Keith Wilson, president of Titan Freight Systems and founder of the nonprofit Shelter Portland, is set to become Portland’s next mayor. As of last night, Wilson held 61.55% of the vote to Carmen Rubio’s 38.45%—a gap Rubio is unlikely can no longer close despite a substantial number of votes still uncounted.
Based on ballots processed so far, Wilson was the first choice for 35% of voters and a popular second choice among those who ranked Liv Østus, Mingus Mapps, or Rene Gonzalez first.
Wilson, a Portland native whose campaign centered on expanding shelter access, recently participated in a Q&A with Rose City Reform about his strategy. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: Running for office is a huge undertaking. You decided to also develop a detailed strategy for ending unsheltered homelessness—before you were elected—and present it to elected officials and other candidates. This seems like essentially taking on two massive projects at once. Why?
A: The issue of our time is unsheltered homelessness, due to all the associated issues it creates. Our police response times are among the worst in the nation, with half of their time spent dealing with the unsheltered. Our livability has been impacted by the humanitarian crisis on our streets. Addressing these issues can restore dignity in our community. As mayor, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to lead the city in coming together behind a specific plan to end unsheltered homelessness. If elected, I feel this effort requires a community-wide push.
Q: Can you tell us a little more about this plan?
By having emergency shelters, we eliminate the 72-hour posting requirement for clearing tents and RVs, allowing outreach workers to help people while also saying, “You can’t stay here.” This will improve community livability and respect the rights of shopkeepers and residents. The public needs to know what’s coming, as it will be challenging. If I’m elected, they’re electing me with a mandate to care for our community by setting up nighttime shelters. We’ll need to set up six shelters in each community. While these will be short-term, they are essential. It’s a choice: do we want people living on the streets in tents, or do we want them cared for at night in churches and community centers? It’s a social contract we’re creating with the city—a vote for me is a vote for a plan to care for the community, with clear asks involved.
Q: Most candidates running on the issue of homelessness talk primarily about county services, housing production, or other jurisdictional actions involving the state, city, county, or even Metro. Most promises revolve around other jurisdictions. Your approach is a city action plan. Can you speak to that?
A: It comes down to each jurisdiction’s priorities. The county handles Health and Human Services, while the city is responsible for public safety, infrastructure, and right-of-way. Unsheltered homelessness is a city priority because it impacts public safety. Hundreds of people are dying this year, affecting our priority response times and right-of-way. These are city responsibilities. Last week, the mayor’s office confirmed the city’s budget impact for not caring for our citizens is $300 million. This waste could be avoided if we cared for unsheltered individuals. It’s a cost-cutting measure as well as a moral imperative, and the ROI on reducing that $300 million by investing $20-25 million is obvious.
Q: Housing First—what does it mean to you?
A: It’s low-barrier. You take everyone as they are, whether they have a dog, addiction, or behavioral issue. Housing First, to me, means finding and solving their needs, even if that’s reuniting them with family or providing an ID for employment. Housing is the goal, but there’s a continuum of support we must address first. I’m focused on ending unsheltered homelessness to stabilize our community. If people came to Portland because of decriminalization, that’s changing. Our compact with the city is that we provide basic nighttime emergency shelter, but street living is no longer permitted. If they’re here for a lifestyle choice, we’ll help reunify them with their communities, whether that’s Austin, San Diego, or Salem.
A: What happens if you propose this plan to the council, and they say no?
A: I’m already working on that. I’ve been meeting with Metro, the county, and every city candidate. The first legislative step will be to reconfirm our homelessness emergency declaration, giving us the authority to implement this plan.
Learn More About Wilson’s Plan
Last month, Mayor-Elect Wilson also appeared on our Stump Talk podcast.
