It wasn’t a typical setting for a political forum: outdoors in a parking lot. But it was intentional.
The unconventional venue was part of an attempt to increase accessibility to Portland’s homelessness community at three forums coordinated by Preble Street on Oct. 22 and 23. The panelists – all candidates for City Council seats – convened to discuss their plans to address homelessness and housing in Portland. The events were moderated by people who have experienced homelessness and were held outside Preble Street facilities to encourage those utilizing the nonprofit’s services to attend.
“I think one of the things that can be really empowering for someone experiencing homelessness is to feel like they can have a say in how the city is run,” said Preble Street Advocacy Team Leader Annika Moore, who organized the forums.
“The goal of the forums that I see is showing people that we are here engaging with the candidates, and also giving them an opportunity themselves to also engage with the candidates in a really low barrier way to do it, just in a parking lot, so that anyone can come up and learn what’s going on,” said Moore.
Candidates answered questions about homelessness and housing including about the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in June in favor of a city’s ability to ticket and arrest those sleeping outside; Housing First as an approach to homelessness assistance; the need for a warming shelter in Portland; needle exchange rates, and federal housing vouchers that have been frozen since July.
The event was organized by Preble Street’s advocacy team and facilitated by advocates from Homeless Voices for Justice, a social change group supported by Preble Street and led by people who have experienced homelessness. HVJ advocates meet with Preble Street once a week and work to influence policy affecting homelessness through voter registration and outreach, policy advising and testimony, and community education. Since Homeless Voices for Justice was founded in 1995, the group has facilitated over 68 candidate forums in coordination with Preble Street.
Lisa Franklin has been an HVJ advocate since 2022 and facilitated the District 2 candidate forum in the parking lot of Florence House, a Preble Street facility. All five District 2 candidates attended the event.
Candidates largely agreed on not ticketing and arresting those sleeping outside and the need for more Housing First options and a warming shelter in Portland, though specific strategies for instituting these ideas differed.
Franklin said she found that between candidates, the level of knowledge on subjects related to homelessness in Portland varied.
“I think these candidates seem to be asked certain questions that they might not be asked in other situations, in other forums,” said Franklin.
“I always feel like if you’re running for public office, than you would be more versed in some of these things. And some of the candidates, some of their responses did surprise me,” she said.
Preble Street staff and HVJ advocates made up much of the audience at all three forums. Jim Devine has been an HVJ advocate since 2000. He said it was typical to not have many people currently experiencing homelessness at the forums, given the burdens they face.
“The real challenge is getting the members of the homeless community to come, ask questions, so it’s not just Homeless Voices for Justice. It’s a challenge because homeless people got more on their mind,” said Devine.
Preble Street Advocacy Director Terence Miller said the forums also serve to inform Preble Street staff on the candidates and to showcase the level of knowledge candidates possess on homelessness and housing in Portland.
“I would say it is first and foremost for the community itself … but also, I think, and it was quite evident is that it’s educational for the candidates themselves,” said Miller.
“There were several candidates in the District 2 race that quite evidently had either misinformation or lack of information about the present reality with the unhoused community,” he said.
On Wednesday, forums for at-large and District 1 City Council candidates were held in the Preble Street Healing Center parking lot, and HVJ advocates and audience members posed questions similar to the District 2 forum. At-large candidates Jacob Viola and Brandon Mazer were unable to attend.
On Oct. 29 Homeless Voices for Justice will also facilitate a candidate forum for Maine’s 1st Congressional District inside the city of Portland’s Homeless Services Center.
Jess Falero is running for the at-large seat. They have experienced homelessness and attended a previous Preble Street candidate forum while serving as an HVJ advocate.
“Arguably, this forum was the one that I was looking forward to the most, because I think they asked the real questions that matter,” said Falero.
“I think that it shouldn’t be radical that somebody who was homeless is at the table for a seat for City Council,” they said.
Joshua Deprez is currently unhoused and found the District 1 candidate forum as he was walking past Preble Street Healing Center. He passionately shared with the candidates his concerns about rent increases driving people into homelessness.
“I saw Preble Street, I knew it was a forum, I knew (they) were talking about homeless, and I was like ‘OK, I have a voice, I want to speak,’” said Deprez. “I got friends, they’re living in a minivan with a dog, and another one with their kid, because their rent was raised from $800 to $1,200.
“The problem is that building new housing is not the solution. We should build new housing, yes, but that’s more long term. In the immediate, we could change it so quick,” he said. “Give (landlords) incentives. And get us off the goddamn street!”
The HVJ candidate forums tie into Preble Street’s larger “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” campaign, which lowers barriers to civic engagement to those experiencing homelessness and poverty. This is facilitated through a voting guide focused on housing and homelessness, hosting the candidate forums, and registering people to vote.
Through visiting Preble Street facilities, the Portland Public Library, and Monument Square, Preble Street’s Advocacy Team has registered 65 new voters this year, many of whom do not have a permanent address. Instead of a resident address on the voter registration card, the new voters write “unsheltered” and an area where they can be frequently found, such as a street intersection or Monument Square.
Moore said that the three “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” initiatives aim to meet people living with homelessness wherever they are at.
“I think the methods for engaging people with lived experience (of homelessness) need to look a lot different than the methods for engaging people in the neighborhood association,” said Moore.
Miller emphasized that the democratic right to civic participation extends to everyone living in Portland, regardless of their circumstances.
“I think the candidate forums, the registration of people who are the most vulnerable in our society, all represent that essence of what it means to be a citizen in a country where democracy and that right to participate, and right to have that information and be informed, is a critical component,” said Miller.
This story was updated on Oct. 28 at 11:19 a.m. to correct the spelling of a candidate’s name.
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