PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Multnomah County says it is working with the Buckman neighborhood to address safety concerns related to the opening of its diversion center in a few weeks.
“The county will continue to work with residents to ensure they feel there is a two-way dialogue taking place,” said Ryan Yambra, a county spokesman.
The diversion center is a response to House Bill 4002, which passed lawmakers during this year’s legislative session. The bill amended Measure 110 by reinstating drug possession with new charges effective September 1.
At this time, the county plans to offer people caught with drugs the opportunity to evade the justice system and avoid charges and/or jail time by contacting the center.
People who live, work and drop off their children at the area’s Escuela Viva preschool have spoken out at county public meetings, expressing concern that the center’s clients could end up camping or loitering in the neighborhood. There will be no legal consequences for people who choose not to undergo screening or accept treatment or housing recommendations.
“What happens when there are confrontations with the police out there? What happens when drugs are being used openly in front of children?” asks Chelsea Parrett, who has two children in preschool.
Neighbors want the county to delay the center’s opening until a good neighbor agreement can be signed between the county and neighborhood associations. The agreement would outline specific steps the county would take to mitigate the center’s impact on the neighborhood.
Yambra says the county has met with associations to finalize the details of the agreement.
“The committees agreed on a framework on September 1 and want to work out a final agreement on good neighbourliness as soon as possible,” he said.
However, the neighbors do not want to proceed without the signed document binding the district to its word.
“As parents, it is truly disheartening to see our concerns viewed as inconveniences to the county rather than as important stakeholders and advocates in this process,” Parrett said.
The owner of Escuela Viva threatened to sue the district if the center’s opening moves forward before a security plan is in place. Neighborhood associations are pushing for the county to hire security guards to patrol the streets in the immediate vicinity of the neighborhood or for an intergovernmental agreement to have the Portland Police Bureau increase patrols in the area.
The county has spent $740,000 on a private security contract that will provide two security officers on-site at the center 24 hours a day for 10 months. The contract states that security can be increased if needed.
When asked if the county was seeking an agreement with PPB, Yambra said he would look into it and provide information as soon as it was available.
Once police drop people off at the diversion center, staff encourage them to undergo screening. Once that’s complete, they receive a referral to another service, such as drug treatment or housing. According to the contract the county signed with Tuerk House, the nonprofit that runs the center, staff also provide diversion patients with a ride to their next location.
However, none of these services are mandatory, and no penalties are imposed on drug unit clients for not participating. Only people caught with drugs during the same 30-day period will be charged.
The county’s contract with Tuerk House also outlines other services that must be provided on-site, such as meals, laundry, showers and care for people with a substance use disorder in the neighborhood.
Yambra said the county only expects one to five diversion clients per day. When asked, he said that estimate is based on drug possession arrests that occurred before Measure 110 and before the fentanyl crisis on the West Coast.
Yambra also said the diversion center will not accommodate walk-ins. However, there are no instructions in the contract for Tuerk House on how to handle potential walk-ins, especially when it comes to navigation services such as showers, laundry and meals.
Yambra said those protocols are being created by the county’s behavioral health team in collaboration with Tuerk House.
