Compassionate Change District PORTLAND

A Central Eastside for Everyone

The Central Eastside Needs Compassionate Change

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Main Content

Our Vision:

The Compassionate Change and Dignity Coalition seeks a city built for the dignity of every resident: A city that engages, elevates, and protects from violence all of its residents, regardless of identity or status, and ensures each resident an equal, democratic voice in local governance and equitable access to public resources necessary for human dignity.

The CCD Coalition works to promote this vision of a compassionate community where we all can thrive by:

  1. advocating for legislation that supports the right to rest and decriminalizes unhoused people’s ordinary life activities;
  2. advocating for the replacement of Business Improvement Districts/Enhanced Services Districts by Compassionate Change Districts;
  3. working to mitigate the harms of BIDs/ESDs through peer-run and peer-designed solutions and programs that emphasize self-determination of targeted communities.

I run a shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in the Central Eastside and I see firsthand that our policy of shuffling people around isn’t working. This proposal has the solutions we need to begin to actually help our neighbors who are on the streets. I fully support these ideas and this proposal.”
– Dan Trifone, Clark Center Shelter Manager

All our neighbors, regardless of housing status, deserve safe and stable places to sleep, wash, and organize their daily lives. These are the basic building blocks of civic health and well-being.
– Sandra Comstock, R2S

Our Proposal

Our “CCD” includes a clean-up program that helps solve the hygiene and trash issues that result from unequal access to sewer and garbage services. It includes a security program that centers the right to safe sleep and safe parking and is trauma-informed. It includes a jobs development program using peer-run systems to support the functioning of the clean-up and security components, and will all be transparently and democratically run by a governing board that includes representation from all stakeholders, with annual independent audits.

Clean Up Program. Peer-run “equal access” to water, bathrooms, showers, and laundry. Learn More

Security Program. Peer-run safe sleep & park encampment with green space. Learn More

Jobs Development Program. Peer-run waste management program to complement the current Central City Concern program. Learn More

Democratic Governance. We call for a transparently and democratically elected  governing board  representing all community stakeholders. Learn More