Residents of a small housing town in Portland, Oregon, are being blamed for a dramatic rise in crime in the neighborhood.
Residents of University Park, a neighborhood in North Portland, said crime rates have skyrocketed since the Peninsula Crossing Safe Rest Village opened.
Portland police data backs up this claim, according to KATU.
Between July 2023, shortly after the housing site opened, and July 2024, there were 923 property crimes reported in the University Park area.
But between July 2022 and July 2023, only 482 of the same crimes were reported.
University Park residents blame tiny house village for area’s rise in property crime
A surveillance video from one of the community’s neighbors showed someone breaking into a van.
The homeowner told KATU the person stole several valuable items.
The Peninsula Crossing Safe Rest Village is part of a broader initiative by City Commissioner Dan Ryan to combat homelessness. As of May 2023, there were 67 residents and it is one of six villages, according to the Portland Mercury.
The village has 60 tiny, air-conditioned houses with changing rooms and beds. There are bathrooms and kitchen areas on site. Residents receive at least one free meal a day.
Some residents believe that Safe Rest Village has cleaned up the neighborhood and contained the tents that used to be in the area.
Police data shows that since the small town was built, property crimes have increased significantly compared to the previous year.
The City of Portland has allocated more than $44 million to the project and will receive a total of $208 million from the American Rescue Plan by 2026, according to Portland City Hall. website.
Despite the criticism, many people who live near the village see its value.
Brian Kim, a resident of the small community, told KATU: “Since the city put in the Safe Rest Village, things are a lot better on this street. Before, there was a huge tent city of over 150 tents along that bike path,
“Now that Safe Rest Village exists, everything is contained.”
This is Portland’s largest safe-respite center and the only one run by California-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy.
Urban Alchemy has become a notoriously controversial organization.
The organization’s mission is to reduce homelessness, but its methods, especially in San Francisco, have been widely criticized.
The controversial California-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy runs this town
In 2023, there were 67 residents living in the tiny houses, which have beds and dressers inside.
Since its birth in 2018, Urban Alchemy has faced dozens of accusations and at least six lawsuits for civil rights violations, physical and sexual harassment and theft, according to The Nation.
Urban Alchemy workers have been accused by advocates and former employees of allegedly selling drugs to homeless people, making sexual advances toward vulnerable individuals and harassing the people they are supposed to help.
Peninsula Crossing Safe Rest Village was built in response to Multnomah County’s homeless population skyrocketing by 21 percent in 2022, according to the Portland Mercury.