Dumptown: A term recently coined to describe the nearly unlivable amount of trash that has overrun Portland. Not only do the homeowners and renters of Portland find this a nuisance, but the houseless do, too.
Before moving to Portland from a town that criminalizes homelessness, I knew plenty about how my community responded to homeless camps, often saying camps impact the city’s natural beauty and livability. Truly, I was shocked when we drove to our new house in Portland for the first time. I had never seen anything like it before. I spent months in fear in the city of Portland, not knowing what was in that pile of garbage next to our neighborhood park, or who the man going through my recycling can in the middle of the night was. I couldn’t get past how unsightly the trash in the city was. I constantly asked, ‘why isn’t anyone doing anything about this?’
To my surprise, the city of Portland was doing something — a particularly terrible and possibly illegal something. The city has contracted with Rapid Response Bio Clean (the same company the police department contracts to clear crime scenes) to conduct ‘camp cleanups’ that require the houseless to relocate, removing their tents, backpacks, and whatever else is in their possession as well. Rapid Response Bio Clean also cleans up biohazardous material left behind at these camps — which is a large reason some community members are on board with these campsite removals. Along with Blackwolf, a contracted trash cleanup crew, Rapid Response Bio Clean follows a city-mandated procedure, which begins with posting an “illegal campsite” notice at a site. The city instructs the campers to clean the area, and also states to leave after posting, in as little as 48 hours. What was truly shocking is the law does not have any proof or damage of impact from contracted services. There is no due process in this so-called ‘solution,’ which some would go so far as to consider illegal taking by the government.
So, what is the standard to report these camps? You yourself can report sites that inconvenience you through the city’s website. The Impact Reduction Program is a complaint-driven system; the team learns about campsites and trash via public input. Portland’s One Point of Contact Campsite Reporting System is a free service that community members can use to report issues of illegal camping or related garbage within Portland. I found how easy it is to relocate entire communities at the click of a button. You don’t even have to attend the cleanup itself after you reported it or follow up on the damages done to the people who were solely impacted. While suitable for some, I truly believe there is a different way to coexist.
Further Reading: Solution-minded citizenry deserves city of Portland's support
The act of camping outside is likely involuntary and unavoidable in Portland for the houseless, due to the substantial and undisputed evidence that the number of houseless persons far exceeds the number of available shelter beds at all times. Certain members of the community feel the cleanups are absolutely necessary, even during a time of a national economic crisis. The causes of homelessness are diverse and related to many systematic and institutional structures within our community. Domestic violence at home, mental illness and drug abuse are contributors facing houseless individuals in our community, although the key issue of homelessness is housing affordability and lack of low-income housing. Tie all of that in with another displacement for people in this community and we have a real mental health crisis on our hands.
I began to think of answers to the camp sweep problem. I spoke with hundreds of houseless community members about this, and I wasn’t surprised to find that these people were equally frustrated by the amount of garbage in their city. No one wants to live in an area they feel is not safe and clean. My conclusion to the question of the garbage in the city is simply that there is no garbage service to collect their trash, the service that we all have at our homes is unavailable to the houseless community. It’s not that houseless people won’t clean up their camps, it’s that it is a huge inconvenience to, understandably.
After plenty of research, I ended up finding many alternatives to the Rapid Response Bio Clean model the city of Portland has adopted. I also found out why that man was going through my recycling can in the middle of the night. He was ‘canning,’ kind of like fishing, but for empty cans of soda to take to one of the local can drops in town. This is like a job to some people. They create their own schedule and do the work when they need to.
Similar to canning, why wouldn’t we do that with all of the trash in the street? We can offer a way to help with the lack of city-run garbage services by adding cash incentives to those who wish to help clean up. These incentives provide a small income for the houseless, as well as keep our streets clean. I spoke to a houseless community member who let me know similar programs already exist in the community, such as Ground Score.
FURTHER READING: Ground Score puts homeless Portlanders to work for a fair wage
As stated on their website, Ground Score is collectively organized and seeks to be radically inclusive, prioritizing work opportunities for those facing work and housing insecurity. Rapid Response Bio Clean is now authorized to receive up to $1 million annually from the city, as of January 2021. There is no shortage of money for programs like Ground Score, we just give it to the wrong organizations.
FURTHER READING: There’s plenty of trash talk. Ground Score puts people at the fore.
The city has tried to combat the problem with biohazardous material with programs like the placement of red portable toilets across the city. The city dispatched the portable toilets in October of last year, leasing each one for $100 per month and, for now, servicing them as needed. I truly believe an expansion of these programs, as well as community-focused nonprofits, will serve the needs of all of the community members as an alternative to Rapid Response Bio Clean.
FURTHER READING: 'Waste pickers' can fill gaps in municipal waste management
The City of Portland opted for a quick fix by trying to eliminate the camps causing a problem to the housed residents in the community. This has only created incredible harm to the houseless community. The remediation of homelessness and these camps involves focusing on the risk factors that contribute to homelessness as well as advocating for structural change, not by displacing people who have already been displaced. Until we have an adequate solution for housing, I am calling on the city of Portland to cancel their contract with Rapid Response Bio Clean and Blackwolf to prevent further damage to the houseless community and find a solution that benefits all of the members of our community.
Kat Wasula volunteers in the Street Roots vendor office.