The Landing to Close its Doors

Lack of Support from Multnomah County to Shutter PSU’s Own Temporary Housing Facility

BY DYLAN O’HARRA

It’s been less than two years since The Landing first opened its doors to Portland State University students experiencing housing insecurity. Operating twelve hours a day on the campus of First United Methodist Church in Goose Hollow, The Landing provides a safe place to sleep, eat, do homework and access basic needs. PSU students who make contact through the university’s CARE Program are often able to access The Landing in less than twenty-four hours. The program also helps students navigate long-term strategies for securing affordable housing; there is not a limit to the number of nights a student may use the service. The Landing is an incredibly valuable resource for those within our community who are in need of a “landing spot” between dorm rooms or apartments—a very understandable need in our city, which has seen average rent prices skyrocket within the past decade.

“Certainly, for the residents, the impact is paramount and life-changing,” said Scott Robison, Associate Director of Digital Learning and Design in PSU’s Office of Academic Innovation. Robison, also a member of the congregation at First United Methodist Church, serves in a volunteer role as a key connector between the facility and the PSU community.

But there’s a problem. The Landing is in need of funding. Having been recently denied a grant from Multnomah County to cover operating costs for the next year, The Landing is scheduled to shutter its services on June 23 –about a week after Final Exams for spring term. What will this mean for the students currently utilizing the services?

The Landing can accommodate up to twelve students at a time. Students have a dedicated “pod” set up for them with a cot and bedding. They have access to store personal items in large bins, which are safely locked up during the day. Available for use by residents (at no cost) are showers, bathrooms, wi-fi, computers, a printer, study space, laundry room, snacks and a full kitchen for cooking. The Landing is operated nightly by volunteers—many of them former residents or Portland State University students. Since opening in 2021, Robison said, “I think we’ve shown pretty clearly—two-thirds of the students, if not more, go on to long-term, reduced-rent subsidized housing, or they graduate with a degree.”

That’s twenty-five PSU students who were able to continue their education while experiencing housing insecurity. But The Landing’s impact is not limited to residents. Robinson estimates over 200 PSU students have had meaningful interactions with the program— through volunteering and academic connections, such as coordinating service opportunities with University Studies’ senior capstones.

In May 2020, Multnomah County voters approved the Metro Supportive Housing Services Measure 26-210. As a result of that measure, in 2022 the County announced an increase in budget for The Joint Office of Homeless Services to $255.5 million. In late 2022, JOHS opened applications to community organizations to apply for grant funding. The Landing applied for $50,000 to continue operations for the 2023-2024 school year.

They were denied.

“The amazing thing is you have this facility (First United Methodist Church) who is donating the space. It’s a relatively low lift compared to building new facilities or renovating buildings,” Robison said. The Landing’s proposed budget request would cover basic supplies and funding for a staff volunteer-coordinator. Until now, the funding for The Landing has come from generous donations, including from St. James Lutheran Church, the FUMC congregation, and individual supporters. That funding has kept The Landing open since 2021– but it is running out.

“At the end of the day, either someone values this resource, or they don’t,” Robison said. “Without considerable and consistent county or state funding, there’s no way to keep operating.”

Clearly, voters in Multnomah County do value funding resources to address issues of houselessness—Measure 26-210 passed with 57% of the vote. The question is how is that earmarked money, (collected as a 1% incometax increase for individuals making over $125,000 or households making $200,000 a year) being spent? Who decides, on behalf of Multnomah County voters, which services are worth funding? The Landing’s requested amount of $50,000 could go on to provide safe and clean housing services for another dozen PSU students. Compared to the Joint Office of Homeless Services’ $255.5 million budget, the issue is a clear win-win, requiring less than a tenth of a percent of the total sum.

To conceptualize the breadth of Portland’s housing crisis is daunting. Tuition is increasing, rent is at an all-time high, and the cost of basic necessities like food has increased in double-digit percentages over the last year due to inflation. If there are any details worth examining closely—any small piece of the puzzle we, as the PSU community, can champion and care for—it’s The Landing. Housing is a human right, and students should not have to risk financial hardship or houselessness while under our institution’s roofs.

The Pacific Sentinel staff reached out for comment to Multnomah County’s JOHS, but as of the time of this writing, a response has not been received.