Homeless encampments: Difference between revisions
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In an email correspondence obtained from the city by the Oregonian newspaper through public records request, OMF HUCIRP's program coordinator Katie Lindsay alleges that a police officer referred to her as a "yahoo". Furthermore, Lindsay claimed that a police officer told community members that PPB would not follow up on the incidents of theft as "it relates to the city property or in regards to the threats towards city vendors, city staff, or damage to vendor’s property.", according to the Oregonian.https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/12/portable-toilets-in-southeast-portland-stolen-vandalized-in-escalating-fight-between-city-and-neighbors.html
=== Katie Lindsay, HUCIRP program coordinator ===
In a correspondence with a citizen in December 2020, City of Portland's HUCIRP program coordinator Katie Lindsay(who's also a qualified mental health professional and drug and alcohol counselor<ref>https://www.streetroots.org/news/2019/03/15/portland-spends-millions-responding-homelessness-researchers-find</ref><ref>https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/registry/provider-view/1568852655</ref> summarized that about 90% of complaints made to HUCIRP are speculative.
"Almost 90% of the complaints our program has received regarding these units are related to stigma connected to the homeless population and complaints about things that ‘could happen,’ but have not happened," Lindsay wrote to the citizen. In a response to a citizen's complaint about the toilet placed near the complainant's house, Lindsay replied "Access to water and appropriate toilet options are recognized by the UN General Assembly as a human right" <ref name="toilet"> https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/12/portable-toilets-in-southeast-portland-stolen-vandalized-in-escalating-fight-between-city-and-neighbors.html</ref> They're denigrated to "dealing with transients" when their camps establish too close to Katie Lindsay's(formerly, Katherine Kalpakis<ref name="pitstop"/>) own house.<ref name="katie testimony"/>
In a media interview in her professional capacity, she described she's been besieged with angry phone calls about the red toilet.<ref>https://www.streetroots.org/news/2020/11/04/kaia-sand-access-hygiene-sanitation-human-right</ref> So, basically like taking phone calls from people concerned about the impact of homelessness in their personal life and hold similar concerns she relate to when she's not wearing her professional hat. In her personal hat, Katie said: <blockquote>'''''"I've spent a lot of my profession when i worked, umm dealing with transients and I mean we're talking things like petty crime, public intoxication, but those aren't things I want in my community."'''''<ref>https://youtu.be/yeucKkIX5sM?t=4123 (City of Sherwood City Council Testimony June 12, 2013</ref> - Katherine Kalpakis in June 12, 2013 </blockquote>With regard to homelessness in Portland, Lindsay commented about the role of HUCIRP "Our role is not to solve homelessness, but to incrementally improve the experience of those living outdoors and the community at large by providing trash mitigation and sharps disposal services."<ref>https://www.facebook.com/PDXMayorTedWheeler/photos/portlandyou-know-that-our-public-servants-work-around-the-clock-on-your-behalf-b/10158089391008620/</ref> She has also proposed hygiene access for the homeless in Portland in 2017 which came with a price tag of around $159,000.<ref name="pitstop">PDX PitStop proposal https://web.archive.org/web/20171025111008/https://www.portlandmercury.com/images/blogimages/2017/10/19/1508444131-pdxpitstop_proposal.pdf</ref>
She acknowledged that when she was working at an organization that is the "largest homeless shelter in Portland".(Likely Portland Rescue Mission<ref>https://www.portlandrescuemission.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Prayer-Calendar-August-2012.pdf</ref>, they would suggest their clients who can not enter the program to go camp at Walmart or the airport.
Interestingly, Katie Lindsay (Kalpakis) was a vocal opponent when such a destination, a Super Walmart was proposed in Sherwood where she owned a house where she raised her children, because she doesn't want those people near her own house. She emailed and testified at a Sherwood City Council meeting urging that the city pass an ordinance prohibiting a 24 hour Walmart. Specifically, her reservations was about the 24 hour parking. The store and parking would have provided a 24 hour access to restroom which she later says as a human right, and a place where homeless people can rest and sleep in their RVs. Essentially, Katherine Lindsay did not want what she's advocating in other people's back backyard coming to her own backyard expressing that she's "spent a lot of time ''<u>dealing with transients</u>'', heavy crime and public intoxication" and "she does not want this in her community". These are speculative concerns about foresight of homeless activity. This suggests she's a NIMBY herself who does not want the very type of people she is advocating for in her professional capacity anywhere near her own house. She apparently found it so objectionable that she personally emailed and testified at a city council trying to get the City of Sherwood to pass an ordinance against 24 hour parking Walmart near her house.
Katherine Kalpakis, 16380 SW Red Twig Drive, came forward and said she has emailed the Council and said she bought a home in Sherwood in 2011 and is raising 3 small children here and has not attended meetings but she has voted, does research on the elections and she watches the meetings on TV. She said she has a very reasonable concerns and questions for the Council and the Planning Commission regarding the 24 hour parking. She said she received one response from Mayor Middleton. She stated for 3 1/2 years she worked for the largest homeless shelter in Portland and she did safety planning which is when a client can't come into the program they let them know what is practical for them to do and some of the advice is to go to the airport or find a Walmart parking lot. She said she also worked in Arizona with domestic violence shelters and that was also the advice they gave. She said she is concerned and stated it is easy to remedy the situation by eliminating the 24 hour parking and she has read reports that some of the crimes at Shari's and Wendy's are not significant, but that is not true about Walmart and she has spent a lot of time dealing with transients, heavy crime and public intoxication and she does not want this in her community and recommends they pass an ordinance. She said she does not want to have to pay for that or the burden of enforcing the 24 hour parking on our Police Department and said they should have to pay for it. She referred to an article in January from Pamplin Media that reported about the homelessness in this area and it suggested that people find safe places like Walmart because it is better to be in large groups rather than being on their own. She stated that this is a responsible thing for Council to prevent.<ref name="katie testimony">Sherwood City Council meeting minutes, June 12, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20170131134712/https://www.sherwoodoregon.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/city_council/meeting/1330/06.12.13_city_council_minutes.pdf</ref><br />
That article referenced by Lindsay (Katherine Kalpakis) is likely ''Men on the street'', by Saundra Sorenson, in the January 03 2013 print of TheTimes https://pamplinmedia.com/ttt/89-news/125909-men-on-the-street
===HUCIRP staff payroll expense===
The public expenses of the staff payroll for 2018 for the three staff at HUCIRP was as following<ref>https://openpayrolls.com/city/portland-or</ref>:
*Lucas Hillier $94,286.40
*Katherine Ruth Lindsay $52,160 (2019)<ref>https://openpayrolls.com/employee/katherine-ruth-lindsay-10982</ref>
*Jonathan Lewis $63,315.20
*Heather Hafer (although not dedicated to the HUCIRP program) $90,001.60<ref>https://openpayrolls.com/heather-hafer-54120800</ref>
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