Old Town Homeless Village Will Close After Nonprofit Operator Says Conditions Too Dangerous

May 28, 2022May 28, 2022 Thacher Schmid

The news of the closing raises questions about a dozen existing and planned officially-sanctioned homeless villages in the region, as well as a key local services provider. By Thacher Schmid May 28, 2022 at 4:35 pm PDT in Willamette Week Old Town’s homeless village is permanently closing, Multnomah County officials say, after its services provider, All Good Northwest, decided it could not continue running the site. The director of the nonprofit, Andy Goebel, blames its decision on “daily and nightly gunfire and gun activity” in the area. The decommissioning, which officials confirmed after an inquiry from WW, also comes a … Continue reading Old Town Homeless Village Will Close After Nonprofit Operator Says Conditions Too Dangerous

Willamette Week

Hundreds of Portlanders Are Living in Their Cars. Here’s How They Do It.

January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 Thacher Schmid

Even as the numbers keep growing, Portland and Multnomah County officials have repeatedly failed to create a program or location where people living in vehicles can legally park overnight. Continue reading Hundreds of Portlanders Are Living in Their Cars. Here’s How They Do It.

Uncategorized

The Village Alternative: Andrew Heben and Tim McCormick Have a Democratic Solution to Houselessness

December 15, 2020 Thacher Schmid

By Thacher Schmid In recent years, American homelessness has been on the rise again. In 2015, West Coast cities declared homeless “emergencies.” Since 2017, “Point in Time” counts have risen; some measures see unhoused populations at all-time highs. Now, due to Covid-19, the numbers could … Continue reading The Village Alternative: Andrew Heben and Tim McCormick Have a Democratic Solution to Houselessness

Portland Mercury

Portland Has a Brand New Houseless Community

February 1, 2018March 20, 2018 Thacher Schmid

Advocates Say the Village of Hope is a Sanctuary, But the City’s Planning a Crackdown PORTLAND’S NEWEST unsanctioned houseless community popped up on Sunday morning, on city-owned land in a woodsy corner of deep Northeast Portland. Led by veteran homeless … Continue reading Portland Has a Brand New Houseless Community

Portland Mercury

R2DToo is No Longer in the Epicenter of Portland’s Homelessness Crisis

January 17, 2018January 17, 2018 Thacher Schmid

Seven Months After the Village Moved, A Lot Has Changed. And A Lot Hasn’t. It’s mid-January and grain is falling at Right 2 Dream Too again. Tiny flecks drifting to the pavement look so much like snow that I briefly … Continue reading R2DToo is No Longer in the Epicenter of Portland’s Homelessness Crisis

Willamette Week

As City Officials Tow RVs Off the Portland Streets, People Priced Out of Apartments Wonder Where to Go Now

October 23, 2017 Thacher Schmid

The Strip is gone… The “Strip,” a stretch of North Lombard Street in St. Johns where approximately 20 homeless people lived in a dozen RVs, is gone. In July, WW explored the location, a favorite dumping ground for abandoning RVs … Continue reading As City Officials Tow RVs Off the Portland Streets, People Priced Out of Apartments Wonder Where to Go Now

Guardian

‘Straight up bullshit’: inmates paid $1 to clear homeless camps they once lived in

August 11, 2017March 20, 2018 Thacher Schmid

In Portland, which prides itself on being a beacon of progressive politics, the practice of using prisoner work crews is painted as a win-win – but that’s not how some see it In many places in the US, the fraught … Continue reading ‘Straight up bullshit’: inmates paid $1 to clear homeless camps they once lived in

Willamette Week

Portland is Towing Caravans of RVs Off the Streets. Here’s What It’s Like Inside Those Motor Homes.

July 26, 2017April 8, 2018 Thacher Schmid

This city has never before seen so many recreational vehicles parked on its streets. There is a stretch of North Lombard Street called the Strip: a line of 12 RVs parked snout to bumper on the west side of the … Continue reading Portland is Towing Caravans of RVs Off the Streets. Here’s What It’s Like Inside Those Motor Homes.

Willamette Week

Why Do Homeless People Ride the MAX Green Line All Day?

July 16, 2017July 16, 2017 Thacher Schmid

Homeless people say they must choose between a ticket to ride and eating. So why is the train so crucial? For most Portlanders, high temperatures inspire cold drinks, or a jump in a river. For Nathan Lewallea, who has epilepsy, … Continue reading Why Do Homeless People Ride the MAX Green Line All Day?

Willamette Week

Why Are So Many of the People Sleeping on Downtown Streets So Damaged?

July 16, 2017July 26, 2017 Thacher Schmid

One of the faith leaders who has worked closely with the most vulnerable people on the streets has a theory. The paradox jumps out from the latest homelessness numbers released by Multnomah County: The number of people sleeping on the … Continue reading Why Are So Many of the People Sleeping on Downtown Streets So Damaged?

Willamette Week

Why Don’t Homeless People Just Get Jobs?

June 23, 2017June 21, 2017 Thacher Schmid

Many already have jobs—not easy ones, either. The refrain of “Get a job!” is as old as poverty and panhandling. But one of the hard truths of homelessness is that many people who qualify as homeless work hard and still … Continue reading Why Don’t Homeless People Just Get Jobs?

Los Angeles Times

Portland’s longtime homeless camp is moving, but underlying problems persist

April 9, 2017July 16, 2017 Thacher Schmid

Depending on the point of view, Portland’s most visible homeless encampment has become either a terrible eyesore, or an innovative way to house the unsheltered, with nonprofit status, a board of directors and even a makeshift computer lab. But now, … Continue reading Portland’s longtime homeless camp is moving, but underlying problems persist

NW Examiner

City rolls out plan to stabilize homeless

March 5, 2016April 12, 2017 Thacher Schmid

Formerly illegal camping is now tolerated by the city if it involves no more than six people and tents are removed by 7 a.m. This photo was taken under the I-405 freewayat 9:15 a.m., March 2. Wesley Mahan photo By … Continue reading City rolls out plan to stabilize homeless

Writing in the Flat Keys: Thacher Schmid's Portfolio

Published writing, recordings of Thacher Schmid

Tag: houseless

Old Town Homeless Village Will Close After Nonprofit Operator Says Conditions Too Dangerous

Hundreds of Portlanders Are Living in Their Cars. Here’s How They Do It.

The Village Alternative: Andrew Heben and Tim McCormick Have a Democratic Solution to Houselessness

Portland Has a Brand New Houseless Community

R2DToo is No Longer in the Epicenter of Portland’s Homelessness Crisis

As City Officials Tow RVs Off the Portland Streets, People Priced Out of Apartments Wonder Where to Go Now

‘Straight up bullshit’: inmates paid $1 to clear homeless camps they once lived in

Portland is Towing Caravans of RVs Off the Streets. Here’s What It’s Like Inside Those Motor Homes.

Why Do Homeless People Ride the MAX Green Line All Day?

Why Are So Many of the People Sleeping on Downtown Streets So Damaged?

Why Don’t Homeless People Just Get Jobs?

Portland’s longtime homeless camp is moving, but underlying problems persist

City rolls out plan to stabilize homeless