Understanding Homelessness Podcast

Hey podcast listeners. This is Stefanie Knowlton, editor of the Understanding Homelessness podcast, with an update from last week’s two-part episode. The conversation with Don’t Evict PDX was recorded in early summer, and there have been some additional tenant supports that have come online since then. Oregon Law Center launched the Eviction Defense Project, which now offers legal support to all low-income tenants in Oregon facing a court eviction. Support includes a legal review of your case, legal advice, and in many cases some level of representation. It should only take one to two days to hear back from OLC. You can reach them at (888)-585-9638 or [email protected]. Please share this information with anyone who needs it. Despite these supports, Oregon still does not have a legal right to counsel in eviction cases. This is something that Don’t Evict PDX is prioritizing for the future. Thank you for listening.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or [email protected]

This is part two of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX where we talk about the violence of eviction, systemic issues, biggest fears for the future, and what is next for the organization. Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. The end of the show also includes resources for those battling eviction.

UPDATE: Since recording this episode, Oregon has expanded legal support to all low-income tenants facing a court eviction. For more information, contact the Oregon Law Center at (888)-585-9638 or [email protected]

Don’t Evict PDX is an all volunteer tenants’ organization that mobilized during the pandemic to observe eviction court and organize around what they saw. While some additional supports have since become available, listen for those at the end of the episode, their efforts still underscore housing injustices in the Portland Metro Area. Eviction is a key contributor to homelessness. This is part one of our conversation with Don’t Evict PDX. Listen to the next half in episode 5.

The executive director of Home Forward, Michael Buonocore, talks about the history of affordable housing, why there isn’t enough to meet the need, and barriers to making it happen faster. The conversation also includes what a housing wage looks like and a few thoughts on NIMBYs.

Community health worker, activist and grassroots organizer LaQuida Landford talks about her roots in Belize and her lived experience of homelessness, and how both shape her vision for the AfroVillage Movement. She has worked for several Portland area nonprofits working on homelessness including Central City Concern, JOIN, and Urban League of Portland. Now she is creating her own movement. The AfroVillage will be a healing space for communities of color.

Let’s clear away some of the rhetoric about homelessness and identify the key questions that frame this discussion. Dr. Marisa Zapata, director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, talks about the question she hears most often and how the answer is more nuanced than you might think. In future episodes, she will talk with experts, including those with lived experience, to understand what homelessness means for communities of color in particular, and what we can do to move forward to address it.