PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After years of reporting a homeless encampment outside their homes in SE Portland, the city recently cleared it, only for people to move back to the same site later that day.
Lonny McFarland, who lives off SE 82nd and Bybee St., says people have been camping on his block for two years and is asking for the county and city to make a meaningful difference.
While many people across Portland have noticed a significant uptick in the garage clean-up and camp removals, McFarland says they feel like they’re out of sight and out of mind.
“We never got responses from PDX Reporter. Finally, they responded we got so happy, thinking ‘Yay we’re going to get some relief,'” he said.
After the city conducted a recent sweep, McFarland says people were putting tents back up right outside their homes within 12 hours.
“To see it build back up, it broke everybody’s hearts,” he said.
The years-long encampment obstructed their only sidewalk and had trash and debris spilling into the street, often blocking the road on their way to work.
“Come and take a walk around our area and see how it feels to you,” McFarland said.
It’s a point of contention with the community members to know the process for preventing people from moving back to the same site is weak.
“There was a 10-day posting, and after that, they’re free to do whatever they want. So they just moved across the road and it’s been 10 days, so they’ve started to put tents up on the opposing side,” McFarland said. “In my experience, it will take about a month before the whole place is filled with trash again.”
Neighbors have seen drugs, fights and garbage, day after day.
“Everybody wants to leave, all my neighbors are talking about moving,” McFarland said. “Everyone’s starting to look for something else. We are too. At this point, we’ve been house shopping trying to find a neighborhood where we don’t have to deal with it.”
But deep down, McFarland doesn’t want to give up on the Rose City. At this point, he says their only hope is that the mayor’s unsanctioned camping ban comes to fruition soon, and that the county and state can step up support.
“I hate to run from the problem, but if I can do something to help my neighbors out, I’m definitely going to do that before I go,” he said.