Metro Deceived Its Voters On Regional Public Housing

Complying With 9th Circuit Homeless Decision

Metro is a recognized regional government. Its six elected councilor districts comprise a single geographic political entity. As such, an unassailable argument can be made that mayor Wheeler’s reasonable and defensible Public Housing homeless campuses proposal would meet the courts requirements*1 by providing alternatives to sleeping in public anywhere within Metro’s jurisdiction. This logic would hold for all public jurisdictions within Metro’s sphere of authority.

Mayor Wheeler does not need Metro to give Portland money to achieve his Public Housing homeless campuses goal so that he can legally remove unsanctioned camping on public property.*1 All mayor Wheeler needs to do is ask Metro to supply sufficient sanctioned land within its borders, preferably in NIMBY Clackamas county, to accommodate up to 1500 or more homeless persons currently sleeping on public land in Portland. Metro has hundreds of millions of dollars in its treasury dedicated for this purpose. It is Metro’s obligation to comply with all due haste.

How Metro Deceived Its Voters On Regional Public Housing

Metro rightly declared that Public Housing, which includes the homeless, is a regional issue under its charter. Metro then asked for and got voter support for this newly declared Metro responsibility and authority via bonds and taxes. Metro voters expected that when they agreed to give their money to Metro Councilors through bond and tax approval Metro would provide both a regionalized Public Housing policy and Metro’s implementation of that policy. Instead, we got Metro hosting Public Housing ATM services to the failed Public Housing establishments in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.

Metro can regain some or perhaps all of its massive loss of credibility by:

A. Stopping all bond and tax transfer payments to public jurisdictions and Public Housing Authorities in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.

B. Immediately acquiring land in Clackamas county for Mayor Wheeler’s Public Housing homeless campuses.

C. Contracting for necessary services to be provided at the newly developed Public Housing homeless campuses.

D. Establish and confirm by vote the only defensible regional Public Housing policy:

1. Parity of total Public Housing units among Clackamas (3.5%), Multnomah (11.4%) and Washington (5%) counties.*2

2. Equitable Distribution of Public Housing units within Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington county neighborhoods.*2

E. Hold public hearings to help determine how to achieve Metro’s newly developed regional Public Housing polices goals which will require Metro to take responsibly for its spending of the remaining bond and tax dollars on Metro’s implementation under the authority and direction of Metro councilors and staff.*2

Metro voters can only evaluate Metro’s ability to deliver its regional Public Housing polices when they have seen Metro’s implementation of those policies. Using Public Housing Authorities as proxies for Metro’s direct delivery system is NOT what the voters paid for. Metro asked for it. Metro got it. Now it must prove that it has both the will and the skill to satisfy the voters expectations and justify their trust.

Richard Ellmyer

Author of more stories on the politics, players and policies of Public Housing in Oregon over the last twenty-one years than all other journalists and elected officials combined.

Project Champion and Data Wrangler - Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps https://www.goodgrowthnw.org/m...

GIS for Activism conference, May 23, 2022, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

RichardEllmyer - How I, A Citizen Activist, Used GIS To Effectively Tell A Necessary Yet Unavailable Truth About Public Housing

30 minute Video https://media.pdx.edu/media/t/...

LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY

https://psucollegeofed.wordpress.com/2022/09/23/lifelong-learning-at-psu/?fbclid=IwAR3S9Pff0mBGeT6Ha8dQeAqL0nAqU7QzZ-0pJC_oTQJxBWlAb2fdXzdE0w4

Author of The Ellmyer Report, a newsletter that informs, educates and influences on public policy. Occasionally distributed to more than a quarter of million readers in Oregon and beyond. Facebook, Portland Politics Plus . Contributor: Patch news

*1

The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision that enforcement of anti-camping ordinances against individuals experiencing homelessness violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution if no alternatives to sleeping in public are available.

*2

The essential tool for decision makers and citizens alike is the Metro/Oregon Public Housing Location Maps which were developed by a team at Portland State University. These interactive online maps show the location and number of Public Housing units throughout Oregon including all the neighborhoods within Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.