BEAVERTON, Ore. (KOIN) — Deborah Brown said an inoperable van has been parked on her Beaverton neighborhood street for about 3 years. She reported it to the city multiple times but police told her they couldn’t tow it because people were living in it, she said.
Brown is worried about the homeless campers in her neighborhood. She believes Portland is overrun with homelessness and sees the problem spilling into Beaverton.
Though the police said they couldn’t tow the van, they did tell the people living in the van they couldn’t have trash blocking the sidewalks, she told KOIN 6 News. But she frequently sees trash in the bushes and surrounding the van.
“It’s not good for anybody. It’s not good for the person living in the van. It’s not good for the neighborhood. I worry about sanitary conditions. The police did tell me there is a porta-potty at the library but that’s a 20-minute walk away, so that’s not a viable solution,” Brown told KOIN 6 News.
“If somebody needs assistance, if someone needs help, let’s get them the help they need.”
She’d like the “powers that be” in multiple West Coast cities to do more to get people housed and get the people the resources they need to get off the streets.
“I keep saying I’m not smart enough to come with an idea, but someone has to have an idea of how we can get people into housing and off the streets, because, it’s not good for them, it’s not good for the community, it’s not good for anybody,” she said.
Police officials told KOIN 6 News they are aware of the van. They said they’ve been trying to get them a place to live and have offered them resources.