Portland's Homelessness Crisis Continues to Worsen Despite Efforts.
Portland, a city known for its liberal policies, is taking a harder stance on homelessness by clearing camps and planning to encourage unhoused people to relocate to centralized communities. The shift in tactics is a product of changing political winds, with a new city commissioner advocating for increased shelter capacity and access to mental health and addiction services, as well as a ban on tent camping on city streets and the construction of "Safe Rest Villages." However, these initiatives are controversial and criticized by homeless advocates and the unhoused themselves, who argue that they criminalize homelessness and do not address the underlying causes of the crisis.