Proposal for massive Portland homeless shelter is half-baked at best In June, I wrote about a new proposal by developers Homer Williams and Dike Dame. The original idea was a $100 million plan to build space for 700 new shelter beds and create 700 beds in ...
11 Aug 2016 - Israel Bayer
A $258 million city bond will provide housing for thousands of people With the endorsement of the City Council, Portland will see a $258 million affordable housing bond on the ballot in November. It’s a historic moment. The campaign is called Yes for Affo ...
30 Jun 2016 - Israel Bayer
The narrative in some circles that the business community is against the homeless is false Street Roots was honored to receive the Portland Pearl Rotary Club’s Community Vision Award last week. Speaking to a room full of business representatives and Pearl ...
16 Jun 2016 - Israel Bayer
Community is limited by debating why things can’t be achieved instead of how they can I have witnessed people suffering on the streets every day — all day, year after year, for the past 15 years. They are traumatized. I am traumatized. People tell me on ...
26 May 2016 - Israel Bayer
There's no good reason a minor business tax hike should stir controversy Each of the proposed budgets by Multnomah County and Portland invests heavily in housing and homeless services, pledging more than $50 million in additional support toward the h ...
5 May 2016 - Israel Bayer
The progress in Multnomah County and Portland is great. But it's not enough. People ask me if the homeless and housing emergency in Multnomah County is working. The short answer is, yes. The long answer is, we’ve got a long way to go. The most visib ...
2 Apr 2016 - Israel Bayer
Lifting Oregon's ban on inclusionary zoning is key to finding a solution Inclusionary zoning. You’ve heard about it, but what exactly is it? And why is it so important in addressing our current housing crisis in Oregon? Inclusionary zoning links the ...
21 Jan 2016 - Israel Bayer
We know we can be successful given the right resources and tools Someone asked me this week: Is the homeless and housing crisis really something that should be declared a state of emergency, or was it just politics? I don’t know. You tell me. Is having th ...
8 Oct 2015 - Israel Bayer
The new investment will go to support "A Home For Everyone," a community partnership to end homelessness Mayor Charlie Hales and Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury announced this morning a $30 million city and county commitment to support ne ...
30 Sep 2015 - Israel Bayer
In the middle of the housing debate, we find both a bustling city and a city filled with human suffering People experiencing homelessness having sex in a doorway in downtown Portland. A camp full of bicycle parts. A group of people getting high or shootin ...
27 Aug 2015 - Israel Bayer