North Portland’s rampant homeless problem has residents fleeing the city, according to a report.
The homelessness epidemic continually wreaking havoc on the Pacific Northwest city is. People had established homeless camps throughout the city, with some even erecting tents in front of properties held by homeowners who pay taxes.
The Portland Police Department doesn’t have a formal procedure in place for removing the camps or finding new housing for the homeless. In order to clean up the camps, third parties are now responsible for working with the city and securing police protection.
The “solutions” put forth thus far—affordable housing bonds and a refusal to enforce laws against camping on public property and in city parks—do nothing to address the lack of access to mental health care and drug usage issues that are the basis of this humanitarian disaster. Nor is this a recent phenomenon. The neglect spans decades.
And people now have little confidence in Portland, which is run by Democrats, because there isn’t much planned to be done to solve the catastrophic problem. And as Portland’s homelessness epidemic is at an all-time high, residents are leaving the city.
“I’ve been here 65 years, but I’m done. I’m done with Portland. What’s there to say? They move in, take over the neighborhood, do their drugs, play their loud music, and make a mess,” Bruce Philip said.
Because homeless people are encroaching on every neighborhood and making the city unlivable, those who have been devoted to Portland for decades no longer see the value of residing in the Democrat-led city.
“The city comes in and cleans it up, and then two weeks later, they come back. It’s a vicious cycle, and I’m done,” Bruce Philip added.
Many Portland residents want to sell their properties quickly and leave the city because homeless people are intruding on their homes and places of living, according to local realtor George Patterson. He claimed that because homeless camps are popping up all over Oregon city, his clients had to deal with the issues associated with homelessness “every day.”
One such camp, called Multnomah Village, is home to hundreds of homeless people who have nowhere else to go, so they live in the city-sanctioned camp. And Patterson confessed that some buyers are turned off once they realize that homes are located near homeless encampments.
Referring to a home that was selling for upwards of $700,000, Patterson said, “We had an early offer on a home, but it fell through, and there was some concern there with the Multnomah village site, I can say [homeless encampments] are definitely affecting the property values.”
Phillips wants to leave Portland, but his wife, Becky, fully supports his choice. She also discussed the city’s homelessness situation in an interview with Daily Mail.
“I’m not going to hold my breath. We’re done with Portland,” Becky said.
Nathan Lamb, a different Portlander, said that the homeless camp is preventing his six-year-old son, who is disabled, from securely crossing the street to catch the bus.
Lamb said, “At eight in the morning, there are folks that are smoking meth. They’re shooting up. There’s domestic violence. It’s absolutely absurd.”
Watch the video report below for more details: