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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: The Reason a Non-Police Response Program for Portland Homeless is Struggling
Description: Listen to Vlad Yurlov explain why Portland Street Response has been struggling to operate at full capacity.
Full text: "Portland’s Lents neighborhood got a new homeless program in 2021. Could you tell? For the past three months, a paramedic and a social worker have been connecting homeless people to social services and addressing disturbances. But the pilot team has been waiting for police dispatch to give it leads, so it goes on just two calls per day. Relieving Portland’s officers from non-emergency calls is useful, but a proactive approach would be more beneficial for homeless people and...