Not many people gave them a chance. From the neighborhood and bureaucrats to certain shelter providers and the business community, no one believed that a group of homeless people could be successful in creating their own safe refuge from the harsh realities of homelessness. Right 2 Dream Too has been proving those critics wrong for more than two years.
Tent cities created by people experiencing homelessness are nothing new in America. They date back to the Civil War and run through the Depression era with the emergence of Hoovervilles — homeless camps named after President Herbert Hoover for his lack of support of housing on a federal level. With the rise of modern-day homelessness came tent cities that were born organically and intentionally.
Right 2 Dream Too, in many ways is a version of Dignity Village — except that Right 2 Dream Too is located in the heart of downtown Portland and will soon move to the Pearl District with the help of city officials.
Right 2 Dream Too has received the support of law enforcement for maintaining an orderly camp and civility with some of Old Town’s hardest to reach individuals on the streets. They helped facilitate the housing of dozens of individuals with social-service agencies and helped maintain the safety of women experiencing the extremes of homelessness. They did all of this while experiencing homelessness themselves. Their service to the city and to themselves should be commended.
“I commend Commissioner (Amanda) Fritz, and the organizers of Right 2 Dream, for seeing these negotiations through. It is clear that no one answer will solve the homelessness issue in America. But Right 2 Dream has one answer, for one segment of the homeless population,” Mayor Charlie Hales told the Portland Mercury. “We look forward to the next phase — the relocation of Right 2 Dream — and the public input process. I support her commitment to meet with the neighbors and businesses, prior to executing the use agreement, and to develop a good neighbor agreement.”
Right 2 Dream Too is now set to move into the Pearl District under the Broadway Bridge. Ironically, the Pearl was a neighborhood once home to hundreds of people on the streets before gentrification and displacement. Today, the posh neighborhood, with a strong philanthropic spirit, has the chance to be good neighbors. We look to neighborhood leaders to rise above the hype and to welcome Right 2 Dream Too. We look to neighborhood leaders to rise above the NIMBY rhetoric that has become the norm in these kinds of circumstances.
Right 2 Dream Too deserves a chance to continue organizing to improve the living conditions of people on the streets. Street Roots is thankful to have elected officials and community supporters who believe the same. In order to combat poverty and homelessness, we must look at every alternative available. Right 2 Dream Too has proven time and again to be great partners, and it deserves a seat at the table.
