DYING
DYING IN
DYING IN OUR STREETS FOR THAT VERY REASON.
VERY REASON. AND THAT BRINGS US TO OUR BIG
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. >>
STORY. >> IT REALLY IS JUST A HORRIFIC
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. >>
STORY. >> IT'S ALMOST DIFFICULT TO
TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BUT
CONSIDERING THE MAGNITUDE
OF OUR HOMELESS CRISIS, I THINK
IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT
THOUSANDS OF OUR NEIGHBORS FACE
EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.
WHILE MOST OF US ARE SITTING
WARM IN OUR BEDS SEE YOU ON
TUESDAY.
TUESDAY.
TUESDAY. A MAN NAMED DAVE DIED ON A
SIDEWALK IN BENBOE.
HE WAS HOMELESS.
HE WAS A DOUBLE AMPUTEE AND HE
COULDN'T GET INTO A SHELTER.
I MEAN EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED NOW
HOMELESS ADVOCATES ARE WORRIED
WHAT HAPPENED TO DAVE WILL
HAPPEN AGAIN.
HAPPEN AGAIN. AND IN MORE PLACES, HERE'S
MAGGIE VESTRE.
MAGGIE VESTRE. >> THE MORNING THAT I GOT NEWS
OF HIS PASSING.
I CRIED.
I CRIED.
I CRIED. WE WERE TRYING TO GET HIM THE
HELP THAT HE NEEDED AND IT WAS
JUST TOO LATE.
>> A MAN DIED SLEEPING ON A
COLD SIDEWALK THIS WEEK.
IT HAPPENED IN BEND AND PEOPLE
THERE ARE HEARTBROKEN.
MANY NEW DAVE AND HAD TRIED TO
HELP.
HELP.
HELP. MELODY HORNER STARTED THIS
GOFUNDME PAGE TO PAY FOR A
HOTEL ROOM.
HOTEL ROOM. BUT SHE SAYS A LOCAL HOTELS
WOULDN'T TAKE HIM BECAUSE HE
DIDN'T HAVE AN I.D. IT WAS
REALLY TOUGH TO LEAVE THEM
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. AND NOT HAVE A SOLUTION FOR
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. >>
HIM. >> DAVE, A DOUBLE AMPUTEE, WAS
FOUND DEAD ON TUESDAY.
THE COLD WINDY WEATHER
APARENTLY A KEY FACTOR.
ASK ADVOCATES IN BEND HOW THIS
COULD HAPPEN AND THEY'RE PRETTY
BLUNT.
BLUNT.
BLUNT. THERE'S LIMITED RESOURCES.
THERE'S LIMITED BED
AVAILABILITY.
AVAILABILITY. HE WAS ON EVERY WAITLIST
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. THE DIRE PROBLEM OF LIMITED
RESOURCES IS ONE PLAGUING
SEVERAL COMMUNITIES INCLUDING
THE PORTLAND AREA.
>> MULTNOMAH COUNTY IN
PARTICULAR HAS ALWAYS TOUTED
HAVING ENOUGH BEDS FOR THE
AREA'S HOMELESS.
AREA'S HOMELESS. WHEN SEVERE WEATHER HITS.
BUT THE PANDEMIC HAS BROUGHT
THEIR NORMALLY RELIABLE SYSTEM
CRUMBLING TO THE GROUND.
CRAMMING PEOPLE INTO CROWDED
ROOMS IS NO LONGER AN OPTION.
AND AMID HISTORIC UNEMPLOYMENT
THE RATE OF HOMELESSNESS
APPEARS TO BE RISING BECAUSE
OF COVIDE.
OF COVIDE. >> NINETEEN WE CANNOT GUARANTEE
THAT EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT WILL
HAVE A SHELTER ON THE WORST
NIGHTS OF THE YEAR.
>> LATE LAST MONTH OFFICIALS
SOUNDED AN UNPRECEDENTED ALARM
BEGGING THE PUBLIC FOR QUOTE
ANY LARGE OPEN SPACE A
GYMNASIUM CAFETERIA, A LARGE
MEETING HALL, A BALLROOM AND
THIS WEEK THE COLOMBIAN
REPORTED OFFICIALS IN CLARK
COUNTY ARE IN THE SAME BOAT
SEARCHING FOR ENOUGH SEVERE
WEATHER SHELTER SPACES TO HOUSE
EVERYONE LIVING ON THE STREETS
IN AND AROUND VANCOUVER ALL THE
WHILE TEMPERATURES ARE
DROPPING.
DROPPING.
DROPPING. >> AND TUESDAY OFFICIALS WORST
FEARS WERE REALIZED IN BEND
WITH THE STORY OF A MAN DYING
WHILE HE WAITED FOR A SHELTER
BED.
BED.
BED. THURSDAY I CALLED THE
SPOKESPERSON FOR THE JOINT
OFFICE OF HOMELESS SERVICES AND
HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.
WE HEARD CHAIR FOR HIS PLEAS
AND THE MAYOR'S PLEAS AND
LOOKING FOR PUBLIC SPACE.
SO WHAT IS THE UPDATE THOUGH?
>> THERE'S BEEN A LOT GOOD
CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF OUR
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND WE'VE
ACTUALLY HAD SEVERAL DOZEN
LEADS COME THROUGH FOR
BUILDING.
BUILDING.
