The other day Loyd Hubbard, my former colleague from Baloney Joe’s (the now defunct eastside Portland shelter) and good friend, had a great letter to the editor in The Oregonian about Dignity Village:
The wise vote from the City Council was four to one to reclassify Dignity Village as a transitional campground.As one justification for your opposition to the council's action, your Feb. 29 editorial, "The council caves on Dignity," quotes Doreen Binder, executive director of Transition Projects, as saying, "There's no accountability out there in terms of showing that people are getting out of homelessness."
Anyone who knows anything at all about nonprofits understands that the competition for money among them is fierce, and few would ever give any credit to a competing program that might take away dollars from their own.
With this new designation as a transitional campground, it is time for the city to step up and work with the folks who want to make Dignity Village truly effective in moving people out of homelessness.
Positive action, not negative rhetoric, is now required.
LOYD HUBBARD Southwest Portland
I'll also mention that Doreen Binder is also a good friend of mine and former colleague (we worked at Transitions Projects together before she became the executive director). Doreen is a great advocate for ending homelessness, but I agree with Loyd on this one.
