City officials in Portland are warning that local services are stretched nearly to their limit after the arrival of more than 550 asylum seekers since January. Officials said the need for emergency housing is so great that, soon, they may no longer be able to help new arrivals to Portland.
Speaking at a city council meeting Monday, Mayor Kate Snyder said an overtaxed shelter system, a shortage of staff capable of running those shelters, and recent bouts of frigid weather have pushed city services and local nonprofit groups to their limits.
"So I would say we are at the cliff because every single time the temperature dips, we are wondering how we're going to make sure that people are not freezing overnight," she said.
Interim City Manager Danielle West told the city council Monday night that the city is housing more than 1000 people in emergency shelter on a nightly basis.
West said she fears that Portland may soon hit a point where it can no longer provide emergency shelter to those who need it.
"Not only do we not have enough space, but we're running out of staff to be able to continue to meet this need. And so we really do need help," she said.
Help, she said, that could come from the state government in the form of a coordinated response to asylum seeker resettlement. West said another key issue is reducing the months long wait period before asylum seekers are legally allowed to work, a change that requires Congressional action.
