Homelessness is everywhere, and we all have our opinions. You are all entitled to yours, for sure. Irrespective of where you land on the issue of dealing with unhoused people, it is happening and their numbers are growing. Cities across Oregon were required to produce a map showing where people could camp overnight. The City of Hillsboro engaged a vast array of agencies and professionals to develop a map. Careful rules were set forth and in July of this year, an ordinance was passed at City Hall.
Here is a look at the Public Information released through the City View newsletter sent to Hillsboro residents.
Check Out The Maps Where Camping On Public Land Is Allowed
Check Out the Online Interactive Maps
Private Property Owners can allow camping on their properties for up to 3 tents- there is an approval process. Check out the rules right here! https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/home/showdocument?id=29639
There are a lot of rules and a lot to unpack here. Hillsboro is doing a great job of getting shelters built and addressing this problem. The money is available but the problem is immense and not getting better fast. Camping will not be allowed, as I understand it, if we reach a point where the community has enough shelter beds. That is highly unlikely, so we want you all to understand these rules.
Why allow camping in Public at all? State Law in Oregon and Federal Lawsuits set the precedent that it is not illegal to be homeless and that people have a God-given right to sleep. So, having no options is illegal and inhumane.
As of now, rules are in place across the City of Hillsboro. If you see someone on private land, you can call code enforcement. Those camping on Public land in public rights of way need to comply with the rules, which can be found right here: https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/services/community-support/homelessness-initiatives/camping-rules
The reason we need rules, shelters, and programs? We have all seen these sorts of camps on public and private land and understand their problems for the campers and the public, too. These new rules and maps help us all get to a better place!
As a homeless individual ( the white 1990 Dodge D250 with the mini camper shell around Hillsboro area), I have seen this map before and it is not well thought out. There is no reason a city with a Billion dollar budget can’t create something more thought out than this. As an avid photographer I’ve traveled the country pretty extensively. They need to look to South Lake Tahoe for inspiration. Their maps are color coded, clearly show where camping is and is not allowed, and their rules are much clearer.
I emailed Dirk here at the Hillsboro Herald to inquire about writing stories from the perspective of a straight edge homeless individual trying to make it in a place where the city villainizes all homeless people behind closed doors, even those like myself who have dreams and goals, and regularly clean up and pickup litter in our parks. I’m sure some of you have seen me at Dairy Creek Park, Shute Park or even Noble Woods Park where I remove invasive English Ivy. I’m tired of being thrown in the group with the bike thieves, tweakers, mentally unstable and otherwise negatively affected.
The City of Hillsboro does not care about people like myself. The mayor shook my hand and told me he would reach out to me after I spoke at City council meetings, yet completely ignored me. They refuse to do anything to help those who wish to get ahead. Criminals.
I would be happy to have u write a column for us. Email a story and your pics and let’s make it happen!
I emailed you! Please keep reporting on this topic. KP is looking at a class action lawsuit that should fund some of this soon.
This is ridiculous unless they enforce the time limit rules. It seems this is pushing camping out into industrial areas. What are homeless to do between 7am-7pm? Loiter and cause problems.
Your comment shows that you do not understand the problem. The problem is not homelessness. The problem is mental health, drug abuse, thieves and others. I am homeless. I live in my truck. I park in the same spot every night, I watch over the businesses around me, I call in crimes. I do no drugs, do not drink, do not smoke. I keep to myself. In the last two months I’ve spent 78 hours cleaning up around Shute Park, Dairy Creek Park, Noble Woods Park and elsewhere.
Just this morning I met an individual who recognized me from my comment above. We had a nice ten minute talk about the real problems, what needs to be done and what is NOT being done. By the way, I picked up cigarettes, fentanyl foil, straws and other bits of trash around Shute Park this morning from 7:30 to 9:30. What did you do? Seems like you’re just here to loiter and cause problems, metaphorically.
Earlier this week I retrieved a stolen bike and returned it to the owner at Dottie’s. A friend Tammy called in a woman stealing a truck load of fire wood and Presto Logs which the police made her return.
Yesterday morning at 5:20, a meth head banged on Tammy’s RV and tried to buy meth. When they told him to go away, he came over and tried to buy meth from me. I’ve never done a hard drug in my life. Tammy not even marijuana. By the way. Tammy’s husband what ran over and is in a wheelchair, needs a shoulder and knee replacement. During the day we go to the same spot, talk about our hobbies, fishing/hunting/photography/camping in the forest… They have no way to make a living due to his injuries.
So feel free to come visit with me and I’ll show you what the real problems are. In fact, why don’t you set up your car for camping and come stay a night out with me, Tammy and her husband. You wouldn’t even have to worry about your safety, we are well prepared. The Steelers, thieves and others know to leave us alone.
By the way (again), the problem isn’t homelessness, it’s the elected leaders who have other priorities. Hard to see the problems from the hills.
Be well,
Daniel the Homeless Guy
Tweekers, not Steelers.
Not all of them I used to be homeless for as year just waiting for my disability to kick in I’m born with a disability and fetus a hole sy drum .some they need to help people who have family who are homeless and not the tweekers r
Not all of them I used to be homeless for as year just waiting for my disability to kick in I’m born with a disability and fetus a hole sy drum .some they need to help people who have family who are homeless and not the tweeker
Exactly. Without a stable community area this doesn’t solve much for us or them. I just had someone rummaging through the trashes on our street. We have a beautiful creek area and I have to clean up litter there often. It’s from people rummaging through the trashes. I told him to get off of my property and he said he will come back when I’m sleeping. The intermixing isn’t working. We moved here for a reason.
Handouts need to stop, it’s simply an enabling tool and will not improve anything. If they are unwilling to take a hand-up (work for what they want, stay clean, stop committing crimes, etc) then they should move along and stop getting any help whatsoever. They will migrate to wherever has the most free stuff instead of working for it. It’s time the bureaucrats stop stealing from the “do-ers” and giving it to those who “refuse to do-ers”.
There’s a series of plaques that tell about how it used to be over at the Lowes/Home Depot parking lot next to Wendy’s. Back then the families were held accountable, if no family, then the county(?) paid $30 a month to care for the person. If the person was able bodied they were required to work for their care. You and I both agree that people must be held accountable. Government safety nets should be set in place for the minimal amount of time required to get back on your feet – food stamps for your immediate survival needs (3 months), no frills micro studio housing (3 months), cell phone (3 months), health insurance for immediate concerns (3 months) and a bus pass (3 months). The point of helping someone is to enable them to be self sufficient, not to enable them to live for free. 3 months is more than enough time to get a job, and put money into an apartment when the system is in place. The current resources prioritize tweekers and thieves. I went to shower today and they had only been able to get through 4 showers in 3 and a half hours because the police were constantly being called, someone required medical attention, another person was trespassed, etc. It sucks being second to tweekers, especially when I’m just trying to get a shower to be presentable to tour an apartment.
Express your anger about the situation. Contact the Mayors office and speak at the City Council meetings as I have. Every first and third Tuesday, 7pm at the Civic Center. Tell him/them to stop worrying about wasting tax money on a seldom to be used baseball project and increase police and parks budgets, and resource budgets for those, like myself, who are drug free and want to be constructive. That $20 million dollars could be put to use in much more productive ways that TRULY benefit the entire community.
By the way, hiring? I’ve applied many places but due to not having an income my phone was shut off and I likely missed a few calls. Reach out if you need anything cleaned up due to the destructive homeless individuals. I try to clean up after others as much as possible to help the ‘doers’, meet people and make connections.
Be well,
Daniel, the PO’d homeless guy