Mayor to Force Some Homeless Portlanders from Alternative Shelters in February

"Stay limits and engagement requirements are nationwide best practices used to encourage continuous progress towards stability, independence, and appropriate housing,"

"Per our Housing First strategic framework, we have a responsibility to incentivize individuals to move through our emergency shelter system and into permanent housing,"

"People with sobriety and substance use issues seek and accept help in different ways and at different speeds,"

"It's up to the Housing First provider to design a program that serves the unique needs and interests of each client being served[.]"

Nearly 100 Portland residents in alternative shelters are expected to hit 120-day stay limits and will be transitioned to emergency overnight shelters and day centers if they have not engaged in services. Alternative shelters include Safe Rest Villages, tiny-home villages, and safe parking areas for RVs and operate differently from emergency overnight congregate shelters that require residents to leave each morning. The city operates 867 alternative shelter beds as a temporary resource and frames stay limits and engagement requirements as best practices to encourage movement toward stability and permanent housing. Housing First principles are cited, while national guidance stresses tailoring programs to individual needs.

Read at Portland Mercury