The Overlook Neighborhood Association issued a blistering statement Thursday criticizing the Portland City Council for allowing the Hazelnut Grove homeless camp to balloon with little regard for neighbors' concerns.

"The City has failed to provide any meaningful boundary or population limits, nor safety and enforcement support for the residents," board chair Dannielle Herman said in a statement addressed to the City Council.

The neighborhood association wants the city to disband the camp and find indoor shelter space through the recently declared state of emergency. "The people struggling to survive the winter outdoors cannot wait for City Council to dither about developing a long-term strategy to address homelessness," Herman said.

The statement comes less than a week after Portland Mayor Charlie Hales and his top aide visited Hazelnut Grove and delivered food.

"Nobody should have to sleep outside, but until we have enough indoor beds for people, our goal and responsibility is to ensure that people have a safe place to sleep and basic human needs met," Josh Alpert, Hales' chief of staff, said in an email. "We are aware of the growth at Greeley, and are working quickly to make sure that it continues to be a safe, temporary place to sleep and continues to be a good neighbor."

The neighborhood association initially had serious concerns about the camp near the intersection of North Greeley Avenue and Interstate Avenue but decided to work with the city to help the campers succeed.

But in recent weeks, the camp has grown from a few dozen people to 55 to 75 people, said Herman, calling the situation "untenable."

She said the original plans included a small community with specific rules, but that quickly changed. "Many new campers do not consider themselves beholden to the rules, and more arrive seemingly daily," she said.

Campers are "often encouraged to go there by police, social groups and churches without any consideration of whether each person would be a suitable member of the camp," she wrote. "The result is conflicts between the campers and with neighbors, without the promised support from the City to address such problems."

Hazelnut Grove was set up this summer on a patchwork of public and private land at the base of a steep hill near a nonprofit garden.

In September, the Oregon Department of Transportation said it would evict the campers from its property, but Hales stepped in and said the campers should be allowed to stay if they weren't breaking any laws.

In late October, Hales sent a staffer to the neighborhood board's monthly meeting. Neighbors voiced some concern about the camp, but the tone at that meeting was more sympathetic.

Raven Justice, one of Hazelnut Grove's longtime residents, said the campers were not happy to be there. "We're sorry that we're on your doorstep," he said at the time, "but we're here, and we're trying to make the best of what we've got."

Several structures were built on the property in recent weeks, including a kitchen area and tiny houses.

The city delivered a portable toilet to the site, too.

Here's the full letter:

December 3, 2015



Dear Mayor Hales and Commissioners Fritz, Novick, Fish and Saltzman:



The Overlook Neighborhood Association opposes the City of Portland's continuing to allow homeless camps located at the south end of the Overlook Neighborhood along N Greeley Avenue near N Interstate Avenue. OKNA initially had serious concerns about the camp. After meeting with campers and after Mayor Charlie Hales' office pledged that the camp would be managed responsibly, we took a wait-and-see stance. During the last couple of months, we sought to work with the City to make this a success. Unfortunately, the City has not delivered on its pledge nor engaged with the neighborhood in any meaningful way.



Since sanctioning the initial "temporary" encampment at this location with a group of residents numbering fewer than 20, the City has failed to provide any meaningful boundary or population limits, nor safety and enforcement support for the residents. The number of campers on City property at the site has ballooned beyond the 25 originally discussed for the original camp. By some estimates there are now 55 to 75 residents on the site, most not part of the original group.



The encampment is at the base of a steep bluff, and the site is not suitable to ongoing camping. Pooled water and mud surrounded tents and crude structures during recent rains. With temperatures dipping into the low 20s, winds whipping through the camp, and weeks of winter rain ahead, living conditions at the site are inhumane and entirely inappropriate for a City that claims to care about all of its residents.



City Hall has failed to communicate its plans and strategies with Overlook Neighborhood. Although the original intent was for a small campsite that would be self-regulating within a code of conduct, that did not last. Many new campers do not consider themselves beholden to the rules, and more arrive seemingly daily, often encouraged to go there by police, social groups and churches without any consideration of whether each person would be a suitable member of the camp. The result is conflicts between the campers and with neighbors, without the promised support from the City to address such problems.



Camp residents have been told by the City that they will not be moved during the winter, but the winter is precisely when they need adequate, safe, warm shelter from the elements. The pace at which the City is moving under the declared housing state of emergency is intolerable for the many people in North Portland and citywide living outside in this bitter weather.



The people struggling to survive the winter outdoors cannot wait for City Council to dither about developing a long-term strategy to address homelessness. If this truly is an emergency, the City must take emergency measures to provide shelter and services. OKNA strongly urges Portland to open emergency shelters throughout the city immediately.



In the meantime, the current short-term approach of allowing camping at the Greeley site has proven untenable. We ask that the City revoke the permission it has given to camp there and work with campers to find better alternatives throughout Portland without delay.



Sincerely,



Overlook Neighborhood Association Board

Dannielle Herman, Chair

***



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@cityhallwatch