Portland Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty discusses homelessness | Full interview

Last week we aired our interview with Rene Gonzalez, who is running to unseat Hardesty on the Portland City Council. Now it's her turn to share her thoughts.

[Scorch]

Essentially, Portland's city officials and the people who have voted for them for 30+ years, created the current homeless crisis there. "Now", homeless people in Portland are getting the rug pulled out from under them, because their numbers have increased to unsustainable levels. Before cities like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. began incentivizing people to move to these locations to take advantage of their public subsidies, homelessness was "more evenly distributed" throughout the 50 states and 16 territories. Today, big "Left Coast" cities that "welcome homeless" from other places, are shouldering a disproportionately massive share of the burden of providing for these people's needs.

[blueeyedwolf]

Now it's called "houselessness"..what will it be five minutes from now? Ten minutes from now?

[anthonygross]

If they can’t afford housing here they can move to another state. It’s cheaper to buy them a bus ticket in the long run.

[WillyMcCoy]

She doesn't address the problem by its proper name. Homeless not "Houseless". Arisrotle remarks this view thousands of years ago.
No mention of civics and positive community actions whereby the uncivil, often violent population learn to contribute to society.

[sadboi]

How did the Crypt Keeper get out of her box?!? I thought we were supposed to seal her away until the Dark Lords come back?! What is this madness….!!!

[hoobeydoobey]

As a dog returns to its vomit so does a fool to her folly. Pr 26:11 The heart of the wise inclines to the right while the heart of the fool's to the left. Ecc 10:2 As the reporter noted, no specifics, just more of the same.

[ricardodsavant]

Hey hey ho ho Hardesty has got to go....👎

[jenniferdewitt]

I dont know how I will vote but I agree 18 months to figure out how to let people camp is ridiculous. Build mental health facilities. Walmart can build a 180, 000 sq foot store with 20+ bathrooms, a deli kitchen and bakery kitchen ect in less than 18 months. This is not rocket science.

[kathleenrudnick]

You’re also expected to make income of 3x’s the amount of rent - impossible even at minimum wage!!

[fsaari]

Her skills at failure are exceptional

[kathleenrudnick]

If buildings were bought by low income asst. then money paid would return to them

[strictlycommercial]

Thanks for posting this interview. It's hard to decide who to vote for. On the one hand, I want to vote against every official responsible for defunding Portland police (police need more funding, not less---funding for education, especially in basic psychology, mental health disorders, etc.--these should be basic training requirements for every police officer). On the other hand, I think that Portland Street Response deserves a chance and should be developed further. And I credit Hardesty for introducing it. Portland police had a history of racist behavior and they needed a reckoning. I am sympathetic with those who spearheaded that reckoning; however, that reckoning needed to come in the form of substantial reform, not the gutting of police capacity to keep the city safe. Also, Hardesty's disingenuous maligning of her opponent as "anti-LGBT" loses points with me. As a classical liberal firmly committed to gay marriage and the freedom to live any way one chooses---but firmly against the sexualization of children, ideological indoctrination of schoolkids with gender-queer theories, the destruction of a good city under the rubric of "decolonization, " the propagation of a shame-based metaphysics of "whiteness, " and the science-denial that now rejects the fundamentals of biological sex---I am leery of any public official who uncritically aligns with the woke left.

[Tranqualthoughts]

This lady sees the truth. We need to start with affordable housing. Honestly for every person they get into housing on vouchers I guarantee five or more hard working people are losing their housing because of rent increases. Cities will never get ahead of their homeless crisis if they don't continue to build affordable housing for the lower income families!

[brendabrock]

Out all the people running I like her.

[karendenemark]

Vote for this woman!!She will make a difference to helping get affordable homes for Portland residents.

[hswing]

So the portland city council appoints the unqualified person to lead the police the same person that wants to defund the police department.
PORTLAND VOTERS WAKE UP AND SAVE YOUR CITY.

[IncestJoe]

What does that identify as? A male? Female? A corpse?