PORTLAND (Ore.) — Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Friday that an emergency declaration prohibiting homeless camps in high-crash corridors was being expanded to allow for safe walking routes by school-aged kids.
The declaration prohibits people from camping within 150 foot of schools and on priority routes. In areas surrounding schools, clearing homeless camps will be prioritized.
Wheeler pointed out that children in primary and middle school are at greatest risk from biohazards and trash. These hazards are often found in places where homeless people live, sometimes in tents.
“School-age kids should be able walk, bike and take buses to school without any potential dangers from encampments like trash, tents and biohazards.
Primary investment routes, established by Portland’s Safe Routes to School Program will not allow camping as a result of this declaration. These routes were identified as part of a program funded by a 10-cent gas tax and Heavy Vehicle Use Tax voters passed in 2016.
The mayor’s office said that their impact reduction program, along with other city bureaus, will inform those living on the affected routes about the changes and provide shelter services.
In February Wheeler issued an emergency ban to homeless camps located near high-speed vehicle accidents. This was in response to a Portland Bureau of Transportation report that stated that 2021 saw the highest traffic fatalities since 1990..
Advocates for homeless people and others living in the streets expressed concern at the position of the mayor. They said that the mayor often criminalizes vulnerable residents and further traumatize many, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Some others feel that the issue is treated more as a nuisance or an opportunity for political gain than a crisis.
Donald H. Whitehead Jr. was the executive director for the National Coalition for the Homeless. He stated earlier in the year that at least 65 U.S. towns were either criminalizing or spreading encampments.
In Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell ran for office on a platform calling for actions to help people who live in tent encampments. He has already removed dozens of camps from the streets in just his first months. Harrell unveiled his plan for homeless and created an encampment database in May to monitor progress during the long-running homeless crisis.
The emergency declarations of Portland’s mayor are valid for two weeks, but they can be returned indefinitely.
Routes that may be affected by the Portland emergency declaration are listed here.
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