Now to tonight's big story.
There is no question Portland
is facing a homeless crisis.
We see it everyday.
One way to help tackle the issue.
Local government is throwing millions
of dollars into emergency shelter beds.
But here's the thing,
existing shelters aren't even full.
Here's investigative reporter Kylie boshi.
Despite a record number of people living
in tents and RV's throughout Portland,
KGW investigation found hundreds of shelter
rooms and beds aren't being used in June.
Publicly supported shelters in Multnomah
County had an occupancy rate of 81%,
according to the Joint
Office of Homeless Services.
The county has a total of
roughly 1400 shelter units,
which means on any given night,
roughly 264 spaces are vacant.
I prefer to be outside.
Because that
way I can get up and move and
I can sleep in a nice area,
Portlanders, Timothy Varner,
and Dave Cooper prefer to sleep
outside at Seawall Crest Park.
I like my freedom.
I don't wanna go in there.
To a shelter and.
Ohh you gotta sign in and sign out
and do this do that and like now.
Shelters just aren't a viable option.
The men say because there's no
privacy, they don't like the
curfew and worry about safety.
You're sleeping right next to a person
that you have no idea who they are,
and you know they might roll over.
They might have bugs, they might,
you know, pee over them, so whatever.
Publicly funded shelter beds can include
both traditional sleeping spaces
and alternative units such as small
tiny homes or converted motel rooms.
In June 13, shelters in Multnomah
County had occupancy rates below 75%.
For example, Walnut Park
shelter had occupancy of 55%,
which means on average,
27 of the shelters 60 beds were
not used on any given night.
The Northeast Portland shelter serves men,
women and couples by providing
bunk beds with space to leave.
Belongings during the day.
Ideally we would
like shelters to be at 100% utilization.
We also realize that that is
not going to be the average
norm. Shannon Singleton is the
interim director of the Joint
Office of Homeless Services.
She explained some beds might sit empty
because they've been reserved for the
night and the person didn't show up.
Many shelters operate on a reservation
system similar to a restaurant or a hotel.
They don't make people line
up at the door anymore,
so this system means that if
we put somebody on a wait list,
they get assigned to bed.
We give them time to show up,
so there are going to be nights
where the beds assigned to somebody,
but then they may not show up that very
night or right away to take that bed,
but they can the next day.
Many people experiencing homelessness
have expressed skepticism with shelters,
no doors. No, but no walls,
no doors, no nothing.
Couldn't do it.
A statewide survey of the homeless
found the biggest issues with shelters,
personal safety concerns, personal privacy,
restrictive check in and check out times,
and overcrowding and unsanitary conditions.
A 2017 KGW investigation titled 10
city identified similar concerns after
surveying 100 people living in tents.
Given a choice tonight,
would you rather sleep
here in a shelter?
Probably here less
people, less headaches.
89% said they'd rather stay
in a tent over a shelter.
Michael Brunner sprawling tent encampment,
sits next to Edwards Elementary
in Southeast Portland.
The 54 year old Portlander said
he prefers living in outdoor
conditions even during the cold,
wet winter months.
I think that shelters are temporary
and there's too much stimulation.
I might function autistic
and I just couldn't.
It's not something for me.
Too much going on
nationwide. The number of shelter
beds has remained relatively flat,
although occupancy rates have
declined 73% of shelter.
Beds were occupied in 2021,
down from 82% in 2020,
according to a federal report.
Community leaders and advocates have
pushed to increase the supply of
shelter beds for people experiencing
homelessness in Portland, in June.
Multnomah County approved a record
budget for the upcoming year,
including $130,000,000 for
shelters and outreach.
The
resolution is adopted.
So how do you justify that increased
funding increased capacity when
existing shelters are not full?
I think the way that we operate shelter
makes it really conducive to how people
are able to access the space folks
are on waitlists for all sorts of
reasons and from all sorts of places.
It doesn't mean we can find them right away,
and we shouldn't just skip them.
Advocates admit creating more
shelter beds doesn't necessarily
mean people will use them.
Instead, the government and
nonprofits running shelters.
Need to make them more accommodating by
offering more privacy and alternative
settings like sleeping pods.
Many shelters allow pets allow
residents to stay for extended periods
of time and let them securely store
their belongings during the day.
Several people experiencing homelessness
told KGW there should be less
emphasis on emergency shelters and
more focus on affordable housing,
mental health and drug treatment.
And I mean, I just think that if they
focus more on prevention instead of post,
what do we do now? It could turn around.
It's the only way I could turn around.
Housing advocates agree.
Shelters are only one piece of the
puzzle in helping to curb homelessness.
The question is how to make that
piece fit when a lot of people just
aren't willing to go into shelters.
Kyle Aboshi KGW news.