PORTLAND, Ore. — A medical clinic in Northeast Portland that offers addiction treatment services doesn't have to look far to find potential clients. The area outside the facility is described as a hangout spot for homeless people — many of whom are trying to get a bed inside the center. Neighbors describe drug use happening outside at all hours of the day.
The Blackburn Center off of Northeast 122nd Avenue and East Burnside Street is run by Central City Concern. The agency said it's “very aware there is occasional drug use outside the Blackburn Center, much like there is increased drug use throughout the entire city of Portland.”
“Oh yeah, I’ve tried to get in here a few times. It’s really difficult because it’s backed up,” said a man who goes by Sunny, who was smoking meth outside the front doors. He said he's already been through detox six times.
“When I get out, I have nowhere else to go, so I come back here and get high again eventually,” he said.
The area has become a drug hub that’s affecting neighbors like Julie English, who lives a few streets down. She drives past the center several times a week to visit her son.
“I think it’s horrible, you know, they’re supposed to treat people for drugs and it's available to them right outside. It shouldn’t be there at all,” English said. She said she has a friend whose son uses fentanyl, and he goes to the area around the center to get it.
Just across the street from the center is the Menlo Park Safe Rest Village, and many of the people camping outside the Blackburn Center said they'd like to get into the transitional housing facility. But just like at the center, getting a referral to gain access isn't easy.
“There’s a long waiting list. There’s a lot of people who need places to live,” said Sunny, who said he's among those who would like to move into the Menlo Park village.
“It angers me to think that the drug treatment center is not policing their building correctly,” said English.
Central City Concern said in a statement the organization has good neighbor agreements in place and its leaders "work diligently with our neighbors, the Home and Neighbors Association, law enforcement, the Neighborhood Response Team, TriMet, and staff to provide as safe and welcoming environment as possible for all visiting the Blackburn Center and deter activity as much as possible.”
The center also has its own security to mitigate open-air drug use, and staff at the site told KGW the problem is getting better — but there’s only so much they can do. It all points back to an overarching problem in Portland: a lack of addiction services.
Last month — and after many heated discussions — Multnomah County commissioners approved more than $26 million for behavioral health, stabilization, and housing, $10 million of which is going toward withdrawal management and sobering capital capacity — the services Sunny said he's waiting for.