Social Welfare Commons^™

The Reimagine Campus Safety Committee Final Report To President Stephen Percy And The Greater Psu Community, Jose Coll, Vicki Reitenauer, Ed Washington, Zachary Mettler, Charlie Evans, Crystal Renee Tenty, Deborah Mayo Kelley, Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Marcy Hunt, Molly Gunderson, Roberto Valentin, Scott Merriman, Stéphanie Wahab, Yves Labissiere

Office of the President Publications and Presentations

On August 13, 2020, Portland State University President Stephen Percy announced two key changes in the University’s approach to campus public safety: first, Campus Public Safety officers would begin to patrol the campus without firearms and, second, a new Reimagine Campus Safety Committee (RCSC) would convene during the 2020-21 academic year to make a comprehensive set of recommendations for additional changes to the University’s approach to campus safety, security, welcoming, and belonging. In that announcement, President Percy introduced a four-person Steering Committee for the RCSC (Jose Coll, dean of the School of Social Work; Vicki Reitenauer, faculty member in Women, …

Village Research & How-To Guide, Todd Ferry, Greg Townley, Marisa Zapata

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The village model is an increasingly popular form of alternative shelter being explored by organizations, activists, and municipalities around the country. Portland’s Dignity Village is the country’s first and longest running village, serving as a touchstone for community dialogue in Oregon around the subject of supporting people experiencing homelessness since 2000. More recently, the region has seen the rapid increase in alternative shelters informed by or following the village model, sparked by a state of emergency declaration on housing and homelessness in Portland in 2015, and further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the model continues to grow and morph …

Portland Street Response: Six-Month Evaluation: A Report Prepared For The City Of Portland Bureau Of Fire And Rescue, Greg Townley, Emily Leickly

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Overview of the Program:

Portland Street Response (PSR) is a new first responder program for non-emergency calls involving people experiencing homelessness or mental health crisis. The program launched on February 16, 2021 in the Lents neighborhood in Portland, OR and operates Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM. The pilot is coordinated by Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), and the founding team consists of a firefighter paramedic, a licensed mental health crisis therapist, and two community health workers.

Cost Of Oregon Evictions Report (Updated), Lisa K. Bates, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Stefanie Knowlton

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Earlier this year, PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative used a calculator developed by the University of Arizona and estimates of how many renter households are at risk of eviction to evaluate the downstream community costs of evictions in Oregon during the pandemic. In light of the state eviction moratorium that is set to expire this month and the CDC moratorium that expires at the end of July, the center is once again looking at the number of households at risk of eviction and the downstream costs.

The data gathered from emergency shelters, inpatient and emergency medical services, child welfare, …

Regional Supportive Housing Impact Fund Report: Equitable Evaluation Framework And Governance Recommendations, Marisa Zapata, L. Bentley Moses, Sarah Mercurio, Ritu Ghosul, Greg Townley

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Regional Supportive Housing Impact Fund (RSHIF) was launched in 2020 by a set of partners in health systems, homelessness services, business, and philanthropy. This program responded to the growing need for permanent supportive housing (PSH) for people experiencing homelessness with serious health care needs in the Portland metropolitan region. Health Share of Oregon (Health Share), an Oregon Coordinated Care Organization, is now convening RSHIF.

Cost Of Oregon Evictions Report, Lisa K. Bates, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Stefanie Knowlton

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

A new report from Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC) estimates that evictions could cost Oregon as much as $3.3 billion after the statewide eviction ban expires in June.

The center worked with community partners to gather data from emergency shelters, inpatient and emergency medical services, child welfare, and juvenile justice services to estimate the downstream costs of evictions using the Cost of Eviction Calculator developed by the University of Arizona College of Law.

