Eighty homeless people have died on the streets in the Portland last year, adding to more than 350 people who have disappeared while homeless in the past six years.
The number marks a 70 percent increase in homeless deaths in Multnomah County, home to Portland, local authorities said Thursday.
This is since officials first began tracking the homeless in 2011 and is in line with similar significant increase in homeless deaths in other large West Coast cities where the homelessness has surged.
The annual report is used as a barometer to track the city’s progress addressing a crisis that has also overwhelmed cities from Seattle to San Diego.
In Seattle, a similar count found 91 homeless people died in 2016 and 115 perished in San Diego. In Sacramento County, that number was 71 people. In Santa Clara County, 132 homeless people died in 2016 — a 164 percent increase since 2011, according to data from county medical examiners in those counties.
“These neighbors are literally dying right in front of us,” Deborah Kafoury, chairwoman of the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, said. “This is unacceptable. This is not normal.”
The US Department of Housing and Development released numbers earlier this month indicating the overall homeless population in California, Oregon and Washington grew by 14 percent over the past two years.
The unsheltered part of that population, living in vehicles, tents or on the streets, climbed 23 percent to 108,000, in part due a shortage of affordable housing.
“The fact that we’re still seeing such a huge number of people who are dying on our streets really just shows me that we have a lot more work to do,” Kafoury said in a phone interview.
“They need long-term housing with supportive services,” she added. “It’s very expensive but we pay for it one way or another, whether in emergency rooms or jail overcrowding — or deaths.”
Many American cities are suffering from a sluggish economic recovery, stagnant or decreasing wages among the lowest-income earners and budget constraints for social welfare programs.
A lack of affordable housing, combined with falling wages at the lower end of the US pay scale, has been cited by analysts as a cause for homelessness in the US.
And I’ll bet every one of them was an American. Only wetbacks are provided with social services.
I think this is part of the plan. Homeless people are also suffering extreme harassment by police these days, too.
“This is unacceptable. This is not normal.”
This is Communism 101.
“A lack of affordable housing, combined with falling wages at the lower end of the US pay scale, has been cited by analysts as a cause for homelessness in the US.”
Not to mention the 100 MILLION ILLEGALS, RIGHT???
Only in America we give ever loser country in the world funds an can’t take care of are own . this needs to stop now
There are lots of slur words for the diverse invaders. Wet backs is only one group of many today….Just one portion to whom our filthy, corrupt politicians are giving money, services and resources to and not the constituents who were born here.
And the new healthcare rates, wow, I had an increase of $54/mo. That’s over $600 a year and I hardly ever use it. That orange guy also “promised” affordable healthcare. “Affordable” is a very nebulous term. They certainly prefer us poor. Bastards. But shame on me, complaining when others are homeless, yet it certainly won’t help to create more who are in dire straights. We live with the hand that keeps on taking. So many are spread so thin, stretched to snapping point. Interesting times to come, both dangerous and exciting and hopefully worthwhile in terms of the people reclaiming the power. Let it be! Make it be!!
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Don’t pay for the Goddamn insurance Galen, learn how to self medicate, keep a bottle of shine in the Goddamn medicine cabnet, keep bottles of silver water as well.
Learn about MSM.
When the shit hits the fan, go to the emergency room, they have to treat, if it’s life threatening.
Play it like the scum bags in Washington, treat now, ask questions later.
There are options. Hell, I was in a truck stop with gun shot type pains in my abdomen, 1 hour later, I was on a table having half my large intestine removed. I couldn’t afford the hospital bill 14 days later.
Still can’t afford it.
Do you think that piece of shit Jew McCain paid one fking dime for his cancer treatment?
Deleted last comment because I just realized I misread your comment, I apologize. Yep, health insurance is a con
No, that’s just this years increase. The yearly is around $2700. I’d like to take your recommendation and let it go, but there is much to consider (without going into detail). I hope I can change this at some point, but…
Thanks, Mark. I certainly do all the holistic methods I can. Thank goodness the creation has provided many medicines, not only non-toxic but affordable.
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Mark, see how they have us dancin’? Well I oughta!!
But we sleep good at night, no haunting guilt about robbing the people and killin’ ’em off, etc. I do believe in the infamous day of reckoning. There’ll be jumpin’ and hollerin’ and we will raise our glasses that evil and all its offspring no longer hold us captive.
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Im a part time dance dance instructor, I specialize in theTijuana two step. Lately, I’ve had to learn the Trump fox trot. Comes in handy while sitting on the john, while in a West Memphis truck stop.
Okay, just be careful. Som a dem dance steps is dangerous. Deliciously dangerous.
🙂
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LOL. God I love this site…