Old Town/Chinatown News - Page 35

urbanlife · #**681** Posted **Oct 8, 2009, 7:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sioux612

Wow! that glass wall looks great.

The glass wall is what I think bothers me the most right now...but the building wasnt done the last time I see it, so I am planning on taking a walk around the building before I pass any real judgment on it...though I am just happy to see new development happening in Old Town.

maccoinnich · #**682** Posted **Oct 9, 2009, 6:29 AM**

Was in it this evening. Pleasant restrained interiors, with a good flow of space from the entrance in the exhibition and meeting/lecture room area.

Also, they have an exhibition running until February called 'Design for the other 90%', which I saw a few years ago at the Cooper Hewitt in New York. As I recall, I enjoyed it very much.

tworivers · #**683** Posted **Oct 9, 2009, 7:55 AM**

I think the glass wall is a huge success architecturally and is a good cue for future development in the area.

As I've said, one thing about the building that I'm not crazy about is the little flying roof that the Historic Landmarks Commission insisted the architects add.

tworivers · #**684** Posted **Nov 13, 2009, 8:18 AM**

The site is all fenced off. Seems like it could be starting soon.

I'm curious what effect the LUBA decision on the River District has had on this project. And what it will mean for the many other projects in line for urban renewal funds (i.e. Centennial Mills, Post Office, Uwajimaya). Numbers-wise and timeline-wise.

New Madrid · #**685** Posted **Nov 13, 2009, 11:58 PM**

they break ground next friday, the 20th.

sowat · #**686** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 12:33 AM**

Construction begins on special resource center for homeless people in Portland

By Anne Saker, The Oregonian
November 20, 2009

Portland and Multnomah County broke ground today on an ambitious center to help the city's homeless, a nearly $47 million project next to Union Station and the Greyhound Bus Depot.

The Resource Access Center will offer:

-- A day center for homeless people that will provide housing, employment and treatment counseling, as well as hot showers, storage and voice mail boxes to help with job and housing searches.

-- A shelter with temporary housing for 90 homeless men.

-- 130 units of affordable housing plus support services.

The project was approved as part of the city's 10-year plan to end homelessness. The Housing Authority of Portland is the owner and developer; the nonprofit Transition Projects Inc. will manage the facility.

http://www.hapdx.org/resourceaccesscenter/

WestCoast · #**687** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 3:38 AM**

jeezus, why are we enabling more homelessness by building more rooms for them to sleep in?

If homelessness was actually hard, like no food, no shelter, pan-handling laws actively enforced, it would end pretty quickly.

Yes, the mentally disabled should be taken care of, and everyone should be given a shot to learn some new job skills and work for a living.

But, why our city continues to spend millions on these huge buildings for the homeless when we have such crappy infrastructure and aren't working on creating jobs for these people, is beyond me.

This type of project grates at me to no end while businesses continue to shut their doors here, we build a jewel of a building for free loaders to live in.

ugh

urbanlife · #**688** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 5:35 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoast

jeezus, why are we enabling more homelessness by building more rooms for them to sleep in?

If homelessness was actually hard, like no food, no shelter, pan-handling laws actively enforced, it would end pretty quickly.

Yes, the mentally disabled should be taken care of, and everyone should be given a shot to learn some new job skills and work for a living.

But, why our city continues to spend millions on these huge buildings for the homeless when we have such crappy infrastructure and aren't working on creating jobs for these people, is beyond me.

This type of project grates at me to no end while businesses continue to shut their doors here, we build a jewel of a building for free loaders to live in.

ugh

um, where does one start when picking apart a comment like this? I will let others start first, I have much better things to do tonight than this.

bvpcvm · #**689** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 6:55 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoast

jeezus, why are we enabling more homelessness by building more rooms for them to sleep in?

If homelessness was actually hard, like no food, no shelter, pan-handling laws actively enforced, it would end pretty quickly.

Yes, the mentally disabled should be taken care of, and everyone should be given a shot to learn some new job skills and work for a living.

But, why our city continues to spend millions on these huge buildings for the homeless when we have such crappy infrastructure and aren't working on creating jobs for these people, is beyond me.

This type of project grates at me to no end while businesses continue to shut their doors here, we build a jewel of a building for free loaders to live in.

ugh

Funny you should mention it, I've noticed a lot of my friends have come to the realization that it's not worth bothering with the rat race, mortgages and all that, much easier just to be homeless and sponge off everyone else. Both my cousins recently abandoned their jobs and homes and now spend nights behind this coffee place on MLK, or maybe under that overpass on NE Tillamook, definitely much cooler, I hear, to look for a place to sleep when it's raining and 45 degrees out than to be in the comfort of a house with, like, heating and hot water'n'shit, houses are for loserz, dude. Also, cold french fries picked out of the garbage - mmm, yeah. You're right, though, if the man starts enforcing the law my friends are fucked, 'cause that's all it'd take, a couple arrests and they'd be driven back to their homes. What a shit that would be, huh?

