Opinion: ‘Vancouver doesn’t have to end up like Portland or LA’

Clark County Matters urges Vancouver’s mayor and City Council to act now to restrict public homeless camps, warning that inaction could mirror outcomes seen in Portland and Los Angeles.

Clark County Matters: ‘Vancouver doesn’t have to end up like Portland or LA – but only if our mayor and City Council take stronger action now to limit homeless camps across our city’

Homeless camps in Vancouver are a growing problem. Portland and cities in California are a cautionary tale of what happens when elected officials CHOOSE to let public camping get out of control. Vancouver doesn’t have to end up like Portland or LA – but only if our mayor and City Council take stronger action now to limit homeless camps across our city.

We’ve proposed seven specific ideas how the city can better regulate and limit homeless camps. But so far, Vancouver officials refuse to take action on any of them. You can read our letter to the mayor and City Council here.

Portland has passed a reasonable ban on public camping, even if they refuse to enforce the law. Now, California Governor Gavin Newsom – no conservative – has realized that allowing runaway public camping is no longer acceptable. More shelters are vital, but unless more shelter and housing is combined with bans on public camping – nothing on the streets and sidewalks will change.

It should no longer be a choice for anyone to camp in public places in Vancouver. It’s dangerous and inhumane.

Please make your voice heard with our mayor and city council. Please take a moment and send an email directly to our local elected officials urging them to take stronger action NOW to end homeless camps in Vancouver.

TAKE ACTION:

TELL LOCAL OFFICIALS TO PASS STRONGER LIMITS ON PUBLIC CAMPING

About Clark County Matters

Clark County Matters is here to unite people to advocate for the future of our community. Good things are happening in Clark County and Vancouver. But challenges like homelessness, a growing mental health crisis, crime, drugs and excessive taxes and regulations threaten our progress and quality of life. And too often, elected officials make decisions for insider activists instead of the majority of people. We’re here to change that. Just across the river, Portland is a cautionary tale of what happens when the moderate majority is too slow to make their voices heard and elected officials fail to effectively address rising homeless camps, open-air drug use and crime. Let’s make sure that elected officials in Clark County and Vancouver don’t repeat the mistakes of Portland. Our community has its challenges. But we are also growing and changing in many positive ways. Our mission is to keep it that way.