Nichole Schortmann

UNST
Dr. Javier Cardoza-Kon
February 7th, 2016

Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Leading to Homelessness in

Portland

Homelessness is becoming one of the largest epidemics in the United States. On any
given night there are 500,000 homeless individuals on the streets in America, a quarter of them
being children. Homeless people are more often than not looked at as dirty, lazy, unmotivated,
and a burden to society. Many factors of homeless individuals are overlooked including potential
reasons as to how the ended up on the streets. In this paper I will closely examine how
continuously increasing drug abuse and mental illnesses are factors that are largely contributing
to homelessness in the Portland Metropolitan and surrounding areas, as well as how the problem
is spreading throughout the country especially inhabiting other major cities.

The word homeless can often be hard to interpret, in an article explaining what it means
in America the author states, On the surface the word homelessness can appear to have an
obvious meaning, but it can actually be quite hard to define what is meant by this. This is
because the word home is quite vague. Some people stay in cardboard and tent cities which they

might classify as their home. Others will go from shelter to shelter where they will be able to
find temporary accommodation. If the term is only used to refer to people living rough on the
streets, it will lead to a decrease in the number of people classified as homeless. If the term is
used in a much broader sense, to refer to anyone with no fixed abode, it would mean that cultural
groups such as gypsies would fall into this category. Many developing countries have enormous
populations in substandard and makeshift housing. In the United States the Federal Definition of
Homelessness refers to people who include: * Anyone who doesnt have a regular or fixed
nighttime residence that is adequate for their needs. * Those individuals who live temporarily in
an institution, a shelter (this includes welfare hotels), or anywhere that has not been created as a
place for humans to sleep (Timms, 2). This is important because the direct meaning of
homelessness must be understood in order to understand the statistics and information given
throughout the paper.

Substance abuse has been an increasingly large problem in many cities, especially
Portland. In an article describing increasing amounts of deaths by overdose Pitt states, Heroin
use has risen dramatically in the Pacific Northwest, with overdoses in the Portland, Oregon area
accounting for as many deaths among young and middle-aged men as cancer or heart disease, the
government said today (Pitt, 1). This proves that drug abuse is a growing at rapid rate and is a
real threat to our society if continued to be left untreated. Sixty-eight percent of cities report that
addiction is one of the most prevalent issues in the life of the homeless. Chronic drug use can
completely destroy not only the person who uses, but the people around them as well. Drug
addiction often leads to poor health, loss of work, loss of motivation, and ultimately the loss of a

home. Portland has also been known as a city with easy access to prescription drugs. In an article
examining chronic drug use in Portland Onstott claims, In recent years, studies ranked Oregon
somewhere in the top half dozen or so states for abuse of prescription drugs. One 2007 federal
study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that Oregon had more
youth painkiller abusers than any other state (Onstott, 2). Because of this growing epidemic of
painkiller addiction guidelines were changed making it harder for doctors to prescribe these
prescriptions. In addition, the composition of OxyContin was changed making it almost
impossible for addicts to crush and inhale it. With this making it harder to get their drug of
choice many addicts moved to Heroin because it was easy to get and cheeper than prescription
painkillers. Therefor, starting the rising epidemic of Heroin use.

A mental illness is a wide range of disorders that affect ones mood, thinking, and
behavior. In an article discussing statistics about mental illness in the United States the author
states, Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2
percent of Americans ages 18 and older or about one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable
mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population
estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translates to 57.7 million people (NMH, 1). This
proves that mental illness is a real and common thing throughout our nation, and often times it
goes undiagnosed. Mental illness can make everyday life tasks more difficult, and in some cases
impossible for some individuals to accomplish anything without taking medication. Mental
illness has many of the same characteristics as addiction when it comes to having the ability to
take over ones life. Individuals with mental disorders are also among a significant portion of the

