Portland is a great city unless you are one of people who lack access to life's most basic resources.
Portland ranks high in fitness, number of bicyclists per capita, and number of nonprofits. It also ranks high on best eateries, has a great art community, nice parks and walking trails.
Portland also ranks among the worst for hunger, homelessness, sex trafficking and strip clubs.
The I-5 and I-84 corridors contribute to the problem.
Many small businesses and nonprofits work diligently to help bridge the gap by providing needed funding and resources to help those who need it most. However help does not always reach that population for a variety of reasons.
Athough motorists see many who purport to be homeless it is difficult to determine legitimate need.
Compassion fatigue occurs when nice people get worn out. Others have become jaded because of a bad experience.
Here are a few recommendations to help vulnerable persons improve resilience:
1. Broker cooperative agreements with officials to plant and maintain edible landscape on public lands for public benefit. Allow persons in need to glean or work alongside others to obtain food.
2. Provide neighborhood distribution centers through a designated "caring house" similar to the old block house program in cooperation with the existing neighborhood association. Alternately, many neighborhoods have access to a locked storage unit from which resources could be distributed on set hours and days around the city on a referral or walk-in basis
3. Improve access to free mobile medical and dental clinics to vulnerable populations.
4. Create a safety net within the City through open dialogue and public education and circulate the information to about safe places to businesses, churches, schools and nonprofits.
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