Street Roots • April 27-May 3, 2018
O p in io n
Page 3
Don’t let Wapato overtake the larger dialogue
t is a story that has covered yards of
Top choices for shelter locations by those
newsprint - Wapato jail and its possibility
surveyed were downtown, or close to
for sheltering people who are homeless.
downtown, and near public-transit and
And here’s the latest: after Multnomah County services.
sold the property to developer Marty Kehoe,
None of this describes the Wapato site, so if
he in turn sold an ownership stake to Jordan
Williams and Harbor of Hope pursue this plan,
Schnitzer, who now is
they should find a new way to listen to folks
talking of leasing it to
who are homeless to find out what about this
Homer Williams. Deals
site works for whom, given its particular
galore.
challenges.
In recent years, our
Any plans should respond precisely based
Street Roots editorial
on the needs of homeless folks who would
By Kaia Sand
team has raised a
choose to go to this site - such as people who
number of concerns
are homeless and have a car.
around this issue,
There are serious reasons why many people
including the isolation
would not turn to Wapato as their shelter.
of Wapato from stores, services and bus lines;
When Wapato is trumpeted as too big of a
a concern about motivations to warehouse
solution, then I fear that non-compliance could
folks out of sight; and the transformation of a
be used as a cudgel elsewhere in the city. If
jail into a shelter for people who often are
undesirable beds are offered, and people
already dealing with trauma. Some folks have
refuse them, their lives must not be further
described to me how living in a building
criminalized.
intended to be a jail might trigger traumas
After all, the last thing anyone needs is to
they contend with.
walk into a trap, and too often people
Leo Rhodes, a homeless advocate and
experiencing homelessness are engaged in a
Street Roots vendor and former board
damaging manner. This week, for example,
member, often nudges me to think about
KGW reported that in the process of offering
something from a different angle, and in this
services to people living outdoors on Portland
case, he reminded me to consider the
trails, police officers ran warrant checks on
potential that the Wapato lot might offer
homeless campers. This sounds suspiciously
homeless folks who live in cars, mobile homes,
like profiling.
and trailers - and who aren’t relying on
Let’s strive to make lives easier, not more
busses. Could they legally park there, and use
difficult.
the facility in ways that work for them?
Earlier this month, Harbor of Hope also
“What works for one person doesn’t work
announced
plans for a navigation center under
for another,” R hodes said. In other words,
the Broadway Bridge. This is a promising idea.
could aspects of this be workable for some
They need to raise funds to make this happen,
folks - just not all folks? Can these business
and aspirations for Wapato should not derail
leaders be this nuanced and nimble, this
the much more doable navigation center.
responsive to the actual lives of people who
There is so much to be done, and plans for
are homeless? Can they draw from the
Wapato should not overtake the dialogue.
expertise of homeless people on their own
We need many guiding stars shining bright
needs rather than determining outright what’s
as we address the fact that we live in a city in
best for them?
which so many people simply cannot afford to
Harbor of Hope had a good start last year
live indoors.
when it worked with Right 2 Survive’s Ibrahim
We should, for example, have the
Mubarak and consultant Michelle Kennedy to
opportunity to vote for a big regional housing
survey homeless folks on their shelter needs,
bond in November designed by Metro. Now
reporting that people surveyed desired safety
that’s a big and promising way forward. Let’s
and privacy in spaces that did not put too
give that the attention it deserves.
many people in the same sleeping room.
I
DIS
J
K aia S a n d is the
executive director o f
Street Roots. You can
reach her a t
kaia @streetroots. org.
Follow her on
Tw itter @ m kaiasand
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax: 5 0 W ’3117'
www.streetroots.org
www.news.streetroots.org
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S ta ff
Executive Director Kaia Sand
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Executive Editor Joanne Zuh!
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Development Director Andrew Hogan
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