PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An analysis of the City of Portland’s 68 proposed Safe Rest Village sites, which officials say will be used to select just six for development, shows fewer sites are proposed in higher income bracket neighborhoods than in lower income bracket neighborhoods. That being said, previously released data by the city shows that many poorer neighborhoods have a higher density of potential city-owned sites that would be considered viable, according to standards set by the city, than higher-income neighborhoods do.

KOIN 6 News took the time to break down each proposed Safe Rest Village site by neighborhood, along with the estimated median household income of each neighborhood, with the help of Portland State University’s Center for Spatial Analysis and Research, following concerns from some East Portland residents that the poorer neighborhoods were carrying the brunt of the proposed sites.

Last month, the City of Portland released its list of 68 proposed Safe Rest Village sites for people experiencing homelessness as part of an effort to address the housing crisis in the city. They would be outdoor shelters, but not tents. Officials plan to narrow that list down to just six and construct them before the end of the year. It’s unclear when the six finalized sites will be announced by the city.

Below is a map KOIN 6 News created that lists the 68 proposed homeless village sites of the city overlaid onto a Portland neighborhood boundary map. Bear in mind that in some instances, clusters of markers are representative of one proposed site which spans multiple parcels of land owned by the city. For instance, the Columbia Buffer Strip area located near 3043 N Trenton St. spans over 35 land parcels, according to the city’s own Safe Rest Village proposal list:

For comparison, below is a map provided by David Banis, Associate Director for PSU’s Center for Spatial Analysis and Research. Banis said the median household income data, broken down by neighborhood, is derived from averages from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey from 2015-2019, which may have a margin of error of about 10%. And to calculate the MHI to be neighborhood-specific, converted from census tracts, that margin of error may be even greater. He said we’ll get more accurate MHI data after more of the 2020 Census data gets released and analyzed. Until then, these estimates are most useful for comparison purposes, Banis said, for instance determining which neighborhoods have the highest vs. lowest income percentages compared to the citywide average:

A map provided by David Banis, Associate Director for Portland State University’s Center for Spatial Analysis and Research which indicates the median household income data, broken down by Portland neighborhoods, derived from averages from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey from 2015-2019. August 12, 2021 (courtesy David Banis).

The number of neighborhoods in each income bracket is fairly evenly split, with roughly 18-20 neighborhoods in each level in Portland. Yet the number of proposed shelter sites, broken down per income bracket, does appear to become fewer and fewer the higher the income level (see below):

  • Neighborhoods with a MHI of ≤ $60,540 have 30.9% of total proposed shelter sites
  • Neighborhoods with a MHI of ≤ $71,504 have 25% of total proposed shelter sites
  • Neighborhoods with a MHI of ≤ $87,188 have 20.6% of total proposed shelter sites
  • Neighborhoods with a MHI of ≤ $109,021 have 17.6% of total proposed shelter sites
  • Neighborhoods with a MHI of ≤ $165,975 have 2.9% of total proposed shelter sites
  • 2.9% of total proposed shelter sites were located in neighborhoods where income data was not applicable and/or not available (this includes unclaimed Multnomah County at Lake Yard).

Back in January, a Bureau of Planning and Sustainability memo was submitted to the volunteer citizen Planning and Sustainability Commission with four maps, one of which laid out “Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites by Neighborhood Allowed Under Clear and Objective Standards.” The map showed some neighborhoods have a larger amount of potential sites located within them than others.

The accompanying Jan. 22 memo stated that “Although availability is not equally distributed throughout the City, every neighborhood has at least some sites available for an outdoor shelter.”

One of four maps released in January showing where land for new homeless shelters and sanctioned campsites are available in Portland (courtesy: City of Portland).

Although the number of proposed homeless sites becomes fewer and fewer as you go higher up on the income scale, it does also appear, based on the map above, that lower-income neighborhoods generally also have a higher-density of potential shelter sites that would be allowed by the city:

  • No Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites Allowed Under Clear and Objective Standards
    • 50% of the neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $165,975
    • 25% of the neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $109,021
    • 25% of the neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $60,540
  • 1-100 Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites Allowed Under Clear and Objective Standards
    • 41.7% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $165,975
    • 25% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $109,021
    • 16.7% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $87,188
    • 8.3% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $71,504
    • 8.3% of neighborhoods under this category have an MGI of ≤ $60,540
  • 101-400 Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites Allowed Under Clear and Objective Standards
    • 17.5% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $109,021
    • 27.5% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $87,188
    • 35% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $71,504
    • 20% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $60,540
  • 451-800 Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites Allowed Under Clear and Objective Standards
    • 12.5% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $109,021
    • 25% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $87,188
    • 12.5% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $71,504
    • 50% of neighborhoods under this category have an MHI of ≤ $60,540

Below is a list of Portland Neighborhoods, the number of Safe Rest Village sites proposed for each, the estimated median household income for each neighborhood and the total potential outdoor shelter sites allowed under the city’s Clear and Objective Standards for each neighborhood.

