Activists stage 'tarpees' near homeless camps to send message about Portland's housing crisis

[Schism]

Activists stage 'tarpees' near homeless camps to send message about Portland's housing crisis

PORTLAND, Ore. — Along the Peninsula Crossing Trail in North Portland, three tall, white, triangular tents appeared seemingly out of nowhere this week. They’re known as “tarpees,” and the grassroots group of activists who put them there say their looming presence sends a message: The city of Portland needs to think outside the box, if it has any hope of ending this housing crisis.

“We were looking at cost, for one thing,” said activist Mike Horner in an interview Friday. "These are fairly easy to construct. We tried to make it so that people could close the door and be private … have a place to be able to be off the ground, have a place to lay down, have a table.”

Tarpees, wooden teepees draped with tarps, were designed by a Seattle-area man ahead of the 2016 Standing Rock protests. Journalists covering the clash noticed, and eventually, the tarpees became a story in their own right.

This isn't a bad idea. The "tiny home" concept isn't bad either, just more expensive and slower to roll out. The issue with both ideas is land space.

I came to the conclusion years ago during my work with the homeless, that many just don't want to stay in a communal shelter-type environment with bunk rooms and 8-12 people sleeping in the same space. They want more privacy, freedom, security for their stuff, etc. I get it. But the issue is land space.

I believe cities need to set apart - as a trial run - some unused space in industrial areas where these tent cities could be erected, and provide porta-potties and dumpsters. If the homeless don't want to get better, get jobs, and live in tents, and the cities are bent on providing for them, then give them space to camp. It would be easier to account for funds going to homeless resources as well, since the money would be spent on services to these "communities" instead of the black hole that money currently disappears into.

What I disagree with, is letting them camp wherever they want. That needs to end.