PORTLAND, Ore. — Homelessness will be one of the big topics this election year. KGW is talking with each candidate running for Portland mayor to see how they plan to address the problem.
This week, we sat down with Keith Wilson, a longtime Portlander, the CEO and president of Titan Freight Systems and the founder of the nonprofit called Shelter Portland.
Wilson believes he has what it takes to revitalize what he calls a dying Rose City.
Below is the Q&A between reporter Blair Best and Keith Wilson. It’s been lightly edited for clarity.
Wilson: The livability is plummeting, and it has been for many, many years. That’s being shown through all of the businesses that are moving out and the population that is leaving as well, and without us, really being able to care for our community members in our downtown core that migration is going to consider, and it’s only going to continue to harm our city because as those businesses leave, and the community members, they leave, and they take all of their jobs with them.
Best: On your campaign website, it says you plan to end homelessness in Portland within your first year as mayor. How do you plan to do that?
Wilson: So, on January 1, the first thing I do is I’m going to promote a public safety emergency, and in so doing, we are going to immediately begin marshaling all of the private public partnerships, whether it's churches, and as mayor, I’ll have access to hundreds of facilities — whether it's community centers — and we’ll start bringing that group that I’ve developed of experts together. Within 30 days, we’ll have a plan developed, and then, we are going to start standing up nighttime walk-in emergency shelters.
Best: What will make your plan different from what’s already been done?
Wilson: So, the plan that I’m proposing is being used not only in communities nearby like Boise, but it’s being used in Philadelphia. They have mostly nighttime walk-in emergency shelters … So, if there’s 4,000 souls in Portland, we’re going to need 4,000 beds almost overnight. Now, it doesn’t necessarily mean everybody is going to come from outside in, but by doing so, we immediately get to enforce our codes which are there is no camping, no makeshift shelters.
Best: How do you plan to open say 4,000 new shelter beds overnight?
Wilson: So, you bring the community together. As mayor, I’ll have access to all the city assets, whether it's community centers. We saw it happen just a month ago when we had our severe weather storm; we had 4,000 souls living on the street and we opened up 12 facilities overnight … Each one of the shelters I’m proposing costs zero. They are existing facilities; you just repurpose at night.
Best: Saying it will cost zero dollars is somewhat ambitious. These overnight shelters will have to be staffed at some point.
Wilson: Right, yeah, interesting you say that. So, the shelter that United Gospel Mission has — that’s being housed at the church of Nazarene where Shelter Portland is providing financial assistance, $15.55 per night per person. A safe rest village costs $189 per person per night. United Gospel Mission and Church of Nazarene with Shelter Portland’s financial assistance is sheltering and caring for people tonight at 8% of the cost of what the city is doing.
Best: How do you plan to approach the people that choose to live outside?
Wilson: That’s their — sit-lie law will confirm their behavior. If they want to live on a sidewalk, exposed to the elements, that’s their right. But by code, they should not be in a tent.
Best: So, would you call for no more groups to hand out tents?
Wilson: I would hope that that will be the case. I will, as mayor, make sure the city is not and the county shouldn’t. Why would we do that?
Best: Under your leadership, will camp removals continue?
Wilson: So, the first 90 days, once we announce that we’re ending unsheltered homelessness, we’ll give everybody a 90-day notice and start reunifying them, but at that 91st day, we will remove all the encampments because it’s illegal. It’s against our codes, but we will have a shelter for everybody.
Best: City can only do so much in their response to homelessness. You need to also rely on your relationship with the county. How do you, if elected, plan to approach that relationship with the county?
Wilson: Ok let's talk about our two different roles. The city is in charge of infrastructure, public safety, and right of way, and that's why we are declaring the public safety emergency. We care for our community members because 400 people are going to die this year on the street, that is a public safety emergency. That's the city.
The county — they primarily focus on human service, social services, behavioral health that's what their success if for. So now, we are actually in our lanes, and so while during the day, we have our day shelters we are going to heavily rely on the county to do what they do well, which is human services, providing that linkage to drug treatment, behavioral health treatment and other social services … Chair Jessica Vega Pederson has been a good friend. She's always been there to help me in my projects, and I've always been there to help her in her projects. I don't see that changing at all. I trust her; she's a very sharp person, but she's under pressure.
Best: You’ve also said you are driven by a love for the community to deliver real change for Portland?
Wilson: Absolutely.
Best: Is a love for the community really enough to deliver the change that Portland needs?
Wilson: You know, love is absolutely what I have for the community, and those individuals on the streets are my high school classmates. I do the point-in-time count — the Multnomah County homeless census. Last year, I ran into a high school classmate; that's love … I’m not giving up. I’m not helpless, I’m taking action, and I’m asking every community member in Portland to join in this action. Together, we can end unsheltered homelessness in a low-cost, flexible and immediate fashion — that’s love.
KGW has extended the invitation to other mayoral candidates as well. Here’s our interview from earlier this month with Commissioner Mingus Mapps. Interviews with Commissioner Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio are coming later this month.