{"id":79827,"date":"2025-04-23T17:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/?p=79827"},"modified":"2025-04-23T17:45:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:45:09","slug":"portsmouth-city-council-finally-takes-first-step-to-tackle-homeless-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/portsmouth-city-council-finally-takes-first-step-to-tackle-homeless-crisis","title":{"rendered":"Portsmouth City Council Finally Takes First Step to Tackle Homeless Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

After months of heated debate, rising public frustration, and a growing crisis on the streets, <\/span>Portsmouth City Council is finally poised to take action<\/span><\/b>. At next Monday\u2019s council meeting, members will hear the <\/span>first reading<\/span><\/i> of a long-anticipated resolution to create a <\/span>task force dedicated to addressing the city\u2019s homelessness crisis<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This marks the first formal move toward a coordinated response after years of growing encampments, public health hazards, and rising tension among residents, city officials, and those experiencing homelessness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Council\u2019s First Concrete Step<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The proposed legislation calls for the formation of a <\/span>community task force<\/span><\/b> with a facilitator and representatives from multiple agencies, aiming to develop a <\/span>comprehensive, multi-disciplinary plan<\/span><\/b> to address the issue.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The resolution recognizes homelessness as a <\/span>social, economic, and public health emergency<\/span><\/b>, and acknowledges that no single agency or organization has the resources or capacity to address it alone. Council plans to welcome <\/span>Margaret Selby<\/span><\/b> as facilitator to help guide the task force and report back with <\/span>monthly updates<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From Debates to Doing Something<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The resolution comes after months of community meetings and debates. Back in <\/span>December<\/span><\/b>, officials considered an ordinance to <\/span>ban homeless encampments<\/span><\/b>, a move met with both support and concern.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Code Enforcement Officer Andy Gedeon<\/span><\/b> raised alarm at the time, noting that there were <\/span>at least nine encampments<\/span><\/b> within city limits. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a dramatic increase in tent living,\u201d he said, citing sanitation issues, drug use, and safety risks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

City Manager <\/span>Sam Sutherland<\/span><\/b> echoed those concerns, pointing to the <\/span>Young Street Overpass<\/span><\/b>, where the city once removed <\/span>600 tons of trash<\/span><\/b>. He emphasized the city wasn\u2019t trying to criminalize homelessness, but acknowledged it had become an escalating issue with no easy fix.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even <\/span>Mayor Charlotte Gordon<\/span><\/b> shared troubling stories \u2014 including one about people allegedly living in backyards and garages without plumbing, posing serious health risks. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about people using five-gallon buckets as toilets and dumping waste in alleys,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a public safety issue.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Task Force Plan<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rather than rushing a ban, council members agreed a <\/span>structured approach<\/span><\/b> was needed. The new resolution proposes bringing together <\/span>social workers, health officials, law enforcement, housing advocates<\/span><\/b>, and others to craft a <\/span>Portsmouth-specific solution<\/span><\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key elements of the resolution include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Forming a collaborative task force<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Monthly progress updates to City Council<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Support from outside officials and state agencies<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Recognition that <\/span>affordable housing shortages<\/span><\/b> and <\/span>treatment facility access<\/span><\/b> are crucial parts of the equation<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          The city is also expected to <\/span>reconsider its current opposition to new drug treatment facilities<\/span><\/b>, as many homeless individuals struggle with addiction or mental illness and need access to care before they can transition into housing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Still a Long Road Ahead<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

          While this resolution is a big first step, it\u2019s just that \u2014 the <\/span>first reading<\/span><\/b> of a measure that must be read <\/span>three times<\/span><\/b> before it can be passed. Still, the move signals that council is finally ready to stop talking and start doing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Council Vice President <\/span>Lyvette Barnes-Mosely<\/span><\/b> summed up the urgency: \u201cWe\u2019re all trying to help, but the city can\u2019t just push this off any longer. It\u2019s time we all came together.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

          Stay tuned as we continue to follow this developing story.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          After months of heated debate, rising public frustration, and a growing crisis on the streets, Portsmouth City Council is finally poised to take action. At next Monday\u2019s council meeting, members will hear the first reading of a long-anticipated resolution to create a task force dedicated to addressing the city\u2019s homelessness crisis.\u00a0 This marks the first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":55183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"post_subtitle":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"2","parallax":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"float","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"ago","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"150","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-715","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_post_split":{"post_split":[{"template":"1","tag":"h2","numbering":"asc","mode":"normal","first":"0","enable_toc":"0","toc_type":"normal"}]},"footnotes":""},"categories":[286],"tags":[289,28041,94,57,25266,1645],"yst_prominent_words":[2380,2741,1179,2778,5516,2470,2370,1084,5011,2397,2601,869,903,6320,863,13909,2369,795],"class_list":["post-79827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-public-safety","tag-health","tag-law","tag-newsletter","tag-portsmouth","tag-portsmouth-city-council","tag-safety"],"yoast_meta":{"yoast_wpseo_title":"Portsmouth City Council Finally Takes First Step to Tackle Homeless Crisis - Scioto County Daily News","yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"After months of heated debate, rising public frustration, and a growing crisis on the streets, Portsmouth City Council is finally poised","yoast_wpseo_canonical":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/portsmouth-city-council-finally-takes-first-step-to-tackle-homeless-crisis"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79827"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sciotocountydailynews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fyst_prominent_words&post=79827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}