(NCR. KATIE COLLINS SCOTT).
In Portland, one of the West Coast cities grappling with a large and growing homeless population, Catholic Charities of Oregon runs a tiny home village for formerly homeless women — where they can live communally, receive case management, decorate their own walls with art and photographs, and lock the door at night. Recently, a group of homeless campers began living near that community, known as Kenton Women’s Village, with some individuals bothering residents, said Rose Bak, chief program officer at Catholic Charities. “We’ve been trying to get them to move on because they are causing a safety hazard,” Bak said. “But it’s really tricky to navigate because they have nowhere to go.” Shelters in the city are often full and have a long waitlist, according to a recent city audit. Yet both agency and church leaders told NCR the answer to the complexities of homelessness is not fines or jail time, an approach many cities could adopt following a major ruling on homelessness by the Supreme Court.