Bold. That’s the word we would use to describe Multnomah County right now.
Multnomah County Chair Marissa Madrigal and the County Commissioners are going big. A new $1.4 million mental health program to prevent people experiencing mental health problems from being warehoused in our county jails is just the start. Increased support for housing, backfilling a recession-torn budget, and getting out front on after-school programs is all a part of the proposed budget package this year. We like it.
The idea of putting people first is an important step to balancing a community on the brink of being overrun with high housing costs and a lack of blue-collar jobs in the region.
It’s no secret that Portland and Multnomah County are changing, in many cases for the better. It’s also a cold hard fact that common Portlanders continue to struggle.
Today, a minimum-wage worker would have to work 71 hours per week in Multnomah County to earn enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment. That’s not counting basic health care, food and utilities. If our elected leaders aren’t seriously considering a $15-an-hour minimum wage, they should be. When we prioritize people, the rest will follow.
We commend Mayor Charlie Hales for prioritizing additional money for housing and homeless services, but it’s simply not enough. At times, the direction the city appears to be going baffles us. The bike share program may be a good idea, but is it really what Portland needs right now? We're going to find out. Should Portland families, already battling a rising cost of living, be saddled with a new monthly tax for transportation projects? Meanwhile, people of color and other hard-working Portlanders have begged for years for significant, ongoing investments for affordable housing, only to see the issue languish by neglect, here and in Salem. Hard questions still need to be asked and answered.
There’s no question that Portland is on the rebound. New companies are moving to town, the tourism industry is booming and in the next few years we’re going to see a lot more cranes in the sky.
What we need now more than ever is people power. We’re talking about economic development to support working people and housing prices that supports those individuals and families living in our neighborhoods, attending our schools, and creating the diverse community we all deserve. Business as usual doesn’t get us there. It doesn’t cut it. It simply doesn’t live up to the dreams we collectively share and work toward as a community.
We commend our elected leaders for a job well done, but ask them to carefully think about how all of our moving parts get us to a place where people of all colors can thrive; where we don’t see thousands of people sleeping on our streets; where both our elders and the young can co-exist; where young families can afford to live and play; where we are proud to be trailblazers on issues that matter. That’s a Portland we can all work towards — a Portland that works.