Portland's first homeless RV park struggling to attract residents 

"We have Community Guidelines". Pretty certain that's where you lost them.

Wouldn't it make sense to have a caseworker stationed at the gate on a known basis to take intake applications?? To have packing up crews to help people move in? Seems like it is not only the homeless who have commitment & follow through issues, but also PBOT & the agencies!!

People do not want to follow guidelines.

Is this free? I live in an RVand pay $600 per month rent and my electricity is about $90 a month. We both work, there’s a lot of people with incomes and are in part technically homeless. We could afford a house but I honestly don’t want to be strapped into a huge monthly bill. I live further south and depending on this next election cycle we may move away from Oregon. Not out of anger or spite. The tide of expenses is raising and since we both work we don’t qualify for help. Honestly don’t want help, but when we spend $140 for a week’s groceries for two people and feel like we are thrifty about it. We can’t keep doing this, we need to move before we become stuck. A nurse and a truck driver here, we aren’t poor. I feel so sorry for the elderly struggling on social security.

How do so many able bodied grown adults not have their lives together? It wasnt like this even 10-20 years ago.

They've had so many false starts and quick shutdowns. Give people time to see it working. It also gives the local residents time to accept it. If a qualified RV refuses to take a safe site, I don't mind confiscation, unless it is a street legal,, properly licensed vehicle. We've got to stop enabling failure.

Let's keep it 💯. A significant portion of the people living full-time in janky RVs along neighborhood streets (maybe even the majority of them) don't want to move their rig into any official government RV park catering to them because there's community monitoring by the sponsor(s), rules, and expectations of accountability there. They make excuses and everyone else, apparently, makes excuses for them too.

This is a good way to ferret out who wants help & who doesnt. The ones left on the street get different treatment now.

Here's an update on the park. The city keeps coming in and changing things. They don't want people to have their possessions sheltered. Awnings are ok yet having a tarp isn't allowed. This means if you're unlucky enough not to have an awning on your RV/trailer then you just have to allow your stuff to get ruined. People here are doing the right thing and are in the process of getting housing so why continue to make things harder unless you want this place to fail?

Very odd with these Rest Parks, people can't even get on a waiting list when there are spots open. Then there are the high-cost services which would limit the number of rest parks that could be developed.

I feel really bad for the guy they interviewed. He’s clearly ready and wants in - so let him in.

Let people apply! It's ridiculous!

It's because the park has rules. The "campers" don't want to live by rules. They want of live lawlessly and do drugs.

I've been donating to nearby dignity village for decades and seen it be a great turn around spot for people being able to get their lives together and move on to better things. I'd like to see this location be able to do the same thing for it's residents.

It took San Francisco a little bit to get off the ground. Once it did the city or maybe it’s the state now wants to close it in January. I will say this moving into this rv park which is managed by urban alchemy has been the best and most helpful benefit this city has provided. There is room for more spaces and I will say it was difficult to get here and only reason I got in or knew about this was one of the out reach representatives that was on site during one of sfpd push outs took a liking to me and my situation. I almost didn’t take the offer cause a bunch of the information given to me about this was not accurate. The city is making it harder and harder for anyone in rvs, no matter condition or registered to find anyplace to stay. Yet they want to close this site that would be left, unused and sit vacant.

The RV park is great. It offers everything one needs other than electrical hook ups. There are great bathrooms with showers. A kitchen with food pantry and fridge/freezer combos stocked with food and places to keep your own. Nice big, new washers and dryers. Waste storage tank pump outs every couple of weeks. Counselors on site to help with issues. And great staff. You can come and go 24/7 whenever you want. Anyone who doesn't like it either have never been in it or just don't like to follow basic rules.

They don’t allow open fent smoking/dealing so nobody will move in

Based on the guy at 2:00 I’d say they are being extra particular about who they let in and are really making sure this is a person who won’t drive their neighbors out.

