Almost 100 people are set to be removed from a homeless shelter village in Portland, Oregon, that has been the center of complaints from neighbours over antisocial behavior.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson has said 80 to 90 people will be evicted from the city's “Safe Rest” villages starting next month, largely because the accommodations are intended as temporary resources to help homeless people get back on their feet and move into more long-term housing.
Wilson sent a memo to the City Council on Tuesday outlining why they need to enforce "stay limits” on those living in the pods, which make up much of the accommodation.
“Stay limits and engagement requirements are nationwide best practices used to encourage continuous progress towards stability, independence, and appropriate housing,” he said in the memo, ABC’s local KATU News reported.
In September, Portland introduced requirements that those moving into the Safe Rest villages adhere to a 120-day “stay limit” and engage with local services.
Wilson said the move would incentivize people to use the system and then move into permanent housing.
Despite his argument, some critics believe it may be counterproductive to remove vulnerable people.
Molly Hogan, executive director of the Welcome Home Coalition, based in Portland, said: “Removing people from shelter does not end homelessness – it punishes individuals for being poor. What's mind-boggling about this new policy from the mayor who ran on ending unsheltered homelessness is that it will put nearly 100 people back out on the literal street."
The criticism comes as residents in some neighborhoods near the Safe Rest villages have complained that the pods' arrival has changed the area's character.
The Multnomah Safe Rest Village, which has been in operation for three years, provides 100 shelter pods for people experiencing homelessness transitioning off the streets.
Since their arrival, local residents have complained that the upmarket area is now experiencing antisocial behaviour. "We see satellite camping, we see drug use and drug sales," one resident told Portland’s KGW8 local news outlet.
"There's screaming threats, fights that happen inside the [village] that people can hear all hours of the night," they added.
Portland, which is known as a liberal, creative, and relatively laid-back city, has become a favourite target of the Trump administration in recent years.
The president has used various derogatory terms to describe Portland, including calling it "war-ravaged," a "nightmare," a “craphole city”, like "living in hell," and a "burned-down hulk of a city".
In late 2025, amid an immigration crackdown across the country, the president deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to “war-ravaged Portland,” as he described it at the time.
Following the arrival and subsequent departure of National Guard troops, Portlanders pushed back against the president’s portrayal of the city as dangerous, sharing images of calm neighborhoods and bustling food markets on social media.