homeless population. It is estimated that twenty-five percent of our nations homeless suffer from
some kind of mental illness ranging from mild to severe. In an article connecting mental illness
to homelessness the author writes, Poor mental health may also affect physical health, especially
for people who are homeless. Mental illness may cause people to neglect taking the necessary
precautions against disease. When combined with inadequate hygiene due to homelessness, this
may lead to physical problems such as respiratory infections, skin diseases, or exposure to
tuberculosis or HIV. In addition, half of the mentally ill homeless population in the United States
also suffers from substance abuse and dependence (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration). Minorities, especially African Americans, are over-represented in this group.
Some mentally ill people self-medicate using street drugs, which can lead not only to addictions,
but also to disease transmission from injection drug use. This combination of mental illness,
substance abuse, and poor physical health makes it very difficult for people to obtain
employment and residential stability (National Coalition for the Homeless, 1). This shows the
relationship between mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness. Only one in four
homeless adults did not report any mental health or substance abuse problems during the past
year. Depression is also considered a mental illness, and often times depression is linked to
substance abuse and addiction problems because people think they can use it as an escape from
their problems when in reality it only causes more problems rather than illuminating them.

In Portland specifically, homelessness has become one of the biggest problems the city
has faced. On any given night there are up to three thousand-eight hundred individuals on the
streets and in homeless shelters throughout the city. Over the past two years the number of
women on the streets has increased by fifteen percent. Nearly half of those women were victims

of domestic violence and sixty-seven percent reported having some kind of disability. When
discussing race and homelessness in Portland Smock states, 41% of Multnomah Countys
homeless population (1,477 people*) is people of color, which means that communities of color
are over-represented by 11 percentage points within the homeless population compared with their
percentage of the overall population of Multnomah County (Smock, 4). Homelessness does not
discriminate and can affect any person regardless of race. The statistics show that people of color
have a large population of people who are homeless in the area compared to the overall
population of colored people living in Portland.

Homelessness in children is a very real problem. One-fourth of homeless people are

children in homeless families. These children are much more likely than children who live in
stable homes to experience serious life problems, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and
mental difficulties. Further, childhood homelessness translates into a greater risk of homelessness
in adulthood. Majority of children living with homeless parents are fairly young. Forty-two
percent are age six or younger. Therefor, this is a very vulnerable stage for the child and their
development. Children who have homeless mothers are much more likely to stay with their
homeless parent, fifty-four percent stay with their mother where as only seven percent will stay
with their homeless father. When a child is not living with their homeless mother the typically do
not live with their father either. They reside with other relatives or in foster care. Living in foster
care is a big prediction of future homelessness. When a child lives in foster care they are also
more likely to experience with drug and alcohol at a younger age than kids who live in a stable
home. They are also more likely to be in and out of our prison systems.

For years Los Angeles has been deemed as the homeless capital of America. Recently
cities such as Portland, New York, and Dallas have all been closely looked at as contenders for
the top spot of most people living on the streets. On trip advisor, Portland was named the city
with the largest homeless population, others have given the title to San Francisco. While
examining the statistics of cities the author states, The HUD (Department of Housing and Urban
Development) 2013 report to the U.S. Congress stated that New York City (with 64,060 people
who are homeless) was the top city for homelessness, followed by Los Angeles County (53,798).
This LA number, however, did not include three cities within the county that counted on their
own. The total LA County number is actually 58,423. Winner: New York City (Roberts, 1).
This shows how homelessness is a large nationwide problem. It is an epidemic and it is hitting
major cities hard and at an increasingly high rate. When walking around Portland I am amazed
by the amount of people on the streets, it is almost scary to think about other cities having double
the amount of homeless people there that we have here.

In order to overcome the homeless crisis America is undergoing, the factors that are
contributing most heavily to it must be overcome as well. Each year resources and money are
being practically thrown away over substance abuse issues, by resources I mean treatment
facilities. In an article discussing money spent annually on substance abuse related issues this is
mentioned, Abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs is costly to our Nation, exacting more
than $700 billion annually in costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care
(National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1). Our Nation if throwing away billions of dollars on
unproductive costs. That is why I believe it is necessary to put more money into building

homeless shelters, funding addict meetings, and creating more rehab and treatment facilities that
are accessible to people that need them.

