Understanding Homelessness Podcast

Dr. Andres Lopez, research director for the Coalition of Communities of Color (CCC), and Dr. Mira Mohsini, CCC’s senior researcher, talk about community based participatory action research and research justice. Their work recognizes and uplifts the expertise that exists within the community, and the ability of those most impacted to offer insight into solutions that work best.

Todd Ferry from Portland State University shares the results of his study on villages as alternative shelter and the how-to guide developed from the research. A key finding in the Village Research and How-To Guide was that 69% of villagers said that they should share in decision making at the village, and it was a key contributor to villager satisfaction. Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative researchers Dr. Marisa Zapata and Dr. Greg Townley were also part of the research team. Ferry also talks about how he got into this work and a little bit about the history of villages in Portland. 

People living doubled up with friends or family due to economic hardship, sometimes called invisible homelessness, is not always clear to communities or even those experiencing it due to stigma and lack of resources. The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless teamed up with advocates and researchers to develop a unique way to count people living doubled up using U.S. Census microdata. In this episode, we talk with researcher Molly Richard, a student at Vanderbilt University, Samuel Carlson, manager of Research and Outreach at Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Edrika Fulford, a community organizer with lived experience of doubled-up homelessness. 

We dedicate this episode to Edrika who died shortly after this recording. Those who knew her said that Edrika brought immense passion and resolve to all that she did as a leader and advocate, whether speaking at rallies, testifying at press conferences, officiating events, or providing interviews with the media. She will be deeply missed and forever part of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless’s mission and legacy.

Dr. Norweeta Milburn and Earl Edwards from UCLA share their recent study with co-authored with California Policy Lab colleagues Dean Obermark and Janey Roundtree: Inequity in the Permanent Supportive Housing System in Los Angeles: Scale, Scope and Reasons for Black Residents’ Return to Homelessness.  A key finding shows that Black residents were 19% more likely than White residents to return to homelessness from permanent supportive housing in Los Angeles County. The higher rates of homelessness and inequitable outcomes mirror trends across the country. The researchers talk about the reasons behind the results, which are also outlined in their report. 

When Portland State University instructor Kacy McKinney got the idea to create a series of comics featuring PSU students with lived experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity, her goal was to change the narrative around homelessness. The project—which has blossomed into a 80-page printed comic collection and two gallery showings—has done that and much more.

FREE EVICTIONS SUPPORT: Tenants facing eviction can get help at (888) 585-9638 or at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project.

Becky Straus and Emily Rena-Dozier co-run Oregon Law Center’s Eviction Defense Project, which provides free legal help and representation to anyone facing an eviction in Oregon. Straus is the Managing Attorney for the EDP and Rena-Dozier supports and mentors legal aid attorneys statewide on housing law cases. In this episode they talk about illegal evictions, the need for representation in an unjust system and their work to help all those who need it. Tenants facing eviction can reach their team at (888) 585-9638 or at oregonlawcenter.org/eviction-defense-project.

In this episode we talk with Julia Delgado, the vice president of the Urban League of Portland, about the higher rates of homelessness for black residents, historic lack of access to housing and services and how that inspired the Urban League and other culturally specific providers to get into housing.

In this episode, we talk with Jessica Mathis and Calvin from Welcome Home Coalition, a group of organizations working together to advance the idea that everyone deserves a place to call home. Mathis is the regional organizer and Calvin is an advocate. They talk about the speaker advocate program, and the value of hearing and connecting to people with lived experience of homelessness. And why that’s key to effective public policy.

In this episode we switch it up, and Dr. Marisa Zapata is the one answering the questions about rates of homelessness, affordable housing, and how to help those living unsheltered. Community leader and housing advocate Shannon Singleton gets to ask the questions that many community members have. She is the former executive director of JOIN, a local nonprofit that provides street outreach and housing placement support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. 

Editor’s note: This episode was recorded before Shannon Singleton announced her candidacy for Multnomah County Chair, and is not meant as an endorsement of any campaign. 

In this episode, we talk with Raven Drake, manager of the Streets Roots Ambassador Program. The program builds on the talents and expertise of people on the streets to do public health outreach, surveys, and training while also helping participants build skills, make professional connections, and earn additional income. Drake also helped create C3PO, a collection of three alternative shelter communities built during the pandemic. She talks about why self determination is key when it comes to creating these spaces, and why efforts to create camps without it will fall short. She also shares her personal journey and how even on the darkest of days, there is a pathway forward.

Hey podcast listeners. This is Stefanie Knowlton, editor of the Understanding Homelessness podcast, with an update from last week’s two-part episode. The conversation with Don’t Evict PDX was recorded in early summer, and there have been some additional tenant supports that have come online since then. Oregon Law Center launched the Eviction Defense Project, which now offers legal support to all low-income tenants in Oregon facing a court eviction. Support includes a legal review of your case, legal advice, and in many cases some level of representation. It should only take one to two days to hear back from OLC. You can reach them at (888)-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org. Please share this information with anyone who needs it. Despite these supports, Oregon still does not have a legal right to counsel in eviction cases. This is something that Don’t Evict PDX is prioritizing for the future. Thank you for listening.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org

This is part two of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX where we talk about the violence of eviction, systemic issues, biggest fears for the future, and what is next for the organization. Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. The end of the show also includes resources for those battling eviction.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org

Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. While some additional supports have since become available, listen for those at the end of the episode, their efforts still underscore housing injustices in the Portland Metro Area. Eviction is a key contributor to homelessness. This is part one of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX. Listen to the next half in episode 5.

The executive director of Home Forward, Michael Buonocore, talks about the history of affordable housing, why there isn’t enough to meet the need, and barriers to making it happen faster. The conversation also includes what a housing wage looks like and a few thoughts on NIMBYs.

Community health worker, activist and grassroots organizer LaQuida Landford talks about her roots in Belize and her lived experience of homelessness, and how both shape her vision for the AfroVillage Movement. She has worked for several Portland area nonprofits working on homelessness including Central City Concern, JOIN, and Urban League of Portland. Now she is creating her own movement. The AfroVillage will be a healing space for communities of color.

Let’s clear away some of the rhetoric about homelessness and identify the key questions that frame this discussion. Dr. Marisa Zapata, director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, talks about the question she hears most often and how the answer is more nuanced than you might think. In future episodes, she will talk with experts, including those with lived experience, to understand what homelessness means for communities of color in particular, and what we can do to move forward to address it.