Once the Portland City Council handles current urgencies, it will begin the work of designing more equitable systems for the city overall, says Elana Pirtle-Guiney, president of the new 12-member body.
Pirtle-Guiney spoke via Zoom June 5 to several dozen religious and social service leaders who are part of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty. Catholic Charities of Oregon belongs to the group.
Pirtle-Guiney, a former labor organizer and staffer for Gov. Kate Brown, represents North and inner Northeast Portland. She says her work focuses on economic and social justice issues.
Pirtle-Guiney rues the fact that much of the division in Portland now is not about values but over different ways to reach the same good conclusions. She thanked the faith leaders for holding on to a vision that will lead the city to a better future when each family has work, housing, food, education, strong neighborhoods and a community life.
Such vision may help the council act more smoothly, she told the group.
Pirtle-Guiney spoke most about housing and homelessness, saying the city and Multnomah County need to continue to work together, bringing in the state on tricky issues such as mental illness and housing with services.
County cuts have put pressure on the city to backfill spending. The entire partnership on homelessness is up for debate this summer, with some councilors wanting to break the city away.
“We need to lean in to the partnership in my view,” Pirtle-Guiney countered. The only way to make progress is if both governments understand each other, she told faith leaders.
“Cyclical homelessness will always be a reality,” said Pirtle-Guiney. “And the goal is really to have a system that makes sure homelessness is brief and sheltered, and that folks have a path back into housing very very quickly.”
She explained that councilors really want to increase low-cost housing, both the subsidized kind and that which is “naturally” affordable.
She wants to speed up the process of developing affordable housing, but not in a way that sacrifices quality.
Treatment for mental illness and drug addiction must be part of the plan, she said, adding that any people who have been homeless will need supportive services for the long-term.
Catholic Charites is one of the Portland agencies that provides permanent supportive housing.
Pirtle-Guiney said it’s important to remember initiatives that will keep people out of poverty in the future: a good business environment, decent wages, good schools, child care and parks, for example. She is hoping to preserve youth summer activities at city parks, some of which are on the budget chopping block.
Pirtle-Guiney urged faith leaders to keep her posted on what the community needs.
“We need to hear from folks who know what our moral compass is as a community, those who are looking not just at what we are doing now but how are we fixing these problems in the long term,” she said.
Asked about how the new larger council is functioning, Pirtle-Guiney said it is more representative and catches more inequities in city policy.