It's just like that song! "I was gonna move my RV, but then I got high.... I was gonna move into a site, but then I got high!.... Now I'm still on the street, and I know whyyyyy! Because I got high, because I got high, because I got hiiiiiiiigh! Laladat dee dodee dot."

I sure wish other towns would adopt a program like this.

Imagine that the homeless not being able to follow the rules or instructions to get into a park. Probably some of the reasons they are homeless to begin with.

Just a crazy thought, but maybe they just don’t want to? And just maybe they shouldn’t have the choice? I don’t know.

Because again, it's Not a housing problem. It's a Drug problem. They can't do drugs in the free homes. 🤷

When has anything Portland officials proposed actually ended up solving a problem?

Go out and put all unregistered rvs in impound no registration impound no insurance impound k9 hits on it impound it will clean up the trash

I think it is a step forward, but there needs to be a better system in getting people in the park.

They didn't anticipate how hard it would be to maintain this? This is a sick and twisted social experiment.

Oh wow. After reading some comments I realize it’s way more complicated than I realized.

Interesting, my guess I feel that someone or advocacy groups doesn’t want this to work.

What a strong community 👏

I would contact the local Salvation Army there in Portland, especially the captain there in the Salvation Army . 😊🙏🕊️

Ahhh, the old “we can’t help you but here’s the number of someone who CAN” nugget. My favorite false hope circle jerk.

It's empty cuz lots of the homeless do drugs and they can't do that in the RV site.

PBOT please answer the phone.

Not being ready to move in? That makes absolutely no sense. It has to be more than that. They must be putting the safety they offer at a price. I would assume it probably revolves around being allowed to use whatever drug they are currently addicted to. And that makes total sense why someone would not want to move into the park. Lastly, I just want to stress, a homeless person going through addiction is no less deserving of home and healthcare than an attic that does not use. Thanks for coming to my ted talk

😡😡😡 "Rules? We don't got no rules! We don't need no rules!'

You form a list and when one doesn't want to move, you go to the next on the list. This isn't computer science.

Homeless RV parks aren't equipped to provide the safety features that attract the homeless at scale. Tiny homes present the most perceived cost-effective and attractive option. The marketing, outreach, and resident acquisition process needs to improve tremendously.

Portlandia, going strong!

They know they won't be allowed to drink hand sanitizer and beat each other with sticks so there is little interest

How can you apply to get s space to park your RV. ?

Cleanliness must not be a requirement

Need a place to be if you don't want a shelter. A place to be by yourself

It would be helpful if they listed the requirements for entry…so that people in need of this program could know if they qualify. I’m guessing they need sober individuals with working vehicles. That would rule out 99.9% of homeless.

Homeless drug addicts don't like structured rules. Arrest, jail and force rehab or mental treatment. Stop being soft on these people!

It’s all about the free ride.

Too bad, pack up their stuff and move it anyways off the roads.

So no power or water hookups??? Wow. Why even go?

My aunt left a substantial bequest to the Salvation Army. However, the SA is drug free, ALCOHOL free, so there's your "issue" right there. And what you have to do is keep the trash/crap/outside derelict product OFF the property from the get-go, including hazardous propane tanks not being used/expired. As I understand the vid., the SA and highways has ACTUALLY made towing? available for these applicants??

Salvation Army kinda sucks.

Those in rv are sometimes dealers so without tent costumers they can't work, yikes!.

"The City that Works" What a joke.

I’d love to hear more on these guidelines?

If you won't get ready then you lose your spot. That's how life works.

Look how the sheep are still standing farrr apart.

BECAUSE HOMELESS DONT WANT TO FOLLOW THE RULES. THEY DONT WANT TO GET BETTER LMAO

It's because they won't allow the hoarding of garbage...

Is Ted Wheeler able to do anything right? Does he even try?

If the rules say "no drugs", just exit your RV and go for a walk, get stoned, go for a longer walk, make your way back to your RV/park, climb inside, and go to bed at a decent hour. It's not prison. Also, the city should start towing the RVs. I am starting to think that we need Soylent Green: Feed homeless homeless.

