Yesterday was Project Homeless Connect, where I was transportation team leader. I appreciate the help of several readers of this blog, as well as folks from the SHIFT list to deliver a great set of transportation services for the homeless families that attended the event. Services included:
- Transportation Options info from PDOT and Metro
- The “Ways to Work” low-cost auto loan program
- Community Cycling Center’s Create-a-Commuter program
- Bike repair with help from community volunteers (and CCC’s tools)
- Distribution of helmets by Trauma Nurses Talk Tough
A great time was had by all the providers and was much appreciated by the clients!
|
11 responses to “Report from Project Homeless Connect”
Well your a better man than I, that’s for sure!
If you happen to spot a blue, large frame Takara, commuter style handlebars and 12 spds upgraded to 14, please let me know. Missing, also, is my green Magna Mtn. bike from Target. But,I got another one for $54.00.
I don’t mind them picking up the cans and bottles but I need my bikes. Oh well…..
God Bless You for helping out the homeless folks.
Speaking of bikes, whatever happened to the yellow bike program?
Its my understanding that most got stolen, by the homeless. (no offense)
Speaking of bikes, whatever happened to the yellow bike program?
They were stolen and/or abandoned/lost by people, how many of them (if any) were homeless is unknown.
There have been proposals to bring automated bike rentals, now popular in Europe, to Portland. I don’t know how far any current proposals have moved along.
Modern, automated bike rentals have a few advantages:
1. Mechanical locked bike racks (similar to “Smarte Carte” systems at airports, prevent theft.
2. Requiring a credit card (or a smart card with a prepaid deposit by those who don’t have credit cards) ensures return of the bike.
3. Low rental costs ensure widespread use.
4. Being able to return to any station, rather than the originating station, helps for one-way and discretionary/whim use.
5. A different physical design for the bikes makes them unlikely to be resold when stolen and repainted.
6. A phone # / reward / bounty system for lost/stolen bikes ensures return of missing bikes.
By the way, a complete off-topic segue here (at least it’s Transportation-related) — who at PDX Airport made the decision to switch from Smarte Carte to the vendor they have now? The current carts barely hold anything, are more likely to tip, and don’t hold larger briefcases in the basket.
– Bob R.
They were stolen and/or abandoned/lost by people, how many of them (if any) were homeless is unknown.
As I understand it the yellow bike program did not actually care whether people kept a bike if they needed it. So “went missing” or in “permanent use” might be more accurate. I doubt many ended up withe the homeless – where would they keep it?
One of the purposes of Project Homeless Connect is to dispel misconceptions about homelessness and the homeless, some of which I see represented above.
OK, I saw a few folks who reminded me of some of the sketchy characters who sometimes panhandle me on the street, but the vast majority of folks we served and interacted with were just people trying to figure out how to make ends meet and move their lives forward.
Let’s put away the stereotypes.
If I understand it, most homeless are kids. And not the punked out ones panhandling downtown either. Just kids whose parents can’t provide a permanent roof over their heads.
I think part of the problem is that “homeless” has become in many people’s minds a euphemism for what we used to call “bums” and “hobos”.
I assume chris that you are referring to my comment about the yellow bikes.
I am not trying to disparage anybody, really. In most cases homelessness is not the fault of the homeless, I understand that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The greatest man in history was the poorest.” Emerson
“The poor are poor because the rich are rich.”
Author Unknown
Al, but you did correlate theft with homelessness. I don’t think that is fair. And any correlation would be far more complicated with a lot more factors.
My only gripe was that my home seems to be frequently targeted by people who steal things that I have left unguarded–and I have had four bicycles stolen in the last six years. Plus I have even found people snooping around in my garage–with the “official OK” of someone else in the neighborhood. I get a lot of passerby traffic of people headed to one of the taverns on this street.
I have often worked at downtown missions, have been extensively involved with developing world poverty issues, worked wwith inner-city kids, worked with handicapped and elderly. I understand that most homeless people are decent folks who have had some circumstances turn against them. I’m glad our city is dong what it can to help them out of their situation. Thus, when someone takes something off this property it sets back even further the other things I hope to accomplish.
A lot of the yellow bikes also ended up in the river, from time to time the police end up pulling one of them up when they are looking for other things down there… Given that I ride along the river on a regular basis, and my bike, (nor myself,) has ever ended up in the river, I’m guessing that they were thrown in there…
And, in the spirit of the conversation: Without any evidence at all to support it, I’m going to assume it was teenagers that threw the bikes in the river, (probably ones with homes.)