Rene has fought to keep our public spaces clear and accessible for all, earning the support of Portland’s disabled community. He has fought to stop enabling the humanitarian crisis on our streets by ending the distribution of tents and drug kits. Rene supported temporary alternative shelter sites and safe rest villages when it wasn’t popular; they are working and remain a cornerstone of his plan for homelessness. As Mayor, Rene will continue fighting to help people off the streets and into shelters and services.
- Homelessness should be a temporary and rare experience in Portland. Together we can and should work to build a system that catches those who fall through the cracks and offers help and services to those in need.
- The overall health of our city has suffered in recent years. The Covid pandemic and fentanyl crisis created serious challenges for our community, setting back efforts to end homelessness. The community impacts of unsanctioned camping and open drug use must be addressed in a meaningful way that is fair to all Portlanders. Rene believes that unless we course-correct, we risk our broader goals in the long term. If we don’t recover as a city, we can’t make progress on ending homelessness.
- This means working to keep public spaces clear and accessible for all by helping people off our streets and into shelter and services. It also means supporting temporary shelter sites and wraparound services, as well as establishing new and broader pathways to housing and treatment services that work.
- We also should take steps to prevent further migratory homelessness from coming to Portland. Simply put, we must enforce clear rules related to camping and drug use. While never abandoning compassion, we must end the culture of enablement in the region as we work to house every Portlander.