In short..another failure program=waste of money.

Rules, guidelines..but you don’t explain them. I’m sure they play a big part in why the park is empty. The only thing a homeless person has is the freedom that comes with it. Giving someone “rules and guidelines” that are not realistic, they won’t come.

Send more from New York.

Homeless people do not rules and we know a few rules are needed to live with other people

It looks like the Salvation Army is making sure that the park is used by truly unfortunate people that are homeless and not just the everyday drug addict.

Solent Greens

💪💪💪🥳👏👏Go portland!! The media can color it any which way they want!!At the end of the day the earth is our home!!

There is 75 Million for homeless people, buy them used ones and move them into them. They don’t want idiots telling them how to live.

omg the starvation army freaks out there, stay away

Homeless people want to live where they can inconvenience other people. Wouldn't be the right place to live if people weren't upset about it.

why we don't have this homeless bum problem in Florida. We give our homeless bums $50 food money then put them on a bus for Portland.

I see more and more young able bodied adults whose lives are just totally chaos. Something has changed over the last decades. My grandparents said it use to not be like this. I don't what happened. Drugs? IDK.

Wait a minute, is that a fence around the park? Now the homeless get to live in a gated community? Bet the tax paying homeowners would like some fencing to keep certain people out.

We need to keep giving them more and more. Give give give. They're all victims. Ignore your lying eyes. Do not question anything.

No the real problem is adults do not like being told what to do. They do not want to have to live by someone else's rules in a RV they own. I wouldn't want someone to control my life just because I parked in a tiny RV space.😊

If you have an rv, you're not homeless.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to fire all these people and just build tiny homes for all the homeless outside of town somewhere? Delta Park? Maybe even delivering drugs, food and blankets. Then you could criminalize sleeping on the street and we'd get downtown back and all the millions/billions lost to property crime and lost business in our downtown. Copenhagen has Christiania where all the druggies who don't want to work can move and use drugs freely. It seems like we spend a lot of money on "solutions" that just make the problem worse. I suppose the problem is even more crazies and junkies from out of town would move here...Portland really is the best place in the world to be a junkie nutter on the street.

Please help people trying to move in here. Should be easy to fix this communication barrier.

Oh, it’s one of those. We choose who can move in. Not who qualifies to be here. I can understand that they want to keep the RV park safe. But, that leaves the people that really need care more permanent place still in the streets. Jesus Christ was born homeless and during his lifetime he never had an address. I’m beginning to think that only God can solve the homeless crisis.

Put them in camps 100 miles from others.

Faith social services makes it impossible for those with religious abuse complex trauma to be there, this is a state responsibility not cities churches duties, sad!.

Strong community?! LOL!

Can they use drugs at the new place? If not, that’s an obstacle.

This can be solved with low income housing. The money the city is spending right now to clean up the city could instead be spent to fix up some old motels or abandoned buildings. Take a nominal feel from all low income recipients, hire a caregiver, pay for administration and upkeep, give these people some dignity. Cause what the city is doing now is not working. All the nasty judgemental comments don't help either. It's just spreading hatred.

Another government job being done the way government always works. Very poorly

Welp…

Wow must be drug testing lol 😂

You people just keep electing the same people and then actually expect things to change. Pitiful

It's crazy to think of how many people were migrating to join New Age cults in Washington & Oregon in the 1980s, and today there are hordes of vagrants there.

because people want to drink alcohol and do drugs, and no rules

Elections have consequences . Go figure

It cost money to tow .

Blair Best please marry me

Blaming the victims. Again. Oh, and again.

Park your RV in front of the mayors home and see how long it takes them to contact you.

Plus need to stop being referred and let them in

Maybe if you offered them 100.00 then theyd go to get the money. N youd bring them in. Money talks

Too many hoops im sure??

It's rediculous