Attendance at the past few Safety and Livability Meetings has been sparse. I suppose, since COVID-19 weighs on everyone’s mind, the neighborhood has been fairly quiet. But with so many folks living without shelter throughout Sunnyside, the primary concerns around houselessness and camping are still relevant.
Of the perspectives and ideas proffered at several meetings over the past 2 years, I’m firmly not of the opinion we should abandon people in the street through the winter, toxic wildfire smoke, summer heat, or for any reason. Leaving people in scattered, unmanaged camps without sanitation and services isn’t good for anyone.
We share these challenges with many inner Portland neighborhoods and together we can seek relief and a civically engineered, humanitarian response. In a new neighbor’s words, “having to step through human suffering to walk in the park is a grim reminder.”
The focal point of the next Safety & Livability Meeting is a discussion of a draft of the North Portland Statement on Homelessness. The SNA board would like to join our fellow Neighborhood Associations to form a broader coalition and appeal to the city.
Please feel free to join us at the next Safety & Livability Zoom meeting, October 6th, 2020 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.. There is more information at https://sunnysideportland.org.
