The Aloha representative, who brings lived experience with poverty to her leadership role on a housing committee, speaks for young people who demand action on the housing and climate crises they’ve inherited
When Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, 77, was Wlnsvey Campos’ age, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and Led Zeppelin released their first album.
By the time Campos reaches Courtney’s age, 3 billion people will likely live in climates unsuitable for human life, according to researchers at the National Academy of Sciences.
At 25, Campos last month became the youngest female legislator in Oregon history as the representative for House District 28 in Aloha.
She struggled a bit with her age on the campaign trail, Campos told Street Roots. She worried people might consider her too young to confront overwhelming problems such as the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic, police brutality and mounting homelessness.
Then she remembered her older colleagues won’t be around when those billions of people in the future face the consequences of political actions taken in the present. It was important to bring forward her perspectives on climate change and other issues affecting younger Oregonians.
“We’re the ones seeing the impact of climate change,” Campos told Street Roots. “We know that folks are putting off having a family because they can’t afford to buy a house. It’s a different world we live in and are trying to navigate. We have the urgency to tackle these things and not just sit back and wait.”
Campos provides a wide variety of perspectives to Salem. Not only is she the youngest member of the Legislature, but she is also one of the few lawmakers of color. People of color represent 13% of the Oregon Legislature but make up 24% of Oregon’s total population.
She serves on the House committees on redistricting and health care, as well as the Joint Committee on Ways and Means’ Human Services Subcommittee. However, she may have her greatest impact as the vice chair of the House Committee on Housing.
Leading the committee with fellow Democrat Julie Fahey of Eugene and Republican Lily Morgan of Grants Pass, Campos brings her expertise as a case manager for Family Promises Beaverton, a transitional housing program that helps families experiencing homelessness obtain stable housing.
“My hope is that in the not-too-distant future, my position isn’t necessary,” she said.
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Homelessness is more than a matter of professional concern for Campos. She spent much of her childhood living in motel rooms until she went to Pacific University in Forest Grove to earn bachelor’s degrees in political science and philosophy.
“We struggled a lot when I was growing up,” she said. She recalled her family relying on food banks and going to the public library to make up for shortages of toilet paper.
“My dad worked really, really hard during those years to provide for our family and to make sure I had opportunities,” Campos said. “What I’ve wanted to do in my career is to give back to the community because I felt I had a community when I grew up in Washington County that really supported me.”
The Oregon Legislature generally attracts affluent lawyers, business people and retirees who can afford time away from other jobs for the $23,568 per year offered by the state.
Many of these legislators are far removed from constituents worried about sick children, their next meal and basic shelter. “We need more people who know these experiences firsthand in the Capitol,” Campos said.
Her experiences led Campos to co-sponsor House Bill 2367, the Right to Rest Act.
The bill allows people experiencing homelessness to use public space the same way as everyone else without discrimination based on their housing status.
It establishes that people who are homeless have a right and expectation of privacy on public property without harassment, citation or arrest by police, private security or local government officials.
Such legislation could thwart efforts by local governments to criminalize homelessness.
In McMinnville, the City Council tried to outlaw camping on public property Aug. 28, 2018, only to be stymied a week later on Sept. 4 by a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision.
Councilors responded by passing a new law May 28, 2019, that allowed sleeping on public property — with the exception of downtown, residential neighborhoods, parks, parking lots and just about every public spot.
Such attempts to skirt the 2018 circuit court ruling could be reversed by Campos’ bill.
Attempts to shuffle the homeless out of sight and out of mind have a pernicious effect, Campos said.
A similar law in Beaverton keeps families from camping in cars. As a result, homeless families park in cities such as Wilsonville and drive to Beaverton for schools and other services.
“We’re creating barriers for folks who are experiencing homelessness by criminalizing their ability to be a person, to be a human being,” Campos said.
“I work with folks every day in my job who come from different walks of life,” she said. “There are folks who now have criminal records as they try to live day to day, just trying to survive.”
The bill has been scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, before the House Judiciary Committee.
Of Oregon’s 30 state senators, 18 are Democrats. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the House 37 to 23. While Democrats don’t hold a two-thirds super-majority, they wield substantial power to push through progressive legislation.
Legislators in both parties seem interested in addressing housing issues, Campos said.
When she talks with other lawmakers, Campos said housing issues are often among their top three priorities. “Wherever we look in the state of Oregon, we know we’re facing a housing crisis,” she said.
“There are a lot of bills we are tracking and monitoring,” she added. “We’re trying to seize this moment when housing is in the forefront of people’s minds. We had a housing crisis before, but the pandemic has certainly amplified it.”
Public testimony is the key, she said.
When the Right to Rest Act and other bills confronting homelessness come up for hearings, people experiencing homelessness will be encouraged to provide oral and written testimony.
“I see a number of bills getting traction,” Campos said. “We have to make sure we’re really intentional and bring voices to testify on these bills who have lived experience with these issues. It’s absolutely critical we make sure people are being heard.”
She hopes to use her connections outside the Legislature to bring in witnesses, she added.
Campos said she wants to help bring more justice, as well as the voices of the people who feel deprived of it, to the Capitol.
“I have a strong network within the community,” she said. “That’s one of the critical reasons we have legislators with personal experience and lived experience on these issues.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the scheduled hearing on HB 2367 for March 9.
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