PORTLAND, Ore. — For years, a road in far Southeast Portland has been a haven for homeless people living in RVs and cars. And for years, neighbors have been reporting those camps to the city. The last time the camps were cleared, neighbors said the city promised a more permanent fix.
Three months ago, the city of Portland said that it would put down concrete barriers to deter parking along Southeast Knapp Street and 105th Avenue near Mount Scott Boulevard. They're still nowhere to be seen.
"Tons of trash, needles ... you name it, we had it down there," said Angie Toops, who lives in the neighborhood. She runs a daycare out of her home. "I would never take the kids on a walk down there — too dangerous."
Toops said she's watched the camp along this stretch of roadway come and go over the years. August was the last big peak, before the city swept through and cleared out many of the RVs and cars.
"Like, every day, a new car, a new RV, and I was calling the city every day, saying 'Hey, we need to get them tagged and get them out,'" Toops said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Ted Wheeler's office told KGW that they're aware of the ongoing camping issues on Southeast Knapp Street and still have plans to place about 300 barriers to stop homeless people from staying there.
"We've been waiting for the last three months for these barriers to be put there, and we still don't have them," Toops said. "Just do it — I'm tired of hearing, 'We're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna.'"
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Right now, the street is nowhere near as occupied as it was over the summer. KGW met one woman, Shawnasy, camped there with her vehicle. She was shocked to hear that the city might block off access to parking.
"Why would they put all the money into doing that, into labor and the product, instead of putting the money to where it should go — treatment for people that need it or housing for people that need it?" Shawnasy asked.
"There's a lot of good people out here; they need help," echoed Derek, who also camps in this area. "It's just kind of out of the way, you know what I mean? And that's what most people in RVs want to do — they just want to be out of the way."
KGW asked Mayor Ted Wheeler about the issue during KGW's "Straight Talk."
"First of all, we empathize with the neighbors; we support addressing this," Wheeler said. "Sometimes putting in the hardening, the barriers take a little more time. We're aware of this particular site, and I'll make sure that I follow up personally with the people who run the program, the Portland Solutions Program, and we will see where it is and get back to people. I know that people are impatient and want these issues addressed — so do we."