Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.
Portland Said It Was Investing in Homeless People’s Safety. Deaths Have Quadrupled.
Portlander here... article is trying to lay the blame on homeless services but completely ignores what else was going on:
FTA:
"By late spring 2021, the city committed to a new strategy that then-Mayor Ted Wheeler said would “reprioritize public health and safety among homeless Portlanders,” ultimately allocating $1.3 billion by the end of 2024.
But although the city spent roughly $200,000 per homeless resident throughout that time, deaths of homeless people recorded in the county quadrupled"
What was REALLY happening was State Ballot Measure 110 took effect in February, 2021, decriminalizing drugs. What then happened was an explosion of open air drug markets and fentanyl overdoses.
https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventionwellness/substanceuse/opioids/pages/fentanylfacts.aspx
"The number of unintentional overdose deaths related to illicitly manufactured fentanyl nearly quadrupled between 2020 and 2022, increasing from 223 to 843 overdose fatalities. (Data source: CDC SUDORS Dashboard: Fatal Drug Overdose Data). In 2022, illicitly manufactured fentanyl contributed to 65.5% of all overdose deaths in Oregon, making it the most prevalent illicit drug involved in overdose fatalities.1"
https://multco.us/news/multnomah-county-releases-2023-domicile-unknown-report-homeless-deaths
"during calendar year 2023, at least 456 people died without a home of their own.
The number, significantly more than the 315 deaths reported in 2022, is the highest since Multnomah County began its analysis — reflecting what health officials believe is the height of the fentanyl crisis that swept our community in 2023.
Of the 456 deaths, 251 were linked to fentanyl, roughly triple the number reported in 2022 and a clear sign of the synthetic opioid’s deadly impact. Overdose deaths in 2023 overall climbed to 282 people, more than double the 123 deaths reported in 2022."
Measure 110 would finally be repealed in September of 2024.
M110 didn't drive more overdose deaths. This increase echoes exactly what was happening around the rest of the country with fentanyl exploding on the scene.
Furthermore drug dealing and public drug use were not decriminalized, but the shitty PPB wanted to stick it to the public by not enforcing the law. State Dems also kneecapped the bill by not distributing any of the treatment funding and instead held onto it until they could repeal the bill, against the will of the people, and then redistribute all that money to lazy and corrupt police departments.
I would say this is definitely on the Portland government when they spent $200k on each homeless person with absolutely nothing to show for it in the end. I'm sure that money is lining the pockets of political donors and sleazy companies who treat tax dollars like their own personal piggybank.
The rise in deaths far outpaces the growth in the homeless population, which was recorded at 6,300 by a 2023 county census, a number most agree is an undercount.
What was the population in 2019? Don't we need that to understand that deaths outpace population growth? If the newer population number is an undercount, how do we know the first clause in the sentence is true?
What was the population in 2019? Don't we need that to understand that deaths outpace population growth?
I'm pretty sure the experts and agencies they talked to in this article have numbers for 2019.
If the newer population number is an undercount, how do we know the first clause in the sentence is true?
Because the reasons for that undercounting haven't changed between 2019 and 2023, so the degree of undercounting is probably about the same, so even if the census numbers are an estimate they are still generally comparable, at least enough to say that (for example) an estimated 10-15% growth in the population experiencing homelessness and (for example) a 200% growth in deaths are out of whack with each other.
I'm pretty sure the experts and agencies they talked to in this article have numbers for 2019.
That's my point. It's bad writing to make a claim and then give all but one of the numbers that support the claim. It wouldn't be alright even if we could trust journalists to be accurate.
