PORTLAND, Ore. — Each morning like clockwork, Tristin Morgenroth chops firewood, fills his burn barrel and stokes a small warming fire under the Morrison Bridge. It’s the only way he knows how to stay warm while living on the street.
On Tuesday, a similar warming fire got out of control at a nearby camp, killing several dogs, burning tents and tarps in the process.
“That was pretty bad,” said Morgenroth. “Propane canisters were lighting off ... people had to stay back.”
The large fire was what Portland’s newest city Commissioner Rene Gonzalez said prompted him to put an immediate ban on the distribution of homeless tents and tarps from groups that fall under the public safety bureaus he manages.
“I’d like to see him come out here and try to survive without tarps,” Morgenroth said of the ban.
The decision comes as each city bureau is under review to see if they are supporting Mayor Ted Wheeler's $27 million plan to ban unsanctioned homeless camping and build large, sanctioned campsites instead.
Through the review, they found that the outreach group Portland Street Response, which Commissioner Gonzalez oversees, has been handing out roughly 1,200 tents and tarps over the course of a year.
“Again, it’s a broader subject to move from unsanctioned to sanctioned camping and what are we doing to support it,” said Gonzalez.
He also cited the dangers of homeless campfires. He said recent data shows more than 30 percent of the deaths from fires in Portland are homeless people. Portland Fire has been called to tent and tarp-related fires more than 1,000 times over the last two years. Gonzalez is encouraging people to use warming centers instead.
KGW asked him if the city has enough warming centers to handle the number of homeless people in Portland.
“Anybody who wants a spot in a warming center will have a spot. Even if that means we have to go over fire code in terms of maximum occupancy in extreme cold events,” he responded.
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While the commissioner’s ban on handing out tents and tarps only applies to groups that fall under the public safety bureaus he manages. It doesn’t mean it won’t affect other organizations across the city — like Hygiene4All, a nonprofit and lifeline for homeless people on the central east side.
“It’s just another punch to the gut,” said Sandra Comstock, who runs Hygiene4All.
She sees hundreds of homeless people every week asking for help staying warm, and with this new ban she's expecting that number to grow. She already can't keep up with the current demand and argues the city should use the $27 million set aside for the mayor's mass encampments to support the homeless in other ways, like housing them in vacant apartments.
“I think people need a place and deserve a place to rest their heads and to be safe from the elements, especially when it’s this cold out,” she said.
Tents and tarps have been a point of controversy for the city for some time now. Several months ago, a group of Portlanders with mobility disabilities sued the city over tents and tarps blocking ADA access on the sidewalks. The attorney behind that case met with the city just hours before Gonzalez made this announcement.
Whether city bureaus are taking steps to support the transition to sanctioned campsites or not, none of the six planned sites have opened as yet. City officials just identified the first potential site earlier this week.