Ted Wheeler Promises To Shelter All Homeless If Elected

Saturday, December 19, 2015

GoLocalPDX News Team

Ted Wheeler

On Friday, Ted Wheeler, Oregon’s state treasurer and a candidate for Mayor of Portland, committed to ensuring shelter beds for all of the city’s homeless by the end of his second year as Mayor.

“When it comes to emergency shelter beds, we simply do not have enough,” Wheeler said. “We now only have one emergency bed for every three people on our streets, in our parks, or in the campsites that dot our city. We must do better."

There are currently 766 shelter beds available year-round for homeless people in the City of Portland and Multnomah County.

The most recent homeless count found that at least 1,887 people slept on our streets in Portland, Gresham, and Multnomah County. In his announcement, Wheeler emphasized the hardship of living outdoors and said he intends to release a comprehensive plan to help get people off the street permanently through access to housing and the services to help them get back on their feet.

“For every investment made to place someone in a shelter bed, parallel dollars need to be spent on permanent housing,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler said he would look at all options, such as city-owned buildings, county-owned buildings, and vacant buildings owned by the Portland Development Commission.