PORTLAND, Ore. — Jeff McAllister considers himself an old-timer when it comes to surviving on the streets. He’s 50 years old and has been homeless on and off for much of his life. He prefers to sleep in business loading docks as opposed to a tent, something he says homeless people did “back in the day.”
Lately he's been spending his nights in an industrial area in Northwest Portland, but McAllister said there's a place he'd rather be: Portland's first Temporary Alternative Shelter Site, the large-scale sanctioned homeless village near where the MAX Orange Line crosses Southeast Powell Boulevard. The site isn't full, but McAllister said it's been difficult for him to get in.
“I’ve called them and of course they take the name and the number and no calls back,” he said. “I’m just worried. I’m worried about my health and I’m actually kind of losing my head out here a little,” he added, referring to the dangers on the streets and his addiction to alcohol.
Portland has contracted the California-based group Urban Alchemy to run the site. Homeless people must have a referral to move in, but in order for them to get that referral, one of Portland's 30 navigation outreach workers has to find them. That's a challenge for McAllister, who tries to keep a low profile.
“I try not to be seen much. I’ve always tried to be one of them sneaky homeless guys,” he explained.
The site has been open since late July. As of this week, 134 people are living there and it has room for 45 more. Officials told KGW that 40 residents are close to moving out and into permanent housing, which means even more beds could soon open.
“If they're not filling that place up, I think they're actually cheating the city of Portland,” said McAllister. “I don't want to die out on the streets."
A spokesperson for the mayor's office said only five people are allowed to move in each day, and that they're checking their system to see if they've ever connected with McAllister.
Urban Alchemy told KGW that "they’re doing everything they can to get people off the streets and into the site."
A KGW crew visited the site on Wednesday and found that there didn't seem to be widespread or clear knowledge of how to actually get off the streets and inside. Security guards could be seen outside the site, but when one homeless man showed up and asked how to get inside, the person working the gate told him they didn't know, and they had only been instructed to watch the gate.
“I was hoping I’d get a chance to get in just by coming down talking to whoever you talk to,” said the homeless man, Eric Forsgren.
He said he had helped a friend — who had a referral — move into the site on Wednesday, but wasn't able to get clear information for himself. He sat outside the gates in a wheelchair as the rain slowly started to pick up. Workers at the camp eventually gave him a number to call.
“It's just been a paper process … it doesn't seem to happen. It seems like a pipe dream,” he said.
A city spokesperson said the need and demand for the site is far outweighing its capacity. City staff have already finalized the location for a second site, and will be announcing that one soon. The city aims to open four more down the road.