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8
Tuesday, December 9, 2003
NATION
THE BATTAL1
Homeless village reaches crossroads
By Sarah Linn
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. — On a
one-acre patch of asphalt near
the airport, about 80 homeless
people are living in shelters
slapped together out of scav
enged planks, plastic,
sheetrock and cardboard. But
this is no ordinary shantytown.
Dignity Village, as it is
called, is an unusual social
experiment: a government-
sanctioned encampment for
the homeless.
Besides holding a city lease,
it has its own government,
maintains a Web site and oper
ates as a nonprofit corporation.
Residents get free legal advice
from local lawyers, medical
aid from a homeless shelter,
and financial support from
a national network of charita
ble donors.
“There really isn’t another
model in the country that is
as well-organized as Dignity
Village,” said Donald
Whitehead, executive director
of the National Coalition
for the Homeless in
Washington, D.C. “It's pretty
revolutionary.”
Two years after it was built,
though. Dignity Village has
reached a crossroads.
Its most recent lease having
expired at the end of October,
residents have asked the city to
extend their stay for up to 10
years. They have also request
ed that the city stop charging
rent for the site and make thou
sands of dollars in improve
ments at the location.
The request has set off a
debate among city officials
over whether to sink money
into the project or put an end to
the whole experiment and
encourage homeless people to
go shelters instead.
Some officials say that shel
ters do a better job of providing
health and job services.
“The shelter system is more
successful and more compas
sionate,’ said Michael
Harrison, aide to Jim
Francesconi, one of four city
commissioners. “Before the
city invests more money into
Dignity Village, we should
know that there are actual peo
ple that have been helped.”
Dignity Village’s leaders
argue they have already shown
they are helping the homeless.
Benjamin Howard, a home
less man who serves as Dignity
Village’s fire chief, said it is a
place where people can devel
op a sense of stability, start
looking for work, and then
move into low-income hous
ing. About 200 have taken that
step in the past two years,
he said.
Portland has an estimated
2,000 homeless people, and 20
homeless shelters run by the
city and private organizations.
Other cities generally do not
tolerate large-scale encamp
ments of homeless people. In
October, Seattle cracked down
on “The Jungle,” a homeless
camp in the woods. In
Anchorage, Alaska, authorities
cleared out about 50 sites
in May because of the
danger posed by the homeless
people’s campfires.
Michael Stoops, director of
community organizing for the
National Coalition for the
Homeless, said he believes
Dignity Village is the nation’s
only camp for the homeless
that is officially supported by a
city government.
Homeless people set up the
encampment in September
2001 and won permission from
the City Council. Dignity
Village pays the city more than
$20,000 a year for rent, water
and garbage pickup, with most
of the money coming from
donations. It has rudimentary
utilities, including portable
potties and electricity provided
by a windmill.
“It’s
a good re:
source
that’s
helped a
l lot of vu
Inerabl
e and
lost peo
pic get b;
ick on
their
feet," sa
lid City C<
ommis!
doner
Erik St
en, one
of Di
gnity
Village’
s biggest
suppo
>rters.
He said
a 10-ye;
tr exte
nsion
may be
too long
and th<
; city
should
not pick
up all the
costs 1
the resic
lents
have
requeste
d for
safety
and
sewage improvemc
mts.
Many
homelt
rss p
eople
prefer
Dignity
Villagi
e to
shelters
because
it (
offers
self-gov
ernment
and
more
freedom
. Unlike sh
iclters.
it has
no curfe
w.
It is governed by four board
officers, who handle adminis
trative concerns, and 11 coun
cil members, who manage day-
to-day operations. Residents
who become violent or
disrespectful or use drugs or
alcohol are given 24 hours
outside of Dignity Village to
cool off. Repeat offenders can
be expelled.
“We’ve never had a rape
here. We’ve never had a
murder,” said village chairman
Jack Tafari. “If a girl goes
‘peep,’ there's 12 big. hairy
guys there in a second.”
Villagers are required to
contribute to the camp’s
upkeep, either through chores
or by working outside
Dignity Village.
Home for homeless
An experimental government-
sanctioned encampment for the
homeless called Dignity Village
is the subject of debate among
Portland city officials. Critics$aj
shelters can provide better heal
and job services than the village
Built in 2001, the encampment
pays the city more than $20,00(1
in rent, water and garbage
pickup.
Q>. 0 WASH.
©
''ft. . Portland In
Dignity Village
c
|l^ortiind'1 0 e! j2
261 OREGON 0 3 - te
WASH.
faortla
* I- -I
5 ortland
Salem
OREGON
0 l*i
0 100*
CALIF. NEV.
SOURCES Associated Press; ESR1 A?
“This is not utopia.
Howard said. "It’s not where;
really want to be. But it's abet
ter than a lot of places h
been in.”
The residents are beiit
allowed to stay until a deal it
worked out on their proposal.
Seventeen-year-old Cii
Spry lives at Dignity Vita
with her mother and fatbei
Spry is working to get her hill
school diploma.
“My options were the sired
or the village,” she saii
“And thank God the vilte
was there.”
NEWS IN BRIEF
TCEQ to review agency
enforcement practices
AUSTIN —The Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality will conduct a
review of how the agency enforces envi
ronmental laws, Executive Director
Margaret Hoffman said Monday.
“Enforcement is one of the fundamen
tal jobs of the TCEQ,” Hoffman said. “It
must deter wrongdoing and ensure that
the environment is protected. We need to
make sure that we’re doing it right."
The commission will study how the
agency uses criteria to decide whether
to pursue enforcement; whether the
agency’s enforcement is consistent
across regions and programs; how the
agency’s implementation of new compli
ance history requirements is working;
and whether the agency’s penalty policy
helps make sure that people comply.
TCEQ Chairwoman Kathleen Hartnett
White said the review will aid the agency
is determining what are the most effec
tive means of deterring violations and
facilitating compliance with its rules.
The agency will prepare a timeline and
detailed plan for the review.
Environmental advocacy groups said
they were optimistic about the TCEQ’s
announcement.
“Texas polluters have been getting off
the hook for far too long,” said Luke
Metzger, an advocate for the Texas
Public Interest Research Group. “TCEQ
needs to rebuild the public’s trust by cre
ating a tough enforcement program that
swiftly and strongly punishes environ
mental scofflaws.”
Agreement reached in
pollution case
AUSTIN — A rock-mining company
accused of polluting the Brazos River
with sediment has agreed to remain shut
down until it develops and implemefi
a pollution plan that meets Tefi
Commission of Environmental dual:
approval, an agency spokesmi
said Monday.
Osborn Stone Co. Inc. reached?
agreement over the weekend with &
ronmental quality officials and the aft
ney general’s office, spokesman Mj
Saenz said.
The agreement awaits court approra 1 -
Saenz said.
A state district court had issued i
temporary restraining order agaM
Osborn last month, shutting downiti
mining operations at its quarry in Pal)
Pinto County.
Under the agreement, the compaif
must put together a plan that establishes
practices and controls that will preventci
reduce pollution in storm wale 1
discharges from the facility.
Osborn did not immediately return!
call Monday from The Associated Press
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