PORTLAND, Ore. — On Thursday morning, homeless people staying in the grass where South Corbett Avenue meets Woods Street reluctantly packed up their things. Portland camps removal crews were there and gave them one hour before stepping in.
The site has received ongoing attention from the city's camp removal teams for months, and they've cleared it twice in the past two weeks.
"It makes me feel like people think I have no value," said Amber, who has been removed from the site but keeps returning. "I've been moved from this spot about twice."
Amber and others who camp there said the area is what they consider a good place to stay. It's on the outskirts of downtown, across the street from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) and near Oregon Health & Science University.
"I don't know. It seems homely. There's not a lot of people," said Christine as she sat with her dog inside a muggy RV. She's been staying there for two years. "It's kind of like, you know your neighborhood — how you would feel in your home or your neighborhood."
Their makeshift "neighborhood" is where private developer and WDC Properties CEO Mark Madden wants to build affordable housing.
"If we can't guarantee that safe and secure environment, we can't build," Madden said. "Quite frankly, everyone's scared in the area."
Last month, a KGW crew heard similar safety concerns from NUNM students.
For two years, Madden and his team have been waiting to build on a lot surrounded by the homeless camp that keeps coming back despite the city's efforts to remove it. For some homeless people, like Bo, who lives in an old school bus, that's on purpose.
"It's almost gotten to be like a little war with the guy. It's almost like I feel like coming back just to spite him," Bo said of Madden.
"As soon as the city makes a decision to actually act and take them away from this area permanently, then we can go ahead and build," Madden said.
A spokesperson for mayor Ted Wheeler office sent KGW the following statement, saying:
"The block has received ongoing attention from our outreach and removal teams. The Impact Reduction Program has conducted seven risk assessments with the most recent on 5/31 scoring a 65. In the last two weeks, our teams have performed two removals there. We will continue to conduct risk assessments and removals in accordance with campsite reports for this block. City housing folks have reached out to the developers to find ways we can support them through the construction process. While still abiding by State Law, we are exploring ways to further secure the site."
"Sooner or later, there will be a consensus in the city that if they don't make all of downtown Portland safe and secure, it will become a ghost town," Madden said of the city's response to the site.
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"I'm not the problem, but them saying I'm the problem just for being here — I don't understand it," said Bo.
On Thursday, the city's outreach team connected with the homeless people living there and referred 11 of them to a shelter. However, it's unclear how soon they will be off the streets, seeing as a referral does not always mean immediate shelter placement.
When a KGW crew went back to the site late Thursday afternoon, the tents were clear, but a group of people who were referred to shelter remained. The city told KGW a majority of them will go to a city-run tiny home village in Southeast Portland.
As for Madden, before building the affordable housing, he is looking ahead to the upcoming election season, hoping a change in city hall will result in change on Portland streets.
"Follow-through and commitment are essential to make this a long-term change," Madden said.