cratic Candidate for Oregon Governor Turns to Ally over Homelessness Crisis
One Democrat accuses her ally and fellow Democrat of failing to address the Homelessness Crisis in Oregon.
“Nearly three decades ago, I called to establish a homelessness emergency in our state,” Tina Kotek, Oregon Democrat gubernatorial hopeful, said Wednesday during a debate. She also stated that the outgoing Democrat governor. Kate Brown “did nothing.”
Brown had previously endorsed Kotek for the governor’s race, stating that Kotek has been an advocate for working families throughout her career.
According to the United States Interagency for Homelessness, Oregon had approximately 14,655 homeless people in January 2020. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 34 of every 10,000 Oregonians are currently homeless. Only Hawaii, New York, California, and New York have higher homelessness rates.
The homelessness report of Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based nonprofit, found that Portland, Oregon had 50% of all arrests between 2017 & 2020, despite the fact that Portland’s population was less than 2%.
In 2018, Brown released her Housing Policy Agenda, which provided $370 million in state money for housing for families with children, veterans of Oregon, and the chronically homeless. The agenda also sought to increase housing supply growth.
Brown did not respond when The Daily Signal asked him for comment.
Kotek states on her campaign website, “homelessness crisis complex problem” that it is caused by a lack affordable housing, under-resourced services for the homeless, and inadequate funding of support for the homeless.
According to Kotek’s website, the homelessness situation can be improved with increased leadership, coordination, targeted resources, and state support.
The Daily Signal asked Kotek for comment. Kotek was previously the speaker of Oregon’s House of Representatives.
Christine Drazan, a Republican candidate for the gubernatorial office, told Oregon Public Broadcasting in April that “my opponents will claim a lack affordable housing is the primary reason” for homelessness. But the “reality is that the state has failed Oregonians suffering from mental health issues and substance abuse .”
Drazan stated that Oregon must stop “enabling homeless.” Kotek’s bill which protects those living in homeless encampments on land public property from being fined, she argued, “effectively legalized” camping in Oregon. “To end homelessness, we must solve our state’s addiction crisis.”
Drazan stated that her goal is to make Oregon homelessness rare. She also said that the sooner Drazan embraces a data-driven approach that recognizes and relies on both accountability as well as compassion, the sooner homelessness will be a temporary and temporary phenomenon.
Drazan did no respond to The Daily Signal’s request to comment.
Oregon voters approved Measure 110 in 2020. This measure made it illegal to possess or use small amounts of any drug, including heroin, LSD and cocaine.
“A year and a half later, critics call 110 ineffectual or even harmful, claiming the black market remains vibrant,” Jeffrey Miron and Jacob Winter of the libertarian Cato Institute wrote in September. They stated that both the Republican and Independent candidates for governor have called for its repeal. “The problem is that 110 didn’t go far enough,” they said.
The Cato researchers suggested that Measure 110 should also have legalized “production and sales of drugs.” However, the law’s failure has allowed the black market in drug production to thrive.
Cully Stimson, a Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, stated that there is a lot of work being done on the drug use and homelessness issues. (The Heritage Foundation’s news outlet, The Daily Signal.)
Stimson stated that Michael Shellenberger, a former Democratic presidential candidate in California, addressed many of these core issues creating homelessness through his book ” San Fransicko Why Progressives Ruin Cities”.
Stimson was highly praised by Shellenberger for his assessment of the homelessness crisis, stating that it’s true that there is no real homeless problem.
This is the result of a lax attitude towards enforcing drug laws, criminal law enforcement, and giving people the services they need when they are addicted to drugs. They are held accountable, put through drug court, and then given the carrot-and stick approach, the incentive, for getting on the straight and narrow.
You can’t ignore the enforcement of criminal law, but you can’t ignore basic human decency.
He said, “You are not doing people any favors if they’re addicted.” “We are all fragile, and any one of us could, God forbid!, become addicted to drugs or other harmful substances. We have incentives that force us to make wise choices. Living in a city that is open to everyone will lead to the degrading of the human condition.
Do you have a comment about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected] and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Include the article’s URL or headline, along with your name and the address of your town or state.
The Daily Signal published the article Democratic Candidate to Oregon Governor Turns On Ally Over Homelessness Crisis.
