Shelter workers and providers urge Portland to preserve 24-hour and alternative shelters, warn of job losses

Shelter staff, union leaders and operators told the Portland Homelessness and Housing Committee on April 8 that recent shifts in shelter funding and planning risk dismantling 24-hour shelters and alternative programs that staff say are more effective for many people experiencing homelessness.

The testimony came from front-line workers and service providers during a scheduled panel to give the committee “perspectives from shelter providers.” Speakers included Jay Nicholson, a case manager and union steward with AFSCME Local 1790; Misha Litvak, vice president of AFSCME Local 1790; shelter resident and Hazelnut Grove villager Barbara Webber; Tyler Fellini, executive director of Portland Jobs for Justice; and Michael Anderson of the Sideline Institute.

Why it matters: Panelists said the city’s proposed pivot toward an overnight congregate “line-and-day-center” model — where people wait in line each night for a bed, put belongings into daytime storage and return each evening to rejoin the queue — will worsen access for people with disabilities, reduce continuity of care and shrink engagement that leads to housing exits.

“My name is Jay Nicholson. I’m a case…