Operation Roundtrip
The Portland Business Alliance and the city's police bureau have teamed up to institute a groundbreaking new program to help cure the homelessness problem currently plaguing downtown. Called "Operation Roundtrip," the pilot project will find immediate shelter for 100 of the estimated 6100 people currently living on Portland streets.
The plan, which is going to commence implementation this week, involves the following steps:
1. Gather 100 homeless youth and adults from Portland streets.
2. Transport them by bus to Portland International Airport.
3. Fly the group to Baton Rouge, La.
4. Bus the group from Baton Rouge to the outskirts of New Orleans, where they will be released.
5. Homeless group reconvenes at crisis relief locations in New Orleans.
6. Red Cross flies group back to Portland.
7. Group is housed by Red Cross at Washington-Monroe High School for the next six months.
"This is the kind of innovative public-private partnership that makes our city great," a City Hall spokesman told the media. "People want a solution to the homeless problem, and this is a great opportunity to get moving on it."
On the journey from Portland to Louisiana, guests will be taught rudimentary Cajun slang expressions. "We don't want these people to stick out in the crowd," the spokesman declared. "We want them to feel how strongly we care about them."
| Posted at 11:07 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (7)
While we're at it can we we do something even more useful and sent them all our lawyers too?
Posted by Kent | September 6, 2005 12:17 PM
There was someone from Dignity Village at the Buckman meeting on Sunday, who seemed a little upset that these people were just going to be "given" a free place to live.
I spoke up at the meeting and expressed my concern not for OUR safety but the safety of our guests who will be living directly across the street from St. Francis Park, where there is alot of drug dealing going on, and a nest of meth heads who roam the streets of Buckman looking for things to steal.
Earlier this summer, many of the neighbours along Ash Street chased off drug dealers working from a blue van. They would just move up to the next corner on Ash. When these people were followed, they went back to St. Francis Park. I am NOT saying these people are homeless, as a matter of fact they prey on the homeless.
And something else- everyone assumes that every one of these displaced people are welfare reciepients. Not so. There are so many many poor people in New Orleans, but lots of poor people work. Many people own homes. Maybe just little "shotgun shacks" that have been in their families for generations, but still they own them. As someone said in an interview- "that was my home, there wasn't much in it, but it was all mine and all paid for".
I spent lots and lots of time in NO over the years, living with a friend who lived way down on Magazine Street in a pretty poor area. In my experience, the people down there were great. People spoke to one another on the streets and looked after one another. Poor whites and poor blacks most seemed to get along pretty well from what I observed, because they were united in a struggle for survival. If you haven't been there, or have only been at Mardi Gras, then you just don't know the city.
Posted by Lily | September 6, 2005 12:23 PM
So let me get this straight - the Red Cross, bless their heart, is going to house families, the mentally and physically ill, the elderly and frail for up to six months in old high school gymnasium.
Having lived in a number of Marine Corps barracks for up to 11 months at a time with a goup of soldiers who could take care of themselves, didn't have to worry about their wives or children being attacked, were generally mentally and physically healthy. I see a rather bleak outlook for these poor souls who will be coming to Portland.
Posted by Jerry | September 6, 2005 2:48 PM
"Operation Roundtrip" should stop at point #4. Exporting the homeless ain't a half-bad idea - add a steep tariff on imports, and we'll have a much safer and cleaner city.
Posted by scott r | September 6, 2005 2:56 PM
Anybody have a good tip for a Cajun Slang self-help book?
Posted by Al | September 6, 2005 6:55 PM
8) City Council votes to buy Washington-Monroe
high school for a permanent group home.
School district gets 100 million for the building then loses it somewhere in the budget.
Diane Linn says "shat happens" and proposes an extension of the I tax.
Posted by Steve Schopp | September 6, 2005 9:00 PM
I lived in San Francisco in the early 80's, and their solution to the homeless problem was to buy them one way Greyhound bus tickets to Portland.
Posted by Lily | September 6, 2005 9:20 PM