The city of Portland plans to hire a homeless community liaison to help with the homeless crisis.
The city hopes this new position will help build trust between the police bureau and the homeless community. The executive director of Street Roots, an organization that works with the homeless, said there is a huge need for something like this.
“We see this really frequently at Street Roots, we see people who are victims of violent crimes really consistently and we need to have a condition where they feel safe to be able to go to the police for that,” explained Street Roots Executive Director Kaia Sand.
Both Street Roots and PPB said crimes in the homeless community often go unreported.
The liaison will also help develop training for officers to help them understand what resources and services are available for people who need them.
“For officers to understand that each person has their own reason for why they are where they are and trying to identify what might be an appropriate service or resource for that person and how is it, what's going to be the best method to get the two linked up,” said Portland Police Sgt. Chris Burley.
The city is now accepting online applications for the position until January 7, 2019. For qualifications and to apply, click here.