Finally! Out come the torches and pitchforks!

[reACTIONary]

53. 4,000 people sleep on the streets?

The article states "An estimated 4,000 people sleep on the streets of Portland, Ore., on any given night..." and provides a link to the Portland Housing Bureau. The linked source states "On any given night, about 4,000 people sleep on the streets or in shelters across Portland.

There is a big difference between sleeping "on the streets" and sleeping "in shelters".

Portland and Multnomah Country have a 10 year plan to end homelessness in their jurisdiction. According to the plan's introduction "On one night in 2003, more than 450 people were unable to find space in emergency shelters. Among them were at least 175 children and their families." Since these were folks looking for shelter, there were probably more who didn't go looking. According to an article in the Oregonean about the current situation there are "an estimated 1,700 Portlanders who will sleep outside Thursday night".

The "10 year action plan", ironically, is ten years old. Not sure if the have an updated plan and new statistics - if not, they should.