Category HOMELESSNESS
Unsheltered Salemites report frequent discrimination, annual city survey finds
Salem’s 2024 community belonging survey looked at where and how often people experience discrimination in Salem, and their comfort level reporting bias crimes to the Salem Police Department.
COLUMN: The bravest people I know
Columnist Lynelle Wilcox, who runs the SafeSleep United shelter in Salem, shares a story of finding housing and the challenges that come with it.
What the Supreme Court’s Grants Pass ruling means for Salem
Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, which says cities can ban homeless people from sleeping outside, won’t cause any immediate changes in Salem. But advocates say the ruling will likely increase pressure on the state to provide more services, and to give cities more room to criminalize people who are homeless.
U.S. Supreme Court sides with Grants Pass, allows ban on homeless people sleeping outdoors
The U.S. Supreme Court said in a 6-3 decision on Friday, June 28, 2024, that the enforcement of local laws that regulate camping on public property, including by people without homes, does not constitute the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Salem punks expand from yearly music festival into “epic” outreach service for homeless youth
Salem nonprofit Punx With Purpose, known for its annual Punx in the Park festival, has gone mobile. At monthly pop-up events, teens and young adults can get clothes, connect with housing and build community.
Seniors get a safe haven in Salem’s new affordable cottage community
On Thursday, United Way held a grand opening ceremony for phase one of its Cottages United development, which will rent one-bedroom cottages to seniors for $500 a month. The first residents will move in over the weekend.
As Grants Pass case looms, Oregon advocates urge U.S. Supreme Court to protect homeless
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on April 22 in a case that will determine if cities can use criminal penalties to punish homeless people.
COLUMN: “Success” can be housing, or remembering a favorite color
Lynelle Wilcox, SafeSleep United's director, shares success stories large and small from a year serving more unsheltered women and kids in Salem.
Donated home gives Salem family much-needed stability
A Salem family of five evicted during the pandemic has a new home to get back on their feet after almost two years of couchsurfing. Clayton Homes donated the house to Family Promise.