The center’s cost calculation is an estimate of the scale of the crisis that Oregon could face without additional eviction interventions. It does …

Blacks In Oregon, Darrell Millner

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Periodically, newspaper or magazine articles appear proclaiming amazement at how white the population of Oregon and the City of Portland is compared to other parts of the country. It is not possible to argue with the figures—in 2017, there were an estimated 91,000 Blacks in Oregon, about 2 percent of the population—but it is a profound mistake to think that these stories and statistics tell the story of the state's racial past. In fact, issues of race and the status and circumstances of Black life in Oregon are central to understanding the history of the state, and perhaps its future …

Evaluating The N/Ne Preference Policy, Amie Thurber, Lisa K. Bates, Susan Halverson

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

North/Northeast Portland has long been the heart of Portland's Black community. By 2010, the area had lost two-thirds of its Black residents to displacement. In response, the City adopted a Preference Policy that prioritizes displaced affordable rental and homeownership applicants. This report describes findings from the first phase of a study to understand what difference this policy is making in the lives of residents.

2021 Adult Foster Home Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Adult Foster Homes, Paula Carder, Jason Z. Kyler-Yano, Ozcan Tunalilar, Sarah Dys, Sheryl Elliott, Ellis Jourdan Hews, Minju Kim

Institute on Aging Publications

This report describes results from an annual study of Oregon adult foster homes (AFH). Data contained in this report include home and owner characteristics; monthly charges and payment sources; and resident characteristics, personal and health-related needs. The study’s purpose was to collect and report data that can inform and advise policymakers, state and county agency staff, aging advocates and AFH owners about the status of AFHs in Oregon. These data were collected between December 2020 and February 2021. This report constitutes the first year during the COVID-19 pandemic that these annual data were collected.

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.

Public Housing With Services For Older Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Differences In Efficacy Among Asian And White Communities, Junghee Lee, William Donlan, Paula C. Carder, Leigh Grover, Insik Hwang, Younghwan Kim, Gretchen Luhr

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined the efficacy of a culturally responsive housing with services model for Asian-American older adults and persons with developmental disabilities separately, and with both for an interaction effect. Study participants, including 278 Whites and 75 Asian Americans, lived in 10 properties of public housing with services in Portland, OR. All Asian-American participants (except four) were immigrants from China, Korea, and Vietnam, and were well connected through community-based health and social services that were delivered onsite and at a nearby center by staff members who were also immigrants from these three countries. Asian-American participants were older, very poor, with …

Stability, Equity, And Dignity: Reporting And Reflecting On Oregon Tenant Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lisa K. Bates

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

In mid-March, Oregon leaders ordered unprecedented ‘stay home’ measures to slow the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 virus. The economic impact was immediate, with entire sectors of business in ‘shut down’ mode and others limiting their activity. These emergency orders, necessary for public health, had a dual impact for workers: many were quickly laid off from temporarily closed businesses, while others deemed essential were at risk of viral transmission. Recognizing the potential that many tenants would not be able to pay their rent without work, governments at all levels moved quickly to enact temporary moratoriums on eviction and on foreclosure …

Housing And Food Insecurity At Portland State University, Greg Townley, Katricia Stewart, Jacen Greene, Marta Pettini

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This report presents findings from Portland State University’s first housing and food insecurity survey of students and employees. It was conducted by The Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative (HRAC), a center formed to help address homelessness and its negative impact on individuals, families, and communities, with an emphasis on communities of color. Reducing homelessness in the PSU community was one of the foundational goals of the center, and this survey is an important step in that work.

This report examines the rates of housing insecurity, homelessness, and food insecurity among students and employees disaggregated by race and additional factors to …

Racial Justice Is Climate Justice: Racial Capitalism And The Fossil Economy, Julius Mcgee, Patrick Trent Greiner

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

The narrative of oppression moves through dialectical pressures. Capitalism evolved from the feudal order that preceded it, creating new forms of racial oppression that benefited an emerging ruling class [1]. Racial tensions evolve alongside economic oppression that subjugates labor to capital. The preceding racial order molds to emerging mechanisms of expropriation and exploitation by way of force and resistance. Beneath the surface of these tensions lies the interconnected threads of ecological and human expropriation. At the heart of all oppression, lies the manipulation of reproduction. The social processes necessary to reproduce black and brown communities, the ecological processes necessary to …