As was stated earlier the majority of homeless people are looked at as lazy. They are
looked at as not wanting to better themselves, not wanting to pursue a job, not wanting to
become sober, etc. In a class I attended we had watched a video that talked about the dangers of a
single story. The woman in the videos name is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, she is a published
author from Africa. In the video she recites, The single story creates stereotypes, and the
problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one
story become the only story (Adichie). This emphasizes that just because one homeless person
is unmotivated, lazy, addicted, and done trying that not all of them are. The danger of the single
story is hindering not only the homeless, but normal people as well. It puts the homeless in a
root, feeling as if no matter what there will be nobody to help them because everyone thinks they
are incapable of change. It hinders the mind of the people who are capable of helping. It makes
people believe they should not help because there will be no end result. But imagine what could
happen if every single person changed their perspective and offered to help the people who need
it, I do not believe every single person on the street would turn the help down. I too used to
believe the stereotypes placed upon the homeless in society, until I decided to educate myself on
the reasons of homelessness and the factors that contribute to a person getting to such a low point
in their life.

In order to better understand addiction and homelessness in relation during my research

process I began to watch videos of interviews conducted of people living on the streets and

dealing with addiction problems. Within each interview there were many factors that all had in
common or others that had direct correlation. Every interview that I watched each person said
that once they were homeless it led to them being homeless off and on throughout their life. It
remained a constant cycle. Each person reported having something tragic happen to them which
contributed to the beginning of their addiction problems, they used to try and escape the pain that
they were feeling. Most people reported that there were things they called gateway drugs that
started them out on the path they are now on.. drugs including marijuana, hash, acid, mushrooms,
etc. A man named Jason Snake who is addicted to crack cocaine and has been homeless 20 years
stated in an interview that, The number one reason for people being homeless, I believe is
addiction. Some type of addiction, either to money, drugs, sex. I had these problems growing up
which I believe led me to drugs as a child. Another common thing that was said was that once
some one became addicted to a drug they would do absolutely anything to get it and that it took
over their life and became the only thing on their mind. None of the people in any of the videos
could manage to keep a job, friends, or even keep their family in their life. Each person hit rock
bottom and had little to no motivation to get back up because they did not have any help or had
ran out of options.

Substance abuse and mental illness are not the only aspects that correlate to a family
being homeless. The world is becoming a more expensive place to live and often times the
demand of everyday living is too much for people to keep up with. Especially in Portland where
it has been deemed the most moved to city in the United States for the last two years in a row. In
an article discussing the cost of living in Portland it was stated that, According to 2014 US

Census data, Portland has the third-lowest vacancy rate of any of the 75 largest metropolitan
areas, behind California Metros San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara and Oxnard-Thousand OaksVentura (Josephson, 1). This shows that even if someone wanted to get a place in Portland it is
very hard to find somewhere that is open and at an affordable price. The median home sale in
Portland is up 6.2 percent since this time last year, it currently stands at around $340,000. That
does not include utilities costing around $138.20 for a combination of electricity, heating, water
and garbage. Even though internet is not essential, it is needed in some cases for work and school
purposes. Internet costs in Portland are relatively higher here than other places at $59.63 per
month, that is 26% higher than the national average of $47.27. Then there is the costs of
transportation. Walking, biking, and public transportation are all popular ways of getting around
in Portland. There are currently 319 miles of bike lanes throughout the city. Portland has the
highest number of bicycle commuters of any major US city, by 6%. If biking is not an option, a
monthly Trimet pass will cost approximately $100. That is close to monthly prices of Los
Angeles and Chicago. For those who choose to drive average gas prices are around $3.14 a
gallon, that is about 13% above national average of $2.77. All of this is not including prices of
food, and basic needs such as healthcare, insurance, etc. These prices will only continue to rise as
Portland becomes more populated. In an article explaining the reasons of homelessness the
author claimed, In the United States, dramatic reductions in federally supported housing over
the past 20 years, coupled with the current reductions in safety net programs, place individuals
and families squeezed by high housing costs and with few resources at high risk of
homelessness. A certain proportion of these people will experience at least a brief episode during
which they lack a place to live. If they are struggling with substance abuse, mental illness, or
both, and reside in an area where housing is increasingly beyond the reach of low-wage worker

households, then homelessness is likely (Future in Humanity, 4). This proves that not only do
addiction problems, and mental illnesses ale to homelessness but so does the opportunities
surrounding the area of which a person resides in. When places to live are expensive and hard to
come by, followed by options of work being hard to grasp combined with an addiction and or
mental illness, homelessness is often the end result.

