Portland Facing Homelessness ‘Catastrophe’: Mayor

Council working on 5-point plan to help the estimated 6,000 people living on the streets

A homeless man, who asked to not be named, tries to stay cool near a misting station in Lents Park during an extreme heat wave in Aug. 13, 2021, in Portland, Ore. As temperatures climb across the nation, nearly 200 million Americans are under some level of heat advisory. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

With the homelessness crisis cited among their top concerns, Oregon voters are taking note of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s declaration of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the state’s largest city.

Oregon has among the highest homeless populations per capita in the nation. According to DHM Research, nine out of 10 voters statewide identify homelessness as a “very big problem” as Election Day draws near.