Under an overpass near Bertha Boulevard is a small village of youths, who are grateful for the help they're receiving from their neighbors
Southwest Bertha Boulevard is busy. It zips through the center of Southwest Portland, connecting major streets to highways and winding along large shopping centers and workplaces.
It’s so busy that the many drivers of the cars, vans and trucks that speed along Bertha’s slim lanes might not have noticed a change in their daily commute.
Tucked away underneath the bridge that forms the intersection of Southwest Capitol Highway and Bertha Boulevard is a small village of young unhoused Portlanders. A collection of tents, a fire pit and tables are shielded from the view of the road by tarps and privacy walls, which proudly declare inspirational messages such as, “Everyone is Love!”
The village, much like the boulevard it borders, is fast-paced, composed of a diverse collection of people, and it carries a degree of uncertainty. Most residents drop in and out at whim, pushed and pulled by the internal dynamics of the village.
Only one young person has been there since the camp’s inception just under a year ago, and has seen every twist and turn. Austin is the unofficial founder of the village and a quiet, though cheerful, 18-year-old Oregon native. He was searching for some peace, security and protection from the rain when he discovered the empty underpass.
The camp has transformed since Austin’s arrival.
“There was one tent here that was just like nothing and then somehow ended up into this,” he said, gesturing toward the sizable structure of tarps and wood.
Though Austin appears content, he carries a lot of weight on his shoulders.
“My parents abandoned me, kinda. That’s how I ended up on the streets,” he said.
Now, he’s focused on the future. His biggest struggle at the moment is “making some money,” Austin said, adding that he hasn’t been able to find work yet but would be open to any job.
He focuses on the things that make him happy. “Hanging out with my friends, and the new kitty cat,” Austin said, beaming. A friend gifted the black-and-white cat, Socks, to Austin. Teenager and feline have been giving each other company and support.
Aside from spending time with Socks, Austin is looking forward to enjoying the sun over the summer.
Timothy, another villager, is also looking forward to the better weather. “We’re planning to do a backpacking trip here once we get everything settled,” he said.
Timothy turned 23 on May 10, celebrating six years of living in Oregon.
“I was born here in Portland, but I was adopted out,” Timothy said. “I ended up going to a military family, so I moved everywhere, about every four years, and then I came back around 17 because my parents wanted to do their thing and I wanted to do my own thing.”
Timothy said he’s happy with his choice, because of Oregon’s natural beauty, but he’s faced hard times in Portland. Being houseless was not part of his plan.
“Do I prefer to be out here? No. But it’s also really expensive in Oregon, like really expensive,” he said. He has high blood pressure, and the stress of living on the streets has induced two painful heart attacks.
Adding to his troubles, Timothy’s identification was stolen a week before COVID-19 shutdowns began in March 2020. Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services closed, and he couldn’t order a replacement for eight months, he said.
“COVID slowed everything down, so it’s a huge process,” he said.
Timothy said he believes Portland does a better job than other cities in supporting people on the streets. And while the support from the city has been fine, the support from the Hillsdale neighborhood, where the camp is located, has been exceptional, the villagers said.
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Rick Seifert is a member of the Hillsdale Assistance Team, or HAT, a group dedicated to combating houselessness in Hillsdale. Seifert created the team with the Hillsdale Alliance, a larger collective of businesses and community organizations in the neighborhood. The Alliance chose homelessness as a focus, and thus HAT was born.
With the other nine members of HAT, Seifert visits the camp once a week to help with food, sanitation and other basic needs. HAT pays for a portable toilet and coordinates with Central City Concern for trash pickup and The Usual Suspects for litter cleanup at the camp.
Cascadia Clusters, a nonprofit employing houseless people on construction projects, has also helped to outfit the village with wooden platforms for tents and shelving for food storage.
Over email, Seifert noted that HAT’s “next step is to get to know (the villagers’) own personal aspirations better and see if we can help them achieve them,” though he acknowledged that this will require better communication with other agencies and organizations.
The residents of Bertha camp are grateful for the help.
“They’ve done a lot for us that’s made it a lot nicer and a lot more comfortable to live here,” said Timothy, referring to HAT and Cascadia Clusters.
Chili, an older camp resident who acts as a mentor to the younger villagers, agreed. “We have a lot of respect for the elders in the community because they do come by, and they help us out a lot,” he said.
The community the villagers have built with one another also sustains them. Even when people move in and out frequently, laughter abounds at the village, showing the strong connections.
“It’s pretty easy to make friends here,” said Austin. Timothy added, “Everyone’s just different and isn’t scared to just be who they are.”
Even with this lively support system, living on the street as a young person is tough, and all of the camp residents hope to find permanent housing. Some are working with community organizations, and others are looking for places on their own.
Once their basic needs are met, the villagers have other aspirations, big and small. Austin wants to see his 2-year-old brother, David, who lives in Washington. “He’s a little baby,” Austin said, adding that he gets pictures every once in a while but hopes he can hold his brother soon.
Timothy hasn’t given much thought to the future but is laser-focused on spending as much time as possible outdoors. “I want to get away from everyone and go out into the forest,” he said.
Chili, the mentor, dreams about finding permanent, paid work where he can help houseless youths find their footing.
“You can talk to young people and give them inspiration,” he said. “They still got life ahead of them.”
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