Mayor Wilson gives update on homelessness, vows more shelter beds coming

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On Tuesday, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson told the city council he is still focused on the goal of providing 1,500 overnight shelter beds for the homeless by December.

So far, only 630 beds are ready. However, he told the city council that more shelters are opening. He said he’s also looking into more alternatives, including using empty Airbnbs, empty beds in adult care facilities and using more private providers.

“We will always have overnight shelters, life-saving beds for everybody,” Wilson told the city council. “They’re never going to be exited to the street. And that’s what we have been working on for the last seven months, is adding capacity so we never have to use the street as a destination.”

Mayor Wilson’s staff told councilors that since February, the city has not been enforcing the no-camping ban on city streets. They said a big reason for that is that there needs to be shelter beds available.

Right now, there are an estimated 7,000 people unsheltered in Multnomah County — meaning sleeping outside or in a car.

The mayor’s update on Tuesday got some pushback from city council members who want more enforcement of the camping ban on city streets and more permanent camp cleanups as more shelter is made available.