Editor’s note: This is the fifth installment of Platforms 2018, a series on the policy positions and records of Oregon’s two leading gubernatorial candidates.

Molly Harbarger | The Oregonian/OregonLive

A month after Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler said he wanted to change the law to allow Oregon cities to bar people from sleeping on the sidewalk, a Supreme Court ruling potentially quashed that idea.

There are few issues as complex as homelessness or ones that inspire as much passion. Local governments across the state have had to shoulder the burden of this rapidly growing population amid calls to spend more on street cleanup and responding to low-level crimes, as well as invest in long-term solutions.

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Molly Harbarger

Henry "Hawk" Cook lived on undeveloped land in Redmond for years and had no idea where he would go when he was evicted, as were many in central Oregon.

The number of people who live on the street, in cars and on undeveloped land grew 6 percent from 2015 to 2017 in Oregon. The rise in homelessness is not limited to large urban areas; places like Redmond — once a viable option for people priced out of Bend — now see a median rent of $1,650 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Gov. Kate Brown’s administration has made targeted investments and largely avoided the debate over where to put homeless people. But the tactic can leave residents unhappy with the visible effects of homelessness, such as campsites and needle caps, on their communities.

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Stephanie Yao Long

The old Shleifer Furniture space in Southeast Portland was used for several months as a homeless shelter. Former resident Robert Lott chooses the nice items, such as Ralph Lauren, when he visits the clothing closets. He keeps the wardrobe, including suits, so as not to look homeless.

Buehler said the Oregon Legislature — and the governor's office, specifically — have not been hands-on enough. He called for a "compassionate but tough" mindset that relies on a small investment of public money and a directive from the state about how cities and counties should tailor their work.

But one plank of this vision — the desire for the Legislature to make it easier for municipalities to pass “sit-lie” ordinances, or rules that bar people from resting on sidewalks and other public places — has already hit a snag.

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Stephanie Yao Long

Tony Scarino (right) relaxes before the 9 p.m. lights out time. The Columbia Shelter, run by Transition Projects, was moved to the old Shleifer Furniture space in Southeast Portland before it was developed into a hotel.

“It’s not compassionate to allow people to camp on our sidewalks and public lands,” Buehler said. “It creates not only a public safety but a public health problem.”

Sit-lie ordinances are already controversial in Oregon. The city of Portland had a version struck down as unconstitutional in state court in 2009. A settlement in 2012 mandates that the city post notices before clearing a campsite.

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Molly Harbarger

Sonja Hill and Bob Berreth enjoy early fall sunshine in the gathering area of Bethlehem Inn, a homeless shelter in Bend.

The city of Salem backed out of a sit-lie-style ordinance earlier this summer while Beaverton passed its own.

All of that was complicated by a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling said that Boise's sidewalk ban is cruel and unusual punishment if there is nowhere to go inside.

Buehler, in an August interview, said he wants to expand shelter space across the state. He would include $10 million in Oregon’s next two-year budget cycle for a grant program to help build 4,000 temporary shelter beds and 4,000 supportive housing beds. There is not an official number of shelter beds for the state, but in 2016, Oregon ranked second-to-last in providing shelter.

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The rest of the money would come from local, federal, nonprofit and private funds.

Buehler currently represents the Bend area, a district with one of the fastest-growing homelessness populations in the state. Deschutes County had a 39 percent increase in its homeless population from 2015 to 2017, the most recent two times the homeless population was formally tallied. On one night in January, 701 people were found residing without a permanent home — most of whom were living outside.

The drumbeat for shelter beds straddles urban and rural areas. However, the $10 million does not extend to operating the shelters once they are built — a challenge to many city and county budgets. For instance, Multnomah County pays about $8,000 per shelter bed per year, about $9.6 million for about 1,200 beds.

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Molly Harbarger

Henry "Hawk" Cook lost his former housing when his mother's home was foreclosed while he was in drug treatment. He is one of a growing number of people in central Oregon without permanent housing.

Brown scoffed at Buehler’s $10 million plan. She wants to allocate about $350 million to various initiatives that primarily focus on permanent or supportive housing.

“$10 million is nothing,” the Democrat incumbent said in a September interview. “It’s nothing.”

Her plans sidestep shelter expansion almost entirely. She said she wants to focus on moving specific groups into permanent housing — families with children, veterans and the chronically homeless.

Brown wants to allot $20 million to help build 200 units of permanent supportive housing, a model that helps people stay in housing when they might usually struggle.

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Stephanie Yao Long

Homelessness is not new to Lents. But the throng of people camped there along the bike path that runs parallel to I-205 has increased steadily over the last few years.

She also wants to use $50 million to buy and preserve existing affordable housing. She said she would move the 23,000 homeless children counted by the Oregon Department of Education in 2017 to the front of the state's priorities.

Buehler’s approach is more open-ended. He said that by lunch time on his first day in office, he would appoint a statewide homelessness director position. That person would bring together a consortium of voices at a summit to set priorities and goals for state investments.

“Even though the vision is a top-down vision, this really has to be a bottom-up solution,” Buehler said. “Creating a whole bunch of government-owned housing is not attractive.”

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The throng of people camped there along the bike path that runs parallel to I-205 has increased steadily over the last few years, residents say.

They both agree that the state needs to take more steps to incentivize the private sector.

Buehler wants to remove regulations — singling out solar and electric car mandates — to help incentivize developers to build affordable housing.

Brown’s tack is already underway. The state launched a pilot in 2017 to prod nonprofits and private developers to build housing for working families. She said she would want to turn that into an ongoing program, as well as ask local governments to re-evaluate their zoning and codes to allow tiny homes and accessory dwelling units.

“If you don’t focus and prioritize, you don’t make a dent,” Brown said. “There’s a lot more work to do but I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

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Stephanie Yao Long

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger

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WHERE THEY STAND | Homelessness

Here’s how Oregon’s leading gubernatorial candidates’ positions stack up on homelessness:

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Here's a recap of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown's record and views on homelessness

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Here's a recap of Republican Rep. Knute Buehler's record and views on homelessness.

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PLATFORMS 2018

The Platforms 2018 series will run on Mondays through October. Check back if you want to learn more about the main two gubernatorial candidates' stances on:

Gun regulation

Abortion/reproductive rights

State spending

Taxes

Homelessness

Education

Affordable housing

Health care

Public Employees Retirement System

Climate change

Transparency