‘Endless connection’

Walking downtown is a favorite activity, if I have the time, and especially in the South Park Blocks or the North Park Blocks areas of the western side of the center city, Portland. In the North Park Blocks, which is near the fashionable Pearl district, one can be regularly confronted by people who are homeless. On any given day or night there are over 4,000 homeless individuals in & around Portland, many of these individuals are in the downtown area (these statistics are recent official postings & it might be interesting to check out these demographics for one’s own community). There are different demographic breakdowns but what I have noticed is three distinct groupings. Homeless young people, who seem to travel in large groups; chronic homeless men and women, mostly men; and homeless families with children. Continue reading →