Some in SE Portland feel city ignoring homelessness in Lents neighborhood
Does Portland prioritize some neighborhoods over others when managing homeless camps? People who live in southeast Portland’s Lents neighborhood think so.
Their concerns are nothing new, but they tell KATU the problem exploded during the pandemic, and they feel the city is ignoring them. Steven Guenther, a retired carpenter and Vietnam veteran, has lived in Lents since 1980. He says he loved it until a few years ago.
“It just doesn’t seem the same kind of place. It’s not homey anymore, because you’re always looking out your window. Or you hear a strange sound at night, ‘bap bap bap,'” said Guenther.