Press Release 11.10.25 | Support for Mayor Wilson’s Camping Ban Enforcement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2025 - Portland, Oregon
Future Portland supports Mayor Keith Wilson’s commitment to funding sufficient shelter beds and his decision to enforce Portland’s unsanctioned camping ordinance, in the careful manner required under Oregon HB 3115. We agree with District Attorney Nathan Vasquez that a "push-pull" effort has proven necessary to connect people with the help they need. Early enforcement data shows positive outcomes, with many individuals accepting shelter and assistance, and nearly half having outstanding warrants for their arrest. For far too long we have allowed extensive criminal elements to exist under the guise of homeless encampments. And for far too long, we have allowed the sickest and weakest in our city to die on the streets because they weren’t well enough to ask for the right help, in the right way, at the right time.
Future Portland challenges the narrative that a majority of people experiencing homelessness refuse congregate shelter. Recent data suggest our primary challenge is not solely a housing shortage, but an ongoing crisis of untreated drug and mental health issues that prevents people from maintaining housing. Transitional housing providers echo the sentiment that a "Housing First" approach fails without integrated, robust support services. It is neither safe nor compassionate to permit individuals lacking mental capacity to care for themselves, whether on the streets or alone in a subsidized unit. We as a community have to agree that it is not empathetic, healthy, or safe to continue to allow people to “choose” to sleep outside on a sidewalk when they do not have the mental capacity to do so. We must stop the unacceptable rise in Multnomah County’s annual “domicile unknown” deaths.
Multnomah County must step up to provide enough shelter capacity and to correct misleading information about local shelters. Nearly all county-funded shelters operate 24/7 and accommodate pets and couples (with exceptions for women and children-only facilities). We urge elected leaders, including County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson who controls the vendors and contracts, to cease disparaging these vital resources. Future Portland members who have visited and volunteered in these shelters affirm that many have developed into robust communities. For the majority of our neighbors, these shelters offer a critical, life-saving pathway toward permanent housing, treatment, and mental health services.
Furthermore, Future Portland condemns Councilor Angelita Morillo’s proposed budget amendment to reduce funding for campsite cleanups, and will be rallying our support for Mayor Wilson.
About Future Portland:
Future Portland is a grassroots organization supporting sensible solutions to improve livability throughout Portland and surrounding communities for a healthier, happier region. Learn more at: https://futureportland.org/about