I agree that the city would save municipal expenditure by letting them apply for zero/low-rent apartments. I also agree that immediate disdain for these people doesn't further anyone's agenda and is irrational.

However, the problem can be approached by both (1) increasing the ordinances that restrict virtual tent communities that really fucking trash areas in SE, that is undeniable. And (2) by putting more effort into municipally-captained alternative housing projects.

But there really does have to be some kind of standard we hold everyone to. I understand entirely too well what a lot of homeless folks are struggling with, and the lack of resources at their disposal.

However, there needs to be some standards as a community/city that we hold everyone to.

Either invite them in to your place, fund more homeless shelters, or shut the fuck up.

(1) I don't need to invite someone into my home to qualify for a justified complaint about homeless communities trashing a park or particular street downtown or in SE.

I do think we should fund more homeless shelters, and homeless teenage & veteran charities have received lots of my dollars, as they well deserve.

Everyone has different problems and struggles, and I think we would agree on quite a few points regarding how homeless folks should be treated and viewed with more compassion.

However, in order to strive for a more equitable community we've got to maintain some standards for treating the place we live with respect. And there are a lot of homeless folks around PDX who treat it like a fucking toilet - that really isn't debatable.

I think to foster real change the movement to get folks off the streets of PDX we need to encourage the city to get it together in regard to alternative, very cheap housing. AND I think we need to enforce some municipal standards to stymie the community at large in treating the streets like they're all fucking dumpsters.