By ADDY RUTTER

Last Monday, residents of the Foster-Powell neighborhood and surrounding area were informed that a "low-barrier" homeless shelter would be opening in a vacant grocery space at 6144 SE Foster Road.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services, run by the city and Multnomah County, barely gave any notice, contacting the neighborhood association mid-holiday season of its plan. Although we were previously told this was not a "done deal," we learned Monday night that it would be opened regardless of our concerns and input.

Officials at the meeting appeared to lack basic knowledge on the location and neighborhood. Their FAQ sheet boasts the shelter is near social services, but the closest ones are approximately 20 blocks away. No grocery store, pharmacy, police, or medical services nearby. It is, however, close to three public schools, across the street from an alternative high school, and down the street from a YMCA and day care. They stated that our neighborhood had a large population of homeless individuals, yet they would be bringing people from other shelters.

The explanation offered for choosing this location? Low rent for the vacant grocery store and proximity to two bus lines.

Their lack of knowledge regarding the neighborhood wasn't the only problem. The panel's demeanor was aloof, at best.

Marc Jolin, Joint Office of Homeless Services director, stated that he had no knowledge of the crime statistics related to the recently opened shelter in Sellwood. Multnomah County Commission Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury stated that she lived near that shelter, but a quick Google search reveals that her home is actually a couple miles away.

Multnomah County Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson quoted a statistic that 80 people died outside last year. A recent Oregonian article published that information but went on to elaborate that half those deaths were due to drug and alcohol overdoses. While tragic, it's clearly a misleading statistic. When I called her office to inquire about coordination with local police to promote the safety of the neighborhood, I was informed that our neighborhood would need to consult the police ourselves.

As for Mayor Ted Wheeler, he offered no insight as to how he plans to make the area surrounding this shelter any different from others in Portland. If a $15,000 campaign donation from Columbia Sportswear isn't enough to support the enforcement of basic human decency laws downtown - to halt stealing, harassment, public defecation, public drug use, and the like - why should our neighborhood have any confidence in him? Apparently, you can put a price on the safety of the children who attend Portland Public Schools.

The neighborhood consensus at the meeting was that this was the right idea, but the wrong location. In fact, I don't think they could have tried to pick a worse location. The shelter will be close to approximately 1,200 school children, day cares, bars, and a dispensary with no background checks or requirement to abstain from drugs and alcohol? Yet, these folks will also be isolated from the services they so desperately need access to. How do you expect this shelter to help folks transition into permanent homes and jobs and off the streets for good?

As a neighborhood and as a city, we deserve more from our elected officials and those in positions of power. We deserve communication. We deserve decision-makers who go beyond cheap rent and the local bus schedule to research their choices. We deserve to be involved in decisions that will directly affect us. We deserve to walk out of a meeting knowing that we have been heard rather than asking ourselves "Is this even legal?"

Shame on all of you. At a time when I'm worried about the fate of my neighborhood, you have at least given me something to look forward to, and that is the next election.

Addy Rutter lives in Southeast Portland.