What will end homelessness is a combination of things. Many people become homeless
because of their housing situation. More focus needs to be put on negotiating with landlords and
help with bad credit histories, rental assistance programs, programs that help people renovate old
properties and restore them for safe use again, and programs that help individuals rebuild their
lives such as rebuilding their credit and rental histories. We must rebuild our communities,
especially the troubled areas. Help more people afford better housing opportunities by providing
them with better schools, better training, and ultimately better jobs in the future. In this article
examining statistics on the homeless population it is said, Without these basic building blocks of
a civil society, we are creating an underclass of persistently poor people vulnerable to
homelessness. The costs of this neglect are too high in terms of both individual lives and public
dollars for health, mental health, and correctional institutions. It is more effective, more humane,
and ultimately more fiscally prudent to invest in prevention and support that leads to selfsufficiency and independence among all residents (Urban Institute, 6). This gives a perfect
example of how our society needs to focus on creating a better life as whole to prevent tragedies
such as homelessness and addiction. We are pushing people out on their own with no resources,
and simply not enough knowledge to be able to live on their own and be successful. Essentially
we are setting many people up for failure. We must teach issues like these in our school systems

starting at a young age to each our children the severity of the issue, and also to prepare them for
problems they may face in the world growing older. Hopefully with more knowledge from the
start our generation will make it a priority to stray away from the lifestyles that most often lead
to a life on the street.

Today, according to the Bureau of Prisons, 207,847 people are incarcerated in federal
prisons. Roughly half of those people are in for drug offenses, that is 48.6%. It costs more than
$31,000 to keep a person in jail for just under a year. When someone goes to jail on drug charges
they are often never treated for their addiction. Instead, they are thrown into a cell only to be
thrown back out into the world after losing everything. Thus, leaving the person with no home,
no money, and nobody to rely on. This is nothing but a vicious cycle, and the person is more
than likely to use again just to get thrown back into jail and then right back onto the streets. Thus,
increasing the number of homeless people living on our streets, possibly increasing crime rates,
and furthering our drug problem. Although rehab facilities can be rather expensive on average
they cost less than keeping a person in jail. Inpatient treatment can range anywhere from $2,000
to 25,000, and outpatient can range anywhere from free to $10,000 but still beating the price of
keeping someone in jail. Also, often times insurance is accepted at facilities such as these
therefor eliminating the costs even more. If our government put more money into these programs
rather than jail they would be saving money and saving lives. Sending people to rehab would
also save the government money from having to spend it on drug related crime issues, and
substance abuse related medical bills.

In conclusion, homelessness is and will continue to be a growing problem in Portland.

Many factors contribute to people living on the streets especially substance abuse, addiction,
mental illnesses, and domestic violence. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and it
becomes almost impossible for them to escape it once it happens to them because of the lack of
opportunity once they have reached that low point. There are many types of Mental illnesses that
are affecting more people than is recognized and can keep individuals from living an everyday
normal life which makes being stable and taking care of themselves difficult. Substance abuse
and addiction can consume ones life and cause them to lose everything. Substance abuse is also a
large contributor to the rising crime rate in Portland, and many of the medical expenses that are
our city is facing. The constant rise of expenses for living and lack of housing for the lower class
are also contributing to large poverty levels. The homeless epidemic is growing and will continue
to grow until individuals become more aware of the severity of the issue and helps to create more
accessible forms of treatment, better housing options, and help create job opportunities for those
in need to help bring our city and nation out of this life crisis. A larger focus should be put on
getting treatment for addicts and sending them to rehab rather than throwing money away to
keep them in jail just to come out and be right back where they were before they went in. In total,
drug abuse and mental illnesses are the largest contributing factors to homelessness in the city of
Portland, Oregon.

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