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June 28th, 2024

This week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the constitution no longer protects unhoused people from sweeps, even when there is truly nowhere else to go. Though we’re horrified, we are not surprised

This is the latest in a wave of spiteful and misinformed sentiment parroted at every level of government — a sentiment that disregards data, ignores humanity, and does not even pretend to seek real solutions. We’re no strangers to this in Oregon. Look no further than the unwinding of Measure 110, Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez’s recent camping ban proposal, or the fact that this Supreme Court case originates in Grant’s Pass for a reminder of where we stand at the state and local level. These policies are proposed under the guise of “ending homelessness”, but we know their true goal: to make houseless people invisible.

Further marginalizing people is never the answer. By making it harder for folks living outside to survive, all we’re doing is deepening cycles of homelessness. Elected officials, the local news, and people on social media ramble endlessly on how  the crisis of houselessness is complicated and multifaceted. They talk about substance use and mental health, policing and county budgets with the subtext that these issues are too “complicated” to get to the root of. This is a lie. Our friends at the Welcome Home Coalition put it beautifully: “An individual’s story of homelessness may be informed by experiences of substance abuse, mental health, or disability, but lack of accessible housing is the cause of homelessness.

In a recent book titled “Homelessness is a Housing Problem,” authors Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern argue that the issue with our nationwide response to homelessness is largely a problem of scale. Service providers across our community are demonstrating real successful fixes, but are facing significant barriers of political will, public perception, and resource allocation. Look no further than Rahab’s Sisters for an example. Despite exceeding our eviction prevention and housing placement goals this year, we’ve found our public funding slashed by over 50%. As it’s been for our entire 20 year history, Rahab’s Sisters cannot rely on the government to enable our work. We, like so many other incredible service providers in Portland, can only exist thanks to the support of donors and volunteers. 

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision does not change our work nor does it break our focus. A tiny sliver of hope to glean on what is otherwise a very dark day in our collective history is that we as individuals do have power to affect change. Whether through volunteering, educating friends and neighbors, financially supporting organizations, and more, we each can have an impact.