The city we love is crying for help. We have neighbors living unsheltered on our streets, many
suffering untreated from mental illness and others seeking escape from their desperate
situation through life threatening drugs. Despite hundreds of millions of federal, state, and local
taxes available, we seem to be making no progress in solving the problem. People continue to
suffer and die, and Portland’s precious quality of life and economic vitality hang in the balance.
Portlanders are searching for solutions. We see the problems on Portland streets every day, but
answers lie far beyond the borders of the Rose City. County, metro, state and federal laws and
budgets must be navigated if we are to arrive at solutions to our behavioral health crisis.
This challenge cannot be solved solely by our elected leaders. It will take all of us working
together with our leaders to bring our city back. The forum will feature a panel of six elected
leaders representing our west side neighborhoods from all levels of government:
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– Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler
– Multnomah County District 1 Commissioner Sharon Meieran, representing Downtown
and West Portland
– Metro President Lynn Peterson
– Oregon House Representative Homeless Committee Chair Maxine Dexter, representing
Downtown and most of West Portland
– Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, representing a substantial portion of
Downtown and SW Portland
– A member of Oregon’s Congressional Delegation (not yet confirmed)
Each of these leaders defined the problem, explained their role (county, city, etc.) in
addressing the problem, and proposed solutions in collaboration with other leaders.
Prior to the forum, the public was invited to submit questions that focused on finding solutions to Portland’s behavioral health crisis and those questions were presented to the panelists.
Sponsors:
Neighbors West Northwest
Downtown Neighborhood Association
Pearl District Neighborhood Association
Old Town Community Association
Goose Hollow Neighborhood Association
Northwest District Association
Southwest Hills Residential League
Revitalize Portland Coalition