expansion of resources for our unhoused neighbors is crucial, the enforcement of the camping ban does not address the root causes of homelessness and often worsens the crisis.

Posted notice warning of a sweep to occur.

Mere shelter is not enough.

38 shelter beds in a Salvation Army shelter

While shelter is not a solution to homelessness, it does provide a temporary and intermediate space for folks to rest and transition to more permanent housing options. While we know that accessible, low-barrier, trauma-informed shelters along with wrap-around services provide the most effective shelters, “available shelter” does not mean viable shelter. Often, shelters perpetuate or worsen already dire circumstances. Many people avoid shelters due to unsafe conditions, strict rules, or separation from community, partners, pets, and belongings.  

As a community, we have invested considerable financial resources on shelter beds, without adequately investing in the additional resources needed to support folks in their transition from shelter to housing. Portland doesn’t need more shelter beds. What we need is to address the lack of safe and deeply affordable housing options and the resources to support people to remain safely housed.

A punitive approach to homelessness

In anticipating the reality that people will in effect be “forced into shelter”, we can anticipate a future in which people are even more at risk of being cited, fined, or jailed due to lack of options. Penalizing and targeting homelessness without actually investing in the critical infrastructure necessary to prevent people from ending up on the streets is negligent. Enforcement of camping bans disproportionately targets people already in crisis. Under the guise of “public safety”, the city will merely displace people while increasing barriers to housing and employment.

Mayor Wilson himself says: “We cannot arrest our way out of homelessness”

Real solutions to homelessness require investing in deeply affordable housing, eviction prevention, mental health support, and policies that uphold the dignity and self-determination of people experiencing homelessness. Without this commitment, we are simply perpetuating the cycle of homelessness - a costly and ineffective approach for everyone. We ask that the Mayor, County Commissioners, and City Councilors come to the community’s table and be willing to not only listen but to co-create solutions that have been proven to work and are sustainable. 

Thank you for being a part of the Sisters community. Together with you, we believe in the real possibility that we can end homelessness in our city. 

In Solidarity,
Sisters of the Road