Residents of a neighborhood where Portland wants to create a new homeless shelter want to know how the city went about the selection process. Residents worry the center would bring violence and drug use to their neighborhoods.
City officials surprised its residents in late June when they announced plans for plans for the $10 million, 200-bed center on city-owned land near the Barron Center campus. It would replace the Oxford Street Shelter in downtown Portland.
Portland and Westbrook residents had an opportunity to address their concerns last week. The forum was originally scheduled for July 17.
Problems in the neighborhood surrounding the Oxford Street Shelter are widely documented. The Oxford Street Shelter director said it's wrong to think all homeless people are addicts or criminals.
If the proposal is ultimately approved, downtown Portland would be without a homeless shelter for the first time in 30 years.