PORTLAND, Ore. — More immigrant families are migrating to Portland at an unsustainable rate. Mothers like Jamie, who has a 4-month-old daughter, said they were told Portland is a city where they could find available jobs and housing. However, when they arrived, many were handed tents and sleeping bags instead.
“I’m asking for help, and no one is helping,” Jamie said in Spanish.
Resources for families in Multnomah County are at capacity, so families like Jamie’s end up homeless. “Please help me and be compassionate with us and with my baby, who is too little to be bearing these cold temperatures on the street. Truly, please help,” she said in Spanish.
“They told us that that it's a sanctuary place and we could have a better life for our family, a job, refuge,” added another immigrant, Andres Beliz.
“We are working very hard to provide support and shelter for families,” said Rachel Pearl, deputy director of Multnomah County Human Services. Hers is the group county chair Jessica Vega Pederson tasked with responding to these arriving immigrants.
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“We're working in partnership to ensure that families who arrive understand what resources are available — there really isn't a coordinated entry process at this point in time,” Pearl said.
KGW found that what ends up happening is immigrant families arrive at the airport, often from elsewhere in the U.S., then head to a nearby motel where they are given a list of shelters — many with long waitlists — and they are then handed tents and sleeping bags. Multnomah County officials do not track the number of arriving immigrant families.
“We're working in partnership to ensure that families who arrive understand what resources are available — there really isn't a coordinated entry process at this point in time,” Pearl said. “Overall, I think this is a resource around family shelter issues."
There are currently three family-specific shelters in Multnomah County. The waitlists are more than six months long. Though there are shelters in the county with more capacity, they're not always the most equipped or appropriate for families with young kids.
“So, we have limited resources — we are supporting as many families as we can with the limited resources that we have while we look to a longer solution. That's the situation we're in right now,” Pearl said.
On Wednesday, students at a Portland trade school built a temporary shelter for two families, including Jamie's.
Numerous groups are trying to help these immigrant families, including the Asylum Seeker Solidarity Collective. A spokesperson for the group told KGW that they are currently in touch with seven families with minor children sleeping in cars or outside.
A spokesperson for the Salvation Army sent KGW the following statement:
"The Salvation Army is committed to assisting individuals and families in need no matter where they come from. Our Outreach team has connected with the two families near the Hugo shelter, providing them with clean clothes, warm coats, and other essential supplies. The team is actively working to find appropriate shelter options for them, though there are limited beds currently available for families in Portland. Cold weather shelters will open soon, allowing us to continue connecting unsheltered individuals with resources across the community."
Multnomah County officials are focused on trying to help and house all homeless families — including immigrants. They said it's not solely their responsibility to respond to what is a national crisis, and that they look to the state for help as well. On Thursday, Governor Tina Kotek's office declined KGW's interview request.