According to the 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, national homelessness has declined by over 9% since 2007. [1] This is not the case in Portland, Maine, where the homeless population grew by 70.3% from 2009 to 2013. [2] A man I interviewed outside Preble Street Resource Center commented that other cities are sending their homeless to Portland for its strong outreach programs. Despite the renown of these programs – the Preble Street ‘housing first’ model, in particular – these facilities are overwhelmed. In particularly busy months, only 272 sleeping spots were available for nearly double the people [2].
A Resource Map application would draw on Portland’s own residents, organizations, and businesses to augment the work of the resource centers in helping this population to its feet. The map would include all of the city’s shelters, pantries, resource centers, and libraries, but its primary focus would be interaction between Portlanders in need and those who are able and willing to help. Users would create their own posts on the map, both offering and seeking out assistance. An individual could create a listing at the public library offering help with crafting a resume, English tutoring, or teaching basic computer skills. An individual could post an odd job like shoveling a driveway. People could post on the map listing items they are giving away. Businesses could place themselves on the map, perhaps offering up free wifi, free food, or other resources.
Accessibility is a key concern with any tech-related urban project – as noted by Setha Low, this app cannot function if it “limits participation to those who can afford it.” [3] A large percentage of the targeted population will not have dependable access to smartphones or the Internet, so it is essential to ensure their ability to use the app. Portland’s homeless do have computer access at Preble Street and the Portland Public Library, and are likely to have basic cell phones. Thus, the app would include an SMS texting function. A user would text in a request – asking for a ride to a job interview, for example – and other users could respond to that person with a time and a place to meet up. Users of the app could also subscribe to a daily text containing an updated list of available services, as well as a list of that day’s requests for assistance.
This project relies heavily on the generosity of the people of Portland, thus creating a sense of communal care and organization around the problem of homelessness. This rising issue in the city has coincided with an influx of tourism and gentrification. Involving a varied group of Portland businesses and citizens in this issue – ranging from stores like Salvation Army to stores like Portland Architectural Salvage – might help to ground them in the often grim realities of the city. Additionally, the app would give the city’s skyrocketing new establishments – condos-with-a-view, trendy coffee shops, and pricey antique stores – the opportunity to make a positive change for the at-risk population of the city. In any urban center, as Don Mitchell wisely points out, “different people with different projects must necessarily struggle with one another.” [4] Ideally, the Resource Map application would allow for more engaging, productive, and enlightening “encounter and exchange” between the haves and have-nots of Portland. [4]
[1] “The 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress.” HUD Exchange. 2013.
[2] Billings, Randy. “Homelessness Hits Record High in Portland.” Portland Press Herald. http://www.pressherald.com/2013/10/27/homelessness_hits_record_high_in_portland_/
[3] Low, Setha M. 2002. “Spaces of Reflection, Recovery, and Resistance: Reimagining the Postindustrial Plaza.” In After the World Trade Center: Rethinking New York City, edited by Micheal Sorkin and Sharon Zukin, 163-72. New York: Routledge, 2014
[4] Mitchell, Don. 2014 [2003]. “To Go Again to Hyde Park: Public Space, Rights and Social Justice.” In The People, Place and Space Reader, edited by Jen Jack Gieseking, et al. New York: Routledge, 2014)