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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2024)
Volume LII • Number 09 ‘City of Roses’ www.portlandobserver.com Wednesday • May 08, 2024 Committed to Cultural Diversity Safe Park Village Planned for Montavilla Neighborhood Alternative Shelter for the Houseless Community By Beverly Corbell Under the direction of Multnomah County’s Joint Office of Homeless Ser- vices, the nonprofit Straightway Services has been selected to manage a new ‘safe park’ for houseless people living in their cars in the Montavilla neighborhood. The site, at 333 S.E. 82nd Ave., will be fenced and will include trash services, showers, restrooms, laundry, a kitchenette and housing services with support from county agencies. For 22 years, Straightway Services, founded by Pastor Dwight Minnieweath- er, has focused on programs serving youth, workforce development and home- less services. “It means the world to us to operate this shelter and support an alternative way of helping people who sleep in their vehi- cles,” Minnieweather said. The safe park, to be called The Light Community, will provide on-site services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will give people with no roof over their heads a Nena Enyinwa, Charles Lott, Pastor Minnieweather, Latoya Minnieweather, and Michael Martin safe place to stay and get their cars off the street, according to Minnieweather said, and will offer much more. “We’ll make it a community with edu- cational opportunities and connection to peer mentors,” he said. “This will be more than just a place to sleep. It will be a holis- tic community where people can become self-sufficient.” The village will have 29 sleeping pods for up to 40 adults (18 and over), and 33 parking spots. Details for sign-up and re- ferrals are still being finalized, but priority will be given to unhoused residents of the Montavilla neighborhood so they can stay connected to their neighborhood, accord- ing to the county press office. Straightway Services will collaborate with other organi- Continued on Page 10 Creating Action Around Bringing Peace to Portland’s Streets FBI Honors the Interfaith Peace and Action Collaboration with National Award Lisa Broderick accepted the FBI Portland 2023 Director’s Community Leadership Award on behalf of the Interfaith Peace and Action Collaborative FBI Director Christopher Wray pre- sented the Interfaith Peace and Action Collaborative (IPAC) with the FBI Di- rector’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for their service to the Portland area. Lisa Broderick accepted the FBI Portland 2023 Director’s Community Leadership Award on behalf of IPAC. IPAC is a united group that proactively gathers as members of faith, community, business, and law enforcement to dis- cuss and create action around bringing peace to Portland’s streets. The group researches best practices and identifies appropriate actions, technology, and street-level solutions to address violence at a grassroots level. IPAC is also work- ing to become a model for, and share information with, other cities that are struggling with an uptick in crime. “IPAC is intentional about promoting restraint on the street and creating and maintaining dialogue between the com- munity members it represents and law enforcement. This directly intersects with the FBI’s national mission of pro- tecting the American people, and FBI Portland’s local mission of keeping the people of Oregon safe,” said Douglas A. Olson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office. “FBI Port- land is proud to work with the leaders of IPAC as they devote countless hours to addressing the crisis of violence on Portland streets and are working toward solutions for a safer, shared community.” The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the Continued on Page 7