2020 Adult Foster Home Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Adult Foster Homes, Paula Carder, Sheryl Elliott, Ozcan Tunalilar, Sarah Dys, Portland State University Institute On Aging

Institute on Aging Publications

This report is the sixth in a series prepared by the Institute on Aging at Portland State University for Oregon’s Department of Human Services (ODHS) and examines a sample of Adult Foster Homes (AFHs) throughout the state. This study has four objectives: 1. Describe AFH characteristics, including staffing types, policies and monthly charges and fees. 2. Describe current residents’ health-related needs, service use and demographic characteristics. 3. Compare current results with prior Oregon surveys to identify changes and current trends. 4. Describe characteristics that might affect access, quality, or cost. Oregon has licensed adult foster homes (AFHs) as a type …

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 …

2020 Community-Based Care Resident And Community Characteristics Report On Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, Paula Carder, Ozcan Tunalilar, Sheryl Elliott, Sarah Dys, Portland State University Institute On Aging

Institute on Aging Publications

This report summarizes findings from the 6th annual study of Oregon community-based care settings, including assisted living and residential care facilities, and memory care communities. This study was conducted during fall 2019 and winter 2020.

Patterns Of Substance Use Before And After Hospitalization Among Patients Seen By An Inpatient Addiction Consult Service: A Latent Transition Analysis, Caroline King, Christina Nicolaidis, P. Todd Korthuis, Kelsey C. Priest, Honora Englander

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and aims: Polysubstance use is common and contributes to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients, and yet little is known about patterns of substance use among hospitalized patients, or how an addiction consult service (ACS) might impact polysubstance use after discharge. The objective of this study was to identify patterns of substance use at admission and after discharge among hospitalized patients with substance use disorders who saw an ACS.

Design: Prospective cohort study. We used latent transition analysis of substance use scores at the time of hospital admission and 30 to 90 days posthospitalization.

Setting: Single, …

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 …

Fiscal Year 2019 Report, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative fiscal year 2019 annual report.

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 - …

Moving Beyond ‘Therapy’ And ‘Enhancement’ In The Ethics Of Gene Editing, Bryan Cwik

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the advent of recombinant DNA technology, expectations (and trepidations) about the potential for altering genes and controlling our biology at the fundamental level have been sky high. These expectations have gone largely unfulfilled. But though the dream (or nightmare) of being able to control our biology is still far off, gene editing research has made enormous strides toward potential clinical use. This paper argues that when it comes to determining permissible uses of gene editing in one important medical context—germline intervention in reproductive medicine—issues about enhancement and eugenics are, for the foreseeable future, a red herring. Current translational goals …

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 …

History Of Housing Policy In The United States, Lauren Elizabeth Morrow Everett, Marta Petteni

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Graduate student Lauren Everett created a brief history of housing policy in the United States from 1843 to the present. She looked at major events that helped shape our country’s understanding and policies around property. Events include everything from the donation land claim act, which entitled each white, male settler to 320 acres in the Oregon territory, to the rent control stabilization legislation in 2019.

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 …

Indigenous Housing In Metro-Areas: Leveraging Federal Block Grants For Urban Housing, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

The Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 (NAHASDA) established a single flexible federal block grant for tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entity to provide housing assistance to their tribal members. This shift recognized Native rights of tribal self-determination and self-governance, and it reorganized the mechanism by which tribes received compensation for land cessions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development currently administers the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) annually, with funds typically prioritized to housing on reservation or tribal lands. In Oregon, a majority of funds go to the ongoing operation and maintenance of 1937 …

Collaborative Planning And Equity, Sarah Mercurio

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

Our research on collaborative planning and equity attempts to understand how collaborative planning and policy decisions are made, and to pinpoint where an equity lens might transform normative procedures into a practice of anti-oppression, agonism, and advocacy.

Collaborative planning is a dominant theory in planning in which multiple stakeholders come together to deliberate on common concerns and apply consensus building and public participation methods to make policy decisions. The approach seeks to balance power among participants and increase public engagement.

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.

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 …

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.