BUILDING. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS
FOLKS ARE LOOKING AT THOSE DO
THEY ACTUALLY FIT THE CRITERIA
THAT WE HAVE SET OUT?
WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED?
WHO OWNS THEM?
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
AND SITE VISITS ARE HAPPENING.
SO DENNIS THE RALF'S SAID
PORTLANDERS SHOULD EXPECT NEWS
ON THAT FRONT SOON IN CLARK
COUNTY OFFICIALS SAID THEY'RE
WORKING TO FIND MORE SPACE TO
LEANING ON CHURCHES AND MOTEL
VOUCHERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
>> THE MOTIVE STILL IS ON A
COLD NIGHT.
COLD NIGHT. DO YOU THINK THAT THERE WILL BE
PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL IN NEED
OF SHELTER WHO CAN'T GET IT?
>> PROBABLY.
>> PROBABLY. >> ALL RIGHT.
A COUPLE OF RESOURCES HERE FOR
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP IN
MULTNOMAH COUNTY TO DONATE
ITEMS EITHER IN PERSON OR JUST
BUY THEM ONLINE VIA AN AMAZON
SHOPPING LIST.
SHOPPING LIST. YOU CAN HEAD TO TWO ONE ONE
INFO DOT ORG SLASH DONATIONS IN
CLARK COUNTY TO DONATE WARM
CLOTHING, SLEEPING BAGS, SOCKS
AND SO ON.
YOU CAN VISIT THE COUNCIL FOR
THE HOMELESS HOUSING SOLUTIONS
CENTER THAT ADDRESSES THERE ON
ANDRIESSEN ROAD.
ANDRIESSEN ROAD. YOU CAN DROPPINGS OFF NINE TO
FIVE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AND
DAN PER USUAL WILL HAVE ALL
THAT INFO AT KGW DOT COM FOR
PEOPLE JUST JUST FOR A SECOND.
SPEAKING OF HELPING SO MANY
PEOPLE WHO GET TONS OF FEEDBACK
AFTER YOUR STORY YESTERDAY, A
LOT OF PEOPLE REMOVED WERE
MOVED BY THAT IT WAS VETERANS
DAY OF COURSE AND YOU FOCUSED
ON HOMELESS VETERANS.
>> I WANT TO READ ONE OF THE
TWEETS THAT WE GOT A VIEWER
WROTE.
WROTE.
WROTE. THIS STORY BROKE MY HEART.
I GUESS MANY AVERAGE FOLKS LIKE
ME ARE WONDERING HOW TO HELP.
SO DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR
PEOPLE WHO ARE WONDERING THAT
SAME THING RIGHT NOW?
>> I KNOW THAT TWEET WAS JUST
WONDERFUL.
WONDERFUL. LET'S SEE.
LET'S SEE. YES.
YES.
YES. ONE
YES. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AND YOU
MIGHT HAVE SEEN TRANISITION
PROJECTS.
PROJECTS.
PROJECTS. THE GROUP THAT WE WERE
FOLLOWING YESTERDAY ACTUALLY
RESPONDED TO THAT VIEWER ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER.
TWITTER. IT WAS AWESOME AND THEY
RESPONDED WITH THIS WEB SITE.
IT'S T PROJECTS DOT ORG LIKE
TRANSITION PROJECTS T PROJECTS
DOT ORG.
DOT ORG.
DOT ORG. THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN GO ALSO TO
DONATE ITEMS TO VOLUNTEER TO
HELP THOSE VETERANS.
I SHOULD POINT OUT IT'S ALSO
WHERE YOU CAN GO TO SIGN UP TO
HELP RUN LOCAL SHELTERS THIS
WINTER.
WINTER.
WINTER. THE COUNTY TOLD ME THEY'RE
DESPERATELY IN NEED OF MORE
VOLUNTEERS TO HELP RUN THOSE
SHELTERS AS WELL.
AND THEN DAN, I ALSO WANT TO
POINT OUT WE ALSO GOT AN EMAIL
FROM ONE OF OUR VIEWERS ASKING
ABOUT ONE OF THE VETERANS IN
OUR PIECE IN PARTICULAR LAST
NIGHT HEARD THE ARMY VETERAN
MIGHT REMEMBER IN OUR PIECE HE
TOLD US THAT HIS SUPPORT DOG
HAS TO WEIGH THIS HERE AND ONE
OF OUR VIEWERS WANTED TO KNOW
IF SHE COULD HELP GET HIM A NEW
DOG.
DOG.
DOG. THAT
DOG. THAT WAS ONE OF THE SWEETEST
THINGS THAT EVER SEEN COME TO
OUR EMAIL AND I WROTE HER BACK
AND I JUST WANT TO TELL
EVERYBODY AND HE'S THERE ALSO
WONDERING I ASKED CURT ABOUT
GETTING A NEW DOG.
HE SAID HE'S JUST NOT EMOTIONAL
THERE YET.
THERE YET. HE'S NOT SURE IF HE'S EVER
GOING TO GET ONE.
BUT AT LEAST DEFINITELY NOT
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. BUT YOU KNOW, YOU AND I KNOW
THIS OUR VIEWERS ARE
INCREDIBLE.
INCREDIBLE. AND THAT EMAIL WAS JUST FURTHER
PROOF OF SO THANK YOU TO ALL
OF OUR