Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Psu Student Housing Insecurity Interim Report, Jacen Greene, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Project Background

This study on student housing insecurity and homelessness was funded as part of a HUD FY2023 Community Project Funding Opportunity awarded to Portland State University. Phase 1 of the study, which led to this report by PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), includes a literature review; a summary of PSU student survey results; a description of PSU programs based on interviews with staff and administrators; an analysis of programs at other institutions; and a set of recommendations for better addressing student housing needs. Phase 2 of the study will include the results of a comprehensive …

What Do People Experiencing Homelessness Need?, Marisa Zapata

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This is an opinion piece about a survey in Portland that reveals profound racial disparities even in basic answers about where people sleep.

Survey On Needs Of People Living Unsheltered, Marisa Zapata, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Joint Office Of Homeless Services, Shannon Singleton, Street Roots

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative worked with the Joint Office of Homeless Services, Shannon Singleton, and Street Roots to survey people who are living unsheltered to better understand their needs. Because of the racial disparities that we know exist, we set out to create and administrate a survey that would also ask these questions with a focus on people of color.

In all, 383 people took the rapidly deployed and quickly crafted survey over the course of two weeks. Nearly 40% of those surveyed identified as people of color with the highest representation among Black people and …

Believe Our Stories & Listen: Portland Street Response Survey Report, Greg Townley, Kaia Sand, Thea Kindschuh

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many advocates, local officials, and people experiencing homelessness agree that Portland needs a better way to respond to low-priority calls for service involving those experiencing homelessness and behavioral health crises. This report examines efforts to address homelessness in Portland through the development of a plan to dispatch the Portland Street Response unit rather than police.

A team of community partners spread out across the city July 16 and 18 to interview people experiencing homelessness to help inform the design of the Portland Street Response pilot project (PSR). An additional team went out on Sept. 6.

Members of Street Roots, Sisters …

Governance, Costs, And Revenue Raising To Address And Prevent Homelessness In The Portland Tri-County Region, Marisa Zapata, Jenny H. Liu, Lauren Elizabeth Morrow Everett, Peter Hulseman, Thomas Potiowsky, Emma Willingham

Northwest Economic Research Center Publications and Reports

In the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region, homelessness has become increasingly visible on our streets and in our media headlines. Conflicting rates of who is experiencing homelessness, differing definitions of who is at risk, and varying cost estimates to help those without a stable place to live leave community members confused about the scale and scope of the challenge that we face. Our overarching goal in this report is to provide information that helps the public deliberate about how to support people experiencing homelessness, and prevent future homelessness. We thread together three areas of work - governance, costs, and revenue - …

2019 Point-In-Time: Count Of Homelessness In Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County, Oregon, City Of Portland, Home Forward, A Home For Everyone, Multnomah County, City Of Gresham, Tiffany Renée Conklin, Cameron Mulder, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

The Count provides important information on the people who were counted living unsheltered, in emergency shelter, and in transitional housing (collectively the “HUD homeless” or “literally homeless” population) the night of Jan. 23, 2019. As always, the date of the Count and the definition of homelessness that determines who is counted were set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Regional Research Institute of Human Services at Portland State University (PSU) led the unsheltered portion of the Count, which is referred to as the unsheltered count. At our request, PSU staff also conducted a separate count …

Urban Care Stations, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Hygiene, waste and sanitation in the Portland metropolitan region is a broad and complex topic that relates to homelessness as a primary field, but stretches to other scenarios. The need for improving and increasing access to restrooms, showers and laundry facilities in Portland has been documented and proven through interviews and research. Due to its complex nature, multiple potential solutions to address accessibility have been explored (and some are already in place). These solutions lay at different scales (from neighborhood level to region level), include different hygiene services (from toilets to storage), and involve different stakeholders for their creation and …

Useful Waste, Rebecca Taylor

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Useful Waste Initiative is an alternative and more sustainable way of thinking about construction waste. It encourages material diversion and aims to reframe views on waste management during the design and construction process. It guides the process to repurpose and utilize an overlooked material resource- envelope construction mock-ups. It also provides the opportunity to contribute to and support efforts to address pressing social needs with local communities, including shelter for the homeless.

Kenton Women’S Village Update And Survey, Marta Petteni, Emily Leickly

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Homeless shelters can be chaotic and sometimes not much better than living on the streets. Sleeping pod villages, such as Kenton Women’s Village, provide opportunities for community development while still allowing privacy and security. The village model provides a more incremental transition into permanent housing from the streets rather than a sudden transition. This report provides an update on the village and results of a survey that explored physical health, mental health, demographic information, and level of satisfaction with village living.

Familial Homelessness & Trauma, Holly Brott

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This review provides an overview of the relationship between familial homelessness and the following sources of trauma: domestic violence, substance use, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health, and poverty. Following this review, stressors often experienced by homeless families (stigma, parenting while homeless, and child-specific) will be discussed.

