The Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) Homeless Houseless (H/H) Team
The DNA H/H Team is open to everyone, regardless of DNA membership. Currently we are in contact with a mailing list of approximately 400 people who have expressed interest in homelessness and/or have participated in our programs and activities. Everyone is welcome!!
Est: June 2019
Purpose: “Seek and promote education, solutions, advocacy, and community building around issues of homelessness/houselessness in downtown Portland, Oregon.”
Vision: “To be a persistent, active contributor to city wide efforts to eliminate the conditions which perpetuate homelessness by 2025.”
Current Focus: “Advocacy and education on issues of homelessness that impact the downtown, central city, and the city as a whole.”
Contacts:
Darlene Urban Garrett, darlene@nwnw.org
David Dickson, dicksondavidk@gmail.com
Recognition:
DNA Houseless/Homeless Team was recognized in 2023 for its contributions by the American Society for Public Administration, Cascade Chapter during its Public Service Recognition Week.
Accomplishments:
The DNA H/H Team hosted a forum in November, 2019, Homelessness in Downtown Portland. It was attended by over 200 people and featured over 300 solution ideas from participants.
Based on the solution ideas from the 2019 Forum, the H/H Team advocated for issues related to downtown homelessness:
—public toilets
—Portland Street Response
—fast track permitting for Bybee Lakes Hope Center
—passage of Metro Homelessness Measure 26-210
—safe, secure and sanitary villages so our humanitarian crisis of street camping is relieved.
—safe zones of no perimeter camping around villages
—an end to Portland’s behavioral health crisis
In October 2020 the H/H Team launched a Good Neighbor Project in which 20-30 volunteers visited our 175-225 unhoused neighbors each week in 12 sections of the downtown, providing survival items, information and friendship. The project continued for almost 2 years, until the city ended its Covid-inspired shelter in place policy.
The H/H Team provided leadership in May 2021 to organize a community Stakeholders Group to advise the city/county on the SW Naito Parkway Safe Rest Village. The Stakeholder Group is still active and represents 2 nearby schools, 3 condos, and 2 neighborhood associations. The Queer Affinity Village opened in July, 2022.
The H/H Team in its 2021strategic plan identified addiction and mental health as critical issues to address in the downtown.
The DNA’s H/H Team and Safety and Livability Committee created a Behavioral Health Task Force to address this important issue. The BHRC, now independent of the DNA, is actively working with the city and county to develop a good neighbor agreement with the county’s Behavioral Health Resource Center and also advocates for behavioral health policies that serve downtowners experiencing addiction and mental illness, while maintaining downtown livability for all.
The Homeless/Houseless Team has recently provided leadership for major educational and policy forums, sponsored by multiple neighborhood associations and downtown organizations, around issues affecting the downtown. The forums have attracted audiences of 100-600.
—We co-hosted an October, 2022 candidate forum involving the 4 city commission and county chair candidates.
—Mayor Wheeler addressed our November, 2022 meeting on his plan to end unsheltered homelessness in the city.
—Mayor Wheeler and County chair Vega Pederson were featured in an April, 2023 Forum focusing on city/county cooperation in addressing unsheltered homelessness.
—In September, 2023 the H/H Team led eight downtown organizations in sponsoring Portland’s Behavioral Health Crisis: Seeking Solutions, which featured elected leaders at the city, county, metro and state levels.