65MAX · #**690** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 7:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoast

jeezus, why are we enabling more homelessness by building more rooms for them to sleep in?

If homelessness was actually hard, like no food, no shelter, pan-handling laws actively enforced, it would end pretty quickly.

Yes, the mentally disabled should be taken care of, and everyone should be given a shot to learn some new job skills and work for a living.

But, why our city continues to spend millions on these huge buildings for the homeless when we have such crappy infrastructure and aren't working on creating jobs for these people, is beyond me.

This type of project grates at me to no end while businesses continue to shut their doors here, we build a jewel of a building for free loaders to live in.

ugh

You have GOT to be f***ing kidding me....

Providing a safe place for homeless people to sleep is not "enabling" homelessness. You think that these folks CHOOSE to be homeless? Are you really that stupid? They're victims of a crappy economy, broken families, and yes, there are some mentally challenged people out there as well. The city should absolutely be doing whatever they can to keep them safe and at least provide some stability in their lives. It's what civilized societies do.... take care of those who are less fortunate.

Tell you what, since you think homelessness is such a cakewalk, why don't you just quit your job, move onto the streets, then you can put your name on a huge waiting list to inhabit this "jewel" of a building. You'll be much better off once you're "freeloading" off of the rest of us.

65MAX · #**691** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 7:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoast

jeezus, why are we enabling more homelessness by building more rooms for them to sleep in?

If homelessness was actually hard, like no food, no shelter, pan-handling laws actively enforced, it would end pretty quickly.

Yes, the mentally disabled should be taken care of, and everyone should be given a shot to learn some new job skills and work for a living.

But, why our city continues to spend millions on these huge buildings for the homeless when we have such crappy infrastructure and aren't working on creating jobs for these people, is beyond me.

This type of project grates at me to no end while businesses continue to shut their doors here, we build a jewel of a building for free loaders to live in.

ugh

You have GOT to be f***ing kidding me....

Providing a safe place for homeless people to sleep is not "enabling" homelessness. You think that these folks CHOOSE to be homeless? Are you really that stupid? They're victims of a crappy economy, broken families, and yes, there are some mentally challenged people out there as well. The city should absolutely be doing whatever they can to keep them safe and at least provide some stability in their lives. It's what civilized societies do.... take care of those who are less fortunate.

Tell you what, since you think homelessness is such a cakewalk, why don't you just quit your job, move onto the streets, then you can put your name on a huge waiting list to inhabit this "jewel" of a building. You'll be much better off once you're "freeloading" off of the rest of us.

Okstate · #**692** Posted **Nov 21, 2009, 6:46 PM**

Homelessness is much to broad to generalize in either extreme side of the issue.

1) Would it be appropriate for an elderly widowed woman who never worked with no/little job skills but in good health to be called a "free loader"?

2) On the contrary, the 20-30 year old guys in excellent health with a low rap sheet who think downtown is quite literally their living room from which we (public) are interferring with their time should probably march their butts into the McDonalds they are panhandling next to.

WestCoast · #**693** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 5:05 AM**

I'm not kidding at all. You've GOT to be kidding that you think higher taxes and building huge buildings to house a growing population of homeless is the solution.

Listen, times are tough, but I hire people off the street that are willing to work from time to time, and they get a lot more respect than some druggy looser living off the system.

---
You guys are going to stop giving so many handouts, or eventually you'll run out of people to tax to death.

Again - happy to be compassionate and provide some care to those who genuinely can't care for themselves.

But, the kids under burnside bridge, hanging out, the people roving around the parks at all hours.

No sir, those are free-loaders. They are here and San Francisco because the services are so amazing for them.

You wouldn't see those people camping out here if we were subsidizing their habits.

It's disgusting that non-contributors get all the benefits they do, while the rest of us just bend over and take it in the shorts with taxes, laws, police harassment.

--
This is an architecture forum that I quite like, so I'll stop pissing in the pool.

That said, projects like this make me sick with how hard I work to keep people employed at my business here and how these people just get to loaf around on my dime.

I hope they make this structure blend in, the one off burnside does ok when there isn't a huge line of people camped out outside it.

Sorry for stirring it up, I'm just sick of all the handouts, corporate welfare and bailouts that everyone is getting based off of the worker folk.

bvpcvm · #**694** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 5:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I'm not kidding at all. You've GOT to be kidding that you think higher taxes and building huge buildings to house a growing population of homeless is the solution.