Youth Homelessness, Katricia Stewart

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Youth experiencing homelessness face numerous challenges to maintaining their health while homeless and as they exit homelessness. This includes their physical health, mental health, and well-being. Further, research on the efficacy of various interventions that aim to positively impact the health of homeless youth is limited. The following paper summarizes what is currently understood about the health and well-being of youth experiencing homelessness and concludes with recommendations for interventions, prevention programs, and future research.

Safe Parking - Psu, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

A national study done to collect data on homelessness rates in universities says that between 11% - 14% of students are experiencing homelessness. A study has not been done on specific data at PSU, however, there are students and staff experiencing homelessness at PSU, and some of those individuals are sleeping in their vehicles. Some of the individuals living in their vehicles purchase quarterly parking passes for the PSU parking garages. These individuals would benefit from a Safe Parking Program. There are existing infrastructures, systems and services that could be made available or utilized immediately. The purpose of this proposal …

Homelessness Count Methodologies Literature Review, Jennifer Lee-Anderson

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This literature review on homeless count methods provides a brief history of homelessness in the U.S., an account of count efforts, and an overview of methods used. It illustrates that no method is capable of providing a comprehensive count of the homeless, and all methods have inherent disadvantages that often rely upon flawed assumptions. The practical impact of these counts on policy is substantial. Therefore, this review should encourage discussion as to what data communities need for policy and program development and implementation, and whether homeless counts actually fulfill this need.

Exploring Narratives And Concerns: Applied Linguistics In Homelessness Research, Wendy Nuttelman

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Understanding and addressing problematic narratives surrounding homelessness is one of the primary objectives of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative. We began to do this by mapping out different stakeholders and identifying texts such as social media posts, policy documents, and local news articles which reflect the language used by various groups to discuss and promote their concerns and beliefs about homelessness. Over 11,000 reports were analyzed.

Housing And Food Insecurity At Portland State Study, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Students helped develop the Housing and Food Insecurity at Portland State study to better understand the scope of homelessness, housing and food insecurity on campus. The survey went out to approximately 3,000 employees and 23,400 students at Portland State University in fall of 2019. The center will develop a set of recommendations for the university based on the results. It is the first step to help students and employees overcome challenges and meet their basic needs.

2017 Point-In-Time: Count Of Homelessness In Portland/Gresham/Multnomah County, Oregon, Uma Krishnan, Deborah Elliott

Publications, Reports and Presentations

The 2017 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of Homelessness provides a snapshot of people who were experiencing homelessness on the night of Wednesday, February 22, 2017, in Portland, Gresham, and Multnomah County, Oregon. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to count people living in emergency shelters, transitional housing or places not meant for human habitation (these people are collectively known as “HUD homeless”) on a single night (a “point in time”) at least once every two years. This enumeration is one way of understanding the levels and trends in unmet need for shelter and permanent housing within …

From Street To Home: Using Photovoice To Better Understand Homelessness In Portland, Maximilian West, Greg Townley Phd, Nicole Cerra Mph, Ted Amann Rn, Mph

Student Research Symposium

Homelessness remains a pressing concern in Portland. The homeless-to-housed transition requires more than access to shelter: some individuals have trouble adapting to the change in social contact that accompanies solitary living (indoors); others may face difficulty setting boundaries associated with property (e.g., endangering their lease by having too many guests) or other community-living norms. This study used photovoice, a community-based participatory research method, to explore the dynamics experienced by homelessness survivors.

A total of 13 participants were recruited through HEARTH, a research collaborative including researchers from OHSU, PSU, and NCNM along with staff, consumers, and volunteers at Central City Concern, …

Barriers To Transitional Housing Access Among Homeless Male Adults In The City Of Portland, Alexander T. Raines

Student Research Symposium

From 2011 to 2014, there were 191 confirmed deaths among homeless persons living in Multnomah County, approximately 88% of which were among adult men (over the age of 18). This alarming statistic in no way-shape-or-form represents the demographic makeup of Multnomah County’s homeless population, with a 2015 point-in-time count finding males over the age of 24 comprising just 52% of Multnomah’s homeless. Among these individuals the average age of death was just 43.3 years old; for comparison, the standard life expectancy for a man born in Multnomah County is 76.6 years old. This pattern of vulnerability among homeless men may …

Hiding In Plain Sight: The Baldock Restoration Project, Andrée Tremoulet, Ellen M. Bassett, Allison Moe

Metroscape

Authors Andrée Tremoulet, Ellen Bassett, and Allison Moe tell a story about balancing public concerns about encountering the homeless in highway rest areas with the need to connect them with resources to address the complex social, political, and economic circumstances underlying their lack of housing.

Illegal Homeless Camping In Portland: Field Analysis And Advocacy Planning, Chris Bernhardt, Doug Glancy, Doug Layne, Jeff Salvon

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

Homelessness is a major problem in Portland. Many people here cannot afford housing of any kind. Although the total number of homeless people in the city is not known, an estimated 14,000 Multnomah County residents spent time in homeless shelters during some part of 1993.

The goal of our group, which came together in November of 1994 in Portland State University's Planning Workshop, was to find ways to "improve the lives of homeless campers." Our lives were improved as well. We got to know interesting people, we had new experiences, we got to impress our friends with our knowledge of …