Take action, Multnomah County—
Tell your elected leaders that handcuffs and jail cells are not solutions for people suffering from addiction and homelessness.

Email your elected leaders now.

Oregonians deserve accessible and affordable addiction treatment, mental healthcare, and housing. We can all agree that the rollout of essential funding for housing and addiction services was not perfect, and services need to adapt to ensure that our housing and substance use disorder services systems are successful.

But arresting and jailing people who suffer from addiction and homelessness is not a solution — in fact, it only adds to people’s suffering.

Urge your elected officials to support real solutions for people suffering from addiction and homelessness — and to oppose homeless sweeps, handcuffs, jail cells, and forced addiction treatment.

We cannot arrest our way out of addiction and homelessness. Tell your elected officials that people need healthcare and housing, not handcuffs.

Forced addiction treatment can result in criminal records and fines that raise barriers to housing, employment, and education, especially in communities historically over-policed, over-prosecuted, and over-incarcerated. Sweeping homeless encampments uproot people and their few belongings with no safe place to go.

These consequences disproportionately impact Black, brown, and Indigenous communities and deepen racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

Let’s not revert Oregon back to failed policies that hurt people who are suffering. Healthcare and housing — not handcuffs — are what will help people heal and make our communities truly safe. Take action today.

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