Street Roots takes a deep look at ways the region could feasibly, quickly and effectively address the crises on our streets in a compassionate and responsive way
Costly police resources are dispatched again and again to handle low-priority calls for service involving people experiencing homelessness and behavioral health issues. In this special report, Street Roots explores how these issues are being responded to currently, as well as how we can build a better system.
Until a better street response is implemented – if the trends of the past 30 years continue – additional lives will be lost during police interactions on Portland streets, and thousands of arrests and prosecutions involving low-level livability crimes will be inflicted upon the city’s homeless population. [Read more]
We've compiled information about the teams that are called upon to solve public safety concerns and medical issues that arise among people experiencing homelessness in Portland. [Read more]
(Click or tap the image to download a PDF of this resource.)
We lay out a feasible plan for the future of crisis and nuisance intervention in public spaces: a non-law-enforcement system of six vans teamed with a specially trained firefighter-EMT and peer support specialist dispatched through both 911 and non-emergency channels.
(Click or tap the image to download a PDF of our plan. This is an updated version of our original plan.)
A solution and pathway have presented themselves. Now all that’s needed is political will. [Read more]
We need a sense of urgency, says Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand. In the worst of moments, these are issues of life and death. [Read more]
A better response to people on Portland's streets might be the linchpin to creating the space for more effective policing. [Read more]
Street Roots is launching a campaign for a better first response to crises and behavioral health issues on Portland's streets. [Read more at portlandstreetresponse.org]
Street Roots publishes a report with the findings of surveying 184 people experiencing homelessness to inform the design of the Portland Street Response. [Read more]
