We would like to bring the Reed community’s attention to a local organization called Right to Dream Too (R2D2), a program for houseless Portlanders. We’re a student group trying to raise awareness about this community, the support it provides for homeless individuals, and the pressing issues affecting its prospects for survival.
Right to Dream Too is an independent, local organization of homeless advocates who operate a housing community located at NW 4th and Burnside. The community provides covered sleeping areas, a safe place to store items, and a venue for self-improvement to 62 individuals every night. R2D2 is a structured community with standards to ensure an orderly, clean, and responsible presence in downtown Portland. Outside of temporary assistance, the R2D2 staff consider themselves activists who are interested in pursuing long-term solutions to Portland’s homelessness crisis. R2D2 is funded primarily through donations.
R2D2’s lease is running out, and without an established location to move to, the organization faces ceasing operations. A prior proposal to relocate the community to under a bridge in the Pearl District wilted because of neighborhood and developer opposition. Currently, the city has suggested the possibility of relocating the community to an unused lot (near 99th and SE Harrison) in inner Southeast. Once more, they have encountered a lot of backlash from the neighborhood, which we feel is largely due to ignorance. There have also been concerns about the fact that the new location is farther from downtown, and that transportation to the lot will be too expensive for R2D2 residents. We feel that opponents’ critiques of the plan are unfounded and that R2D2 provides a valuable service for the Portland community. The transition is not ideal for the homeless community, but it’s the reality that R2D2 is facing. We want to help make it as smooth as possible.
We were privileged to attend R2D2’s 4th anniversary party on October 10, World Homeless Day, at the invitation Ibrahim Mubarak, one of the leaders of the R2D2 campsite. Through our conversations and interactions with the R2D2 community, we learned a lot about homelessness in Portland and what a special role R2D2 plays in the homeless support network. The R2D2 community members are honest, thoughtful individuals who have first-hand experience dealing with the homelessness crisis. Our group wants to override the uninformed rejection of the R2D2 community by giving its members a chance to speak for themselves and be heard by those who would not normally listen.
R2D2 was fined in its first year because Portland, like many other major cities, bans camping in public spaces. According to R2D2’s newsletter, this amounts to “criminalizing the houseless for merely surviving.” The policy of criminalizing camping exists to hide the problem—it’s a far easier solution than having tough conversations about expanding the mental health system and constructing affordable housing. Consequently, rather than receiving offers of help, homeless people are often arrested merely for sleeping, sitting, lying down, or hanging out in public. The good news is that people are waking up to the problem; the bad news is that the government has cut spending to help the houseless population.
Please consider visiting our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/reed4r2d2, to find more information and ways to help.