During my first week of school at a new college, I expected to find myself observing crazy frat parties (from a distance), sports events, and many students out celebrating the beginning of a new year. Instead, I found myself observing the sobering reality of living in downtown and subsequently falling out of love with Portland.
Growing up here, I went into the city to go to Powell's, eat out, and hang around town like most people do. I was aware that Chinatown was a no-go, Voodoo doughnuts was a pretty lame tourist trap, and that Pioneer Courthouse Square was a conglomeration of wacky and tacky, perfect for people watching. However, I often avoided downtown at night as a way to protect myself from seeing the real problem that lay within the city; the homeless problem.
Each year, the city becomes more and more gentrified as young couples and individuals seeking acceptance come pedaling into the city. They bring wealth, excitement, and more diversity than even I thought possible-at least, that's what I once believed. Instead, the diversity Portland truly possesses is not diversity of race or income or even political views, but rather, it is a diversity of taste and nothing more. Beer lovers, coffee lovers, gay, straight, transgender, furries, hippies, you name it, we have it. For a city based on acceptance, I'm surprised to find that the welcome mat comes with a price tag.
As I walk around campus at nine or ten at night, long after the sun has gone down, I am left to reconcile my beliefs about Portland with the reality of it all. Every single corner outside of campus has another person suffering from homelessness, either seeking shelter underneath an entrance way or simply asking for food and water. Many of these people grew up here, raising families and building futures as best they good on the little money they had. Now, when I see them, I am reminded that any of us could end up here. I am lucky enough to have had extremely hard-working parents who were always blessed with jobs and a place to live, however, I know this isn't the reality for everyone.
This reality was based upon a belief I once had that homelessness did not discriminate, but rather, you ended up here through a cruel twist of fate. And while I still believe homelessness doesn't discriminate, I know people do. We are flawed human beings who desire wealth and a life of comfort, and for some people, that means raising the rent on-diverse segments of town are gone and wealth, white housing developments take their place without so much as a cry. We watch as large building structures are sold for million to developers, while more people suffering from homelessness congregate on the side of the road to make a new home for themselves. They cannot afford a voice in our community, and little by little the problem grows without mention until we reach where we are now, a crossroads.
As a community, I hope Portland can rally around those suffering from homelessness and mental illness. We are one of the strongest, proudest communities I know, and if we worked in unity, we could turn the housing crisis from the problem into our problem. But first, simply acknowledge the humanity of homelessness. Those suffering from homelessness are no different than us, yet I know that if they were, Portland would welcome them in with arms wide open. Why should those arms comes with a price?
