Review - Portland 2-25-25 Homelessness and Housing Committee Meeting

A. Multiple factors will increase Portland’s homeless population in the near future. Nevertheless, most of the committee’s time was spent traipsing through the weeds of process with NO sense of urgency in dealing with the #1 item on the public’s housing agenda, namely, taking action to immediately address the homeless problem.

The committee’s failure to send Homeless legislation to the entire council for consideration deprives the council of taking action to counteract the developing optics that the city council is not up to the task of addressing the homeless issue in a comprehensive, meaningful and timely manner. As the visible homeless numbers do not decrease but actually increase it is the whole council that will take the hit for ineptitude not some obscure committee. Those up next for election take heed.

B. There was talk about how to determine the success of the committee’s housing efforts but not Accountability for each committee and council member.

C. A councilor commented on “Achieving the mayor’s homeless goal.” The mayor does NOT make policy. The only reason the mayor is taking action on his homeless policy is because the City Council has yet to develop and instruct the mayor on the council’s homeless policy.

D. An undercurrent of hostility toward Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties surprisingly bubbled to the surface.

E. No mention of Metro as failing to provide a publicly vetted REGIONAL housing policy.

F. No talk of the effects of LCDC’s Housing GOAL 10 on Portland.

G. The term “Public Housing” was never mentioned. Not encouraging.

H. Committee members often used acronyms without explaining to their citizen audience what they meant.

I. An actual ordinance relating to AI algorithmic real estate software was put on the table. The basic issue, “Is this price fixing software or does it just look that way?” Only testimony from one side was presented. What might the unintended consequences be was raised as a concern. Enforcement would be on the tenant. Legal issues and potential to prevail in court are yet to be revealed. Councilor Morillo assured the committee that the city would incur no cost in passing this ordinance. However, if there were to be a law suit against the city it would surely cost.

Richard Ellmyer

Portland resident since 1975.

Oregon Voter since 1971. NAV, Non Affiliated Voter. Citizen Activist.

Campaign manager and legislative assistant to state senator Bill McCoy 1980-1981.

Campaign manager and senior staff to Multnomah county commissioner Gladys McCoy 1981-1984.

Celebrate North Portland award 2016 for Volunteer Work and Service with Political and Social Issues Impacting North Portland.

Certified Oregon Change Agent by Governor John Kitzhaber 2011.

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2021 - Public Participation GiS, 500 level class

PSU Senior Adult Learner, Spring 2024 - Planning and Housing Markets, 500 level class

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

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

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

Richard Ellmyer - 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/1_2vrzokta

Lifelong Learning at PSU by Jennifer Jordan-Wong.

LET KNOWLEDGE SERVE THE CITY [Section] “Richard used a course he audited at PSU to create a citizen activist mapping tool to benefit Oregon residents, stakeholders, and policy makers…His interest in mapping as a tool for change began when he noticed that public housing was not being distributed equitably”

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

Portland Politics Plus. Contributor: Patch news.