Overview:
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness was a massive social crisis, starkly manifesting racial disparities in housing and health. With an unprecedented public health emergency now at hand, it is crucial that cities figure out how to more effectively manage and alleviate homelessness. To better understand where some people experiencing homelessness would prefer to live temporarily during the threat of coronavirus/COVID-19, we conducted a survey in Portland, Oregon. We know that people experiencing homelessness differ in their needs, circumstances, and preferences. Some people stay in tents or shelters, while others live temporarily with friends or family or in vehicles. We sought to understand the range of complex circumstances in order to know how to advocate for resources that people experiencing homelessness need and want.
In this survey, we asked about a variety of potential options for temporary shelter/housing, as well as the level of services people would like to be attached to these options. We also asked people where they live right now, along with some demographic questions focused on marginalized social identities, to see how people experiencing homelessness in different ways might differ in their needs.
Header photo credit: Street Roots