The bureau wants someone knowledgeable of homeless issues to train police to better respond to the needs of unsheltered communities
Portland Police Bureau is looking to hire a homeless community liaison, according to a job announcement posted Monday morning.
As listed, for $4,440 to $8,233 a month this new, non-sworn bureau employee would develop a plan for police response to the homeless community and develop training for officers on best practices for communicating, policing and providing services to people living on the streets.
The job announcement comes nearly six months after a report from The Oregonian found people experiencing homelessness accounted for 52 percent of Portland Police Bureau arrests in 2017.
In an interview with Street Roots in late November about police and homeless relations, Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said one of the greatest challenges her officers face is “getting folks the resources that they need in a timely manner.” She said this challenge was the result of too few resources and of officers not knowing the ins and outs of what’s available and to whom.
Among job qualifications listed for this new position is a working knowledge of Portland’s social services available to unsheltered populations, apparently intended to get at this problem.
The city is also asking that applicants know best practices for ending homelessness and understand unsheltered community culture, among other areas of expertise.
The creation of this new position underscores the department’s role as Portland’s de facto city-sponsored homeless outreach team.
Outlaw also told Street Roots, “It would be awesome to have another entity of some sort available to respond to what these needs are,” when there is not a criminal element to the call for services.
In a press release from the police bureau announcing the position, Outlaw was quoted as saying, "This position is a critical component to our response to those in the homeless community. This person will influence how the Police Bureau responds to people in the homeless community and ensure the Police Bureau is in line with best contemporary policing practices. The homeless liaison will also focus on the imperative partnerships we have with social service and other governmental agencies so we are all on the same page."
Portland’s would not be the first police department in the region to have a homeless liaison. Oregon City created such a position in July 2017, however it’s filled by a sworn officer who interfaces directly with people experiencing homelessness and is focused on getting to know his town’s homeless population personally.
In its most recent Point-in-Time count in late February 2017, Multnomah County, Portland and Gresham tallied 4,177 people experiencing homelessness. That’s nearly 10 percent higher than in 2015, according to the county’s figures. Authorities with the county and the city of Portland acknowledge that due to the nature of homelessness, the figure, tallied every two years, is widely considered an undercount.
Homelessness intersects numerous complex issues beyond just housing, including addiction, mental health concerns, domestic and sexual abuse, veterans’ needs, disabilities and chronic unemployment.
Of the 4,177 people counted, more than 60 percent reported living with one or more disability, including a mental disability, chronic physical condition, and/or a substance-use disorder, according to the 2017 Point-in-Time report compiled by Portland State University.
The county does not include people who are “doubled up” – those sharing housing with other people for economic reasons. Data collected from local school districts, however, indicates that the figures on this population are on the rise. The district information suggests that there are at least twice as many households with school-age children attending public schools who are living doubled up than just two years prior.
The deadline to apply for the position is Jan. 7. You can learn read the full job posting here.
