Thank you for submitting this issue to the City of Portland using SeeClickFix. It has been received as service request ID #118482. Our staff will now begin their investigation.

Portland has seen a rise in encampments around the city due to shelters being at capacity, as well as a growing need for shelter and services. While City ordinances prohibit camping in public areas, City staff developed an administrative policy in July 2022 that includes a general “hands-off” approach to encampments when City-operated shelters are full per federal case law. As part of this “hands-off” approach, encampments are only removed if and when their presence or conditions create public health or safety hazards. The presence of hazards can be determined by calls for service and observations by staff and members of the public, as well as other criteria such as location and size.

We recognize that some people may have no alternative but to sleep outdoors. In recognition of this, we recommend that anyone sleeping outdoors not place any tent, structure, or personal belongings on or near a public road or path, and keep their site small, clean, and safe.

To effectively respond to hazardous encampments, City staff has created an Encampment Crisis Response Team to work on a housing-focused effort to reduce the number of people sleeping outside. The creation of this team is guided by best practices and technical assistance from staff at the Corporation for Supportive Housing in coordination with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.

To learn more about our encampment crisis response, Please visit the following website https://www.portlandmaine.gov/1417/Encampment-Crisis-Response-Team

Your request has been closed. Thank you for partnering with us to keep The City of Portland a great place to live and work.