NeighborhoodShelter Sites ProposedMedian Household Income/year (est.)Potential Outdoor Shelter Sites by Neighborhood allowed under Clear and Objective Standards
Alameda0≤ $165,9751-100
Arbor Lodge0≤ $87,188101-400
Ardenwald/Johnson Creek0≤ $165,9751-100
Argay Terrace0≤ $60,5401-100
Arlington Heights0≤ $165,975None
Arnold Creek0≤ $165,975None
Ashcreek0≤ $109,0211-100
Beaumont-Wilshire0≤ $165,9751-100
Boise0≤ $87,188101-400
Brentwood/Darlington0≤ $71,504101-400
Bridgeton0≤ $87,1881-100
Bridlemile0≤ $165,9751-100
Brooklyn 0≤ $87,1881-100
Buckman 0≤ $60,540451-800
Cathedral Park3≤ $87,188101-400
Centennial1≤ $60,540451-800
Collins View1≤ $165,9751-100
Concordia0≤ $109,021101-400
Creston-Kenilworth0≤ $71,504101-400
Crestwood1≤ $109,0211-100
Cully0≤ $60,540451-800
Downtown0≤ $60,540451-800
East Columbia1≤ $87,1881-100
Eastmoreland0≤ $165,9751-100
Eliot8≤ $71,504451-800
Far Southwest1≤ $87,1881-100
Forest Park0≤ $165,9751-100
Foster-Powell0≤ $71,504101-400
Glenfair0≤ $60,540101-400
Goosehollow Foothills League2≤ $71,504101-400
Grant Park0≤ $165,9751-100
Hayden Island1≤ $109,0211-100
Hayhurst0≤ $109,021101-400
Hazelwood2≤ $60,540Greater than 800
Healy Heights0≤ $109,021None
Hillsdale1≤ $109,021101-400
Hillside0≤ $165,9751-100
Hollywood0≤ $71,504101-400
Homestead0≤ $109,0211-100
Hosford-Abernethy0≤ $87,1881-100
Humboldt1≤ $87,188101-400
Irvington0≤ $109,021101-400
Kenton4≤ $87,188Open Space Zone (# of lots not listed)
Kerns2≤ $60,540101-400
King0≤ $71,504101-400
Laurelhurst0≤ $165,9751-100
Lents2≤ $60,540Greater than 800
Linnton0≤ $109,0211-100
Lloyd District4≤ $60,540101-400
Madison South1≤ $60,540101-400
Maplewood0≤ $109,0211-100
Markham0≤ $165,9751-100
Marshall Park1≤ $165,975None (Open Space Zone listed)
MC Unclaimed #14 (Lake Yard)2UnavailableIndustrial Zone (# of lots not listed)
Mill Park2≤ $60,540101-400
Montavilla0≤ $71,504Greater than 800
Mt Scott-Arleta0≤ $71,504101-400
Mt Tabor1≤ $87,188101-400
Multnomah0≤ $87,188101-400
North Tabor0≤ $71,504101-400
Northwest0≤ $87,188451-800
Northwest Heights0≤ $165,9751-100
Old Town2≤ $60,540101-400
Overlook5≤ $109,021101-400
Parkrose Heights0≤ $71,504101-400
Parkrose1≤ $60,540101-400
Pearl0≤ $60,540101-400
Piedmont1≤ $71,504101-400
Pleasant Valley1≤ $87,188101-400
Portsmouth0≤ $71,504101-400
Powellhurst-Gilbert3≤ $60,540Greater than 800
Reed0≤ $71,5041-100
Richmond0≤ $87,188101-400
Rose City Park0≤ $109,021101-400
Roseway0≤ $87,1881-100
Russell0≤ $71,5041-100
Sabin0≤ $109,0211-100
Sellwood-Moreland1≤ $87,188451-800
South Burlingame0≤ $165,9751-100
South Portland4≤ $109,021451-800
South Tabor0≤ $71,504101-400
Southwest Hills Residential League0≤ $165,9751-100
St Johns6≤ $71,504101-400
Sullivan’s Gulch0≤ $71,5041-100
Sumner0≤ $60,5401-100
Sunderland1≤ $60,5401-100
Sunnyside0≤ $87,188101-400
Sylvan-Highlands0≤ $165,9751-100
University Park1≤ $87,188101-400
Vernon0≤ $109,0211-100
West Portland Park0≤ $87,188101-400
Wilkes0≤ $71,504101-400
Woodland Park0≤ $60,540None
Woodlawn0≤ $109,0211-100
Woodstock0≤ $109,021101-400

For a related story about Hazelwood Neighborhood Association’s dissatisfaction about the distribution of the proposed Safe Rest Village sites throughout the city, check here.