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01-06-2023, 08:45 AM
By CLAIRE RUSH
45 minutes ago
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a deepening yearslong homelessness crisis.
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In Portland, homelessness jumped more than 30% between 2019 and 2022
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Homeless people would have to dismantle their camp every morning and remove their belongings and any litter during the day. People who break the rules would receive a warning for the first two violations. After three violations, people could be fined up to US$100 or be sent to jail for up to 30 days. The measure would prohibit camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in city parks and near schools, day cares and construction sites and on some sidewalk areas.
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“There are currently hundreds of unsanctioned, sometimes dangerous and often squalid homeless camps across all 146 square miles of the city of Portland. These homeless camps ... represent nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Wheeler said.
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“Asking homeless Portlanders ... to carry their homes on their backs for 12 hours a day, seven days a week, will heighten mental and physical distress, hitting houseless and front-line workers like a punch to the gut,” testified Sandra Comstock, executive director of the Portland-based homeless nonprofit Hygiene4All.
Business and property owners were among those who testified in support of the bill, saying some customers and employees don’t feel safe shopping or going to work because of encampments.
https://apnews.com/article/daytime-campi...a1ae31c334
45 minutes ago
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a deepening yearslong homelessness crisis.
......
In Portland, homelessness jumped more than 30% between 2019 and 2022
......
Homeless people would have to dismantle their camp every morning and remove their belongings and any litter during the day. People who break the rules would receive a warning for the first two violations. After three violations, people could be fined up to US$100 or be sent to jail for up to 30 days. The measure would prohibit camping between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. in city parks and near schools, day cares and construction sites and on some sidewalk areas.
......
“There are currently hundreds of unsanctioned, sometimes dangerous and often squalid homeless camps across all 146 square miles of the city of Portland. These homeless camps ... represent nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe,” Wheeler said.
......
“Asking homeless Portlanders ... to carry their homes on their backs for 12 hours a day, seven days a week, will heighten mental and physical distress, hitting houseless and front-line workers like a punch to the gut,” testified Sandra Comstock, executive director of the Portland-based homeless nonprofit Hygiene4All.
Business and property owners were among those who testified in support of the bill, saying some customers and employees don’t feel safe shopping or going to work because of encampments.
https://apnews.com/article/daytime-campi...a1ae31c334
