Giving Compass' Take:

• Joel Griffith and Douglas Blair at The Heritage Foundation discuss why Portland, Oregon has the biggest homelessness crisis and how the government can help. 

• What are the ways that donors can help the homeless population? What are the main barriers people facing homelessness?

• Here's an article on the criminalization of homelessness. 

The alleys of Portland, Oregon, are strewn with piles of garbage and used drug needles, reflecting a growing problem of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness.

Mental illness is now more common among the homeless in Oregon than in any other state. According to a study from 2016, 35-40% of homeless adults in Oregon suffer from some form of mental illness.

The problem is apparent along the Springwater Corridor, a popular biking trail on the east side of Portland that is cherished as peaceful slice of nature hidden from the urban sprawl.

In 2016, a shantytown alongside a 2-mile stretch of the corridor was the largest homeless encampment in the nation. It contained nearly 200 tents and an estimated 500 homeless people.

In the years since, criminal activity has become a routine occurrence. For example, in August 2018, police arrested a homeless woman for attempting to kidnap a 6-year-old girl playing near the trail. Two months later, a shooting occurred.

This year, an assailant stabbed a man in the arm before fleeing back into the sea of tents.

Unfortunately, the Springwater Corridor is no exception in Portland—it is a microcosm of Oregon’s largest city.

Read the full article about Portland's homeless by Joel Griffith and Douglas Blair at The Heritage Foundation.