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Last month, WW profiled Portlanders on the edge of homelessness, living in motels paid for by nonprofits that contract with Multnomah County. At a cost of $1.4 million a month, the county pays for 328 Portlanders to stay in rooms at seven motels around the city. Stays last for as long as a year or as short as two weeks. The beneficiaries of the program that WW spoke to—many of whom would otherwise be living on the streets—expressed anxiousness, relief and in some cases, a mix of both. Here’s what our readers had to say:
DK117, via wweek.com: “$23,000 a year per person? I’ve got a few rental units. All of them are double occupancy minimum. So we’re now at $46K a year. I’ll happily do business with the county at $3,833 rent per month. That’s triple what I’m getting.”
Johnny, via wweek.com: “Yeah . . . this doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why are we paying $23k a year to put someone in a motel room, when $12k a year would get them a studio? For that matter, why are we paying $12k a year to put someone in a shelter bed when $12k a year would get them a studio? I get it, many of these people are denied housing since they have criminal convictions, and there are large overhead costs, there’s food, there are other services provided at the shelters. But . . . still. This is pretty ridiculous. Let’s just build a bunch of extremely basic utilitarian studios and subsidize rent.”
April Desentz, via Facebook: “It is expensive, but exponentially cheaper than new construction. They (hotels) are set up already and desperately need tenants since COVID. As housing prices rise and business owners reject living wages, homelessness will continue to escalate. If I was in the rich or upper middle class, I would encourage smart housing options like this to save tax money and keep my property values ‘homeless free.’”
Ed Bisquera, via Facebook: “WW—it’s not expensive if you break down to weekly or monthly rates. If it can get down to $30-$35/night, that’s about the same as regular rent. At least what I’ve seen in many areas. Maybe in the Portland area it’s a bit more expensive, though.”
Charlemagne Credenza, via Facebook: “Is Portland moving toward Housing First—a program that has worked in Seattle and other places? If not, they should be. It’s easier for people to heal when they don’t have to spend 24/7 scrambling to survive.”
Lisa Lowry-Pierce, via Facebook: “Affordable housing is a Band-Aid that’s going to fall off without drug and mental health treatment to go with it.”
@Ravensoneye, via Twitter: “If you want to be a city that has restaurants you also need to be a city where people who work as a chef can afford a place to live. Jobs don’t get you a place to live, why work?”
@MugwumpPDX, via Twitter: “Time after time some homeless people and their advocates tell us many homeless people don’t like and won’t use congregate shelters because they’re not safe and/or the rules are excessive. Is the county going to acknowledge this and do something about it?”
Nicholas Garner, via Facebook: “Maybe there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution and different approaches should be used depending on the needs and wishes of those involved?”
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Email: mzusman@wweek.com