Portland’s campsite cleanup program has increased its communication with people experiencing homelessness and improved the process of cataloging and storing belongings taken from campsites, according to an auditors report.
In a 2019 review, the city auditor found several problems with the way the Homeless and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program operated, in particular how crews took and stored the identification cards, tents, clothes and other personal property left at campsites they cleaned. In the year since, those issues have mostly been resolved, according to the auditor.
The auditor also recommended changes to how the program tracks its progress from the time a complaint about a campsite is filed to when the cleanup is completed. Some that work is still in progress, according to the auditor.
The city created the One Point of Contact system under former Mayor Charlie Hales to be a centralized database of complaints about homeless camps and RVs. Once a complaint is filed, crews are supposed to visit the site, evaluate and rank it based on a variety of metrics, such as the amount of space it takes up, visible syringes, garbage and other factors.
The higher the site ranks, the higher it is prioritized for cleanup.
At the time of the audit, auditors said that the prioritization process was not standard or thorough. The one-year update says that has been resolved.
The audit, conducted when during summer and fall 2018, found that residents said they appreciate having a one-stop-shop for complaints about homeless people and camps, but frequent users said they find the pace too sluggish.
Now, the city is working to better track its data to judge its own timeliness and notify people who file complaints about the status of them.
The city has also expanded its warehouse where homeless people’s belongings are stored, and officials created a secure room where ID cards and other important personal property is held indefinitely.
Since then, the city has also streamlined its notifications to homeless campers as well as taking over cleanups on Oregon Department of Transportation property within the city of Portland. Now, city crews also visit camps in-person the day before a cleanup to make sure campers know they will be cleared.
-- Molly Harbarger
mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger
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