Listen, times are tough, but I hire people off the street that are willing to work from time to time, and they get a lot more respect than some druggy looser living off the system.

---
You guys are going to stop giving so many handouts, or eventually you'll run out of people to tax to death.

Again - happy to be compassionate and provide some care to those who genuinely can't care for themselves.

But, the kids under burnside bridge, hanging out, the people roving around the parks at all hours.

No sir, those are free-loaders. They are here and San Francisco because the services are so amazing for them.

You wouldn't see those people camping out here if we were subsidizing their habits.

It's disgusting that non-contributors get all the benefits they do, while the rest of us just bend over and take it in the shorts with taxes, laws, police harassment.

--
This is an architecture forum that I quite like, so I'll stop pissing in the pool.

That said, projects like this make me sick with how hard I work to keep people employed at my business here and how these people just get to loaf around on my dime.

I hope they make this structure blend in, the one off burnside does ok when there isn't a huge line of people camped out outside it.

Sorry for stirring it up, I'm just sick of all the handouts, corporate welfare and bailouts that everyone is getting based off of the worker folk.

I'm sorry you have such a distorted perception of reality and that someone has convinced you (Fox News?) that it's, apparently, normal to be such a self-centered, bigoted, prejudiced prick. How many homeless do we have in Portland? Let's say 10,000. And you begrudge building a place to house, what, 300 of them?

Delaney · #**695** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 7:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

How many homeless do we have in Portland? Let's say 10,000. And you begrudge building a place to house, what, 300 of them?

Approximately 6,000 people in Portland are homeless at any given time. The majority of them have mental disabilities, PTSD, drug addiction, or simply a bad string of luck with no family or support system. Most of them desperately want help. A SMALL percentage of these folks are gutter punks taking advantage of the system. The least we can do is give everyone a place to access the help they want and need.

bvpcvm · #**696** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 8:04 AM**

Delaney, is your 6000 figure for pdx or the whole metro area?

urbanlife · #**697** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 8:13 AM**

West Coast, I personally can see where you are coming from and the point that you are trying to make, but much of this is based off of the small percentage of homeless that are abusing the system by being homeless (personally I feel if you are willing to go homeless, then there is something mentally wrong).

But I am also one who supports the idea that we should be judged by how we treat our poorest of people.

I think it is important to give people safe haven to get them back on their feet...buildings like this should be apart of programs that work with those who wish to better themselves and get them back into being apart of the social system. In order to do that, you have to have something in place...you cant just wish for homelessness to go away.

We always spout out that there are so many homeless out there, but I wonder how many of them have manage to get off the streets and back into a working class life.

Also, this is much better than what my hometown did for low income residents...my hometown mowed down all its inner city neighborhoods to build large complexes to house Section 8 people in government made ghettos. I personally think Portland has been addressing this issue much better than some of the east coast cities.

65MAX · #**698** Posted **Nov 22, 2009, 11:05 AM**

Absolutely right, urbanlife. Portland is definitely addressing this better than most cities have. Also, I'm pretty confident that the people who run these services for the homeless are able to distinguish between those who are trying to abuse the system and those who are genuinely down on their luck or need additional psychological help. I'd be surprised if any of the "gutter punks" were able to get on any waiting list for this housing.

Obviously, WestCoast, you believe there are a lot of freeloaders abusing the system. There are definitely a few, but you can't stop providing services for the majority of homeless who are NOT abusing the system just to spite those that are. You have to trust that the service providers can spot, and can weed out, the abusers when they come across them. The providers know they don't have unlimited resources and they want the help to go to those that really need it.

Also, I don't think anyone here has ever defended "corporate welfare" and "bailouts". That's providing subsidies for the wealthy and has nothing to do with homelessness. Let's not even open that can of worms.

New Madrid · #**699** Posted **Nov 23, 2009, 5:13 PM**

If your concern is "wasting" tax money I think there are better targets.
And: plenty of people with jobs and houses are freeloaders too, just sayin...

pdxf · #**700** Posted **Nov 23, 2009, 10:01 PM**

Who cares if there are freeloaders.

I wonder how often advances in society and culture aren't persued because of this "freeloading" problem. Should we dumb down our society to avoid a few freeloaders take advantage of the system, while ignoring the positives that could be gained? Should we not have light rail? Since MAX is on an honor system for payment, a small percentage of the population will freeload and not pay their share. Who cares. Thousands of people still benefit from the system every day, even if a couple get to travel for free.

Sure, a few people will try and get their free housing, utilizing what the rest of us provide, but what about the far larger percentage who genuinely need the help. What about those who will use this to become a contributing part of society? Should we deny these cases the help because of a few that may take advantage of it. I don't think it would say too much about our society if we had that mindset, and it would negatively impact us all.