It seems like only the people who are either unhoused or who do direct
action and support with unhoused communities, notice these things and
are outraged by them. I am grateful to see Zack's email questioning
the ongoing malfeasance by our city government who claims to have
"solutions" when absolutely no one in the unhoused community and their
support teams agree with those solutions.  Housing First is not a
catch phrase. It's a reality that would save lives. Now. Immediately.
And 27 million dollars could and should house as many people from the
street as possible and as soon as possible. These PR stunts from the
city and from nonprofit orgs who kiss ass to the city and PBA in order
to collect their cash off of the lives of the unhoused must continue
to get called out. If I, and many of my friends, could shut down every
NP that pays its admin while doing nothing for the unhoused, maybe
we'd get somewhere. We could channel the money that these NPs take for
themselves--and companies like People's Housing Project, which is a
corporation, not an NP, using the trauma of unhoused people to get
donations so that the staff of PHP can pay their own rent--well,
imagine how much money we'd have then to further house folks on the
street. Instead, NPs boast how great they're doing, when 'great'
equals how much they pay themselves while housing no one.  And on top
of that, NPs are so quick, like Jan of the Alternative Shelter
Network, to praise NPs who are knowingly causing harm to their
residents, as is the case at the MSRV with Andy Goebel's team. By the
way, they're trying to evict the victim of a stalker at the MSRV while
keeping the stalker, who is also a resident, in place. Way to go with
your praises for Andy, Jan or is it, Karen?

PR is not new. When we don't call it out and change it, PR wins. And
unhoused people lose. Losing for unhoused people means more suffering,
trauma and the likely potential of early death on the streets. Are you
for PR or are you for housing? I'd like to see every single NP stand
up to the PBA and Wheeler and the city council cronies and attack this
PR for what it is. The money needs to go to housing. All of it.
Including the money that JOHS still has from a few years ago that we
all voted for to be used for HOUSING! There are hundreds of millions
of dollars in the city allocated for housing the unhoused, not for
internment camps.  It's time the NPs stop being selfish and
narcissistic and do something good and something real and something
worthy and responsible for people living on the streets. But I won't
hold my breath. I've been around longer than most of you fighting this
and the city. I've seen this game for years. NPs will protect
themselves over the unhoused. Just like Andy Goebels did in his
response to my email a few days ago calling out the situation going on
at his MSRV regarding stalking. And Jan, too, from ASN who apologized
and protected Andy Goebel whose SRV is allowing harm, not safety, to
an unhoused BIPOC woman. Are NPs just another way for "Karens" to make
a living? Yeah. Most of them. Accountability matters here. And there
is none. Most NPs won't stand up to Wheeler and the PBA. Gotta tow the
line to make a dime, right?

What are all of these NPs doing to house the houseless? Or are
shelters your game and not housing. Shelter, not housing, is not the
way to respond to the housing crisis. We see you. Every one of you.

Mimi

On Thu, Nov 17, 2022 at 12:31 AM <zackluispatterson@...> wrote:
>
> I am new to this forum, but not to serving the unhoused in Portland and after today’s meeting I am left wondering: why are unelected officials fielding and wholly moderating a government-hosted public discussion around the biggest hot-button issue in local politics? Why was Dan Ryan not in attendance? Why was there 0 representation from people living in SRVs?
>