Kafoury's Folly

...goes down the memory-hole.

Well, that was quick.

And so the $26-million (and counting) Behavioral Health Center, downtown’s newest subsidiary of Homelessness* Inc.—the only local business that seems to be growing—reopened after a two-week closure to regroup, with a limited half-hangout by the Multanomah county government’s PR mouthpiece who kinda-sorta admitted that some hinky stuff had been going on. No specifics, of course.

Has anyone noticed that the timing of progressive crash ‘n’ burns is getting shorter? Golly! It took over a year for Prop. 110 to begin to stink; slightly less to figure out that universal child care and preschool for everyone wasn’t exactly as advertised (although the taxes rolling in were bigger than estimated without anyone suggesting that maybe the levies might be geared back a trifle). And then there are all those “affordable housing” bonds that, thus far, haven’t made the slightest dent on the tenters and zombies on the streets; and who can forget the seepage of oopsies from the city charter gang and the rapid retreat of our lame duck city council from the non-profit that was supposed to do something or other about racial stuff and no one seems to know anything about the black hole (pun unintended) of money from somewhere that was supposed to…we forget…

Reality’s foot seems a little heavy on the accelerator, but the Center’s breakdown seems to set a new benchmark. (It will be topped, depend on it.)

Now we’re supposed to be really happy that the Behavioral Health Center got its act together after the appropriate brainwashing of its “peer” staffers and a sacrificial firing of the lowest-ranking fallperson. Who, it should be noted, was supposedly puffing pot—not illegal, per se—and doing something-or-other with “powder.” Which, under Prop 110 is not actually more than a misdemeanor and would get a free get outta jail card, courtesy of our Soros-approved County District Attorney.

And the bum-intake is now limited to 25 at a time. Which makes one wonder about the $-millions lavished on a building with a checkered history and a rapid-turnover purchase by a mystery-LLC and the utter bullheaded obsession to build that precise building by former County Board chairperson, Deborah Kafoury…who has been conspicuously silent in the matter.

Not that anyone in our senescent local media asked her—gosh! That would be rude.

You might have thought that the Oregonian’s ace homelessness reporter, Nicole Hayden, might have been the one to break the original story; as it was, she was left on the sidelines with the other stenographers, sputtering…

Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the county said no single incident precipitated the pause in services at the center, which opened in December to help unsheltered Portlanders connect with mental health and substance use treatment while accessing bathrooms, laundry service and showers.

Hard to believe, but Ms. Hayden didn’t dig right then and there into what was clearly a county stonewall and find one or two of those “peers” who might have dished.

No luck.

True: no one else in local media made any effort in that regard as they waited patiently for the county to put out another communique.

And, having rewritten the press release, amnesia promptly set in, although there are more threads hanging out of this story than from the bums’ grunjy clothes (altho the Center offers free laundry):

• Who bought/sold the decrepit building that absorbed $26-million to make it ready for the customers? The “organizer” of the LLC that made the purchase doesn’t return emails from an inconsequential Substack newsletter; you’d think the Oregonian or even WillyWeek has more clout. It’s too much to hope that anyone with subpoena power might get interested.

• Former chair Kafoury knows lots of folks around town. Might be some interesting names on her contact list. (See previous question.)

• How come no one in the county (or among members of the press) wants to talk about how much it costs to pay the ever-growing band of hired help? Given the Center’s mission is to be, at best, a “respite” for the homeless, will they be paid in perpetuity?

• What’s the turnover among the “peer counselors?” Could anyone think of a cruddier job with a higher potential for burn-out? (Or, for that matter, the temptation of a ready parade of customers for certain little packets.) After all, the Center’s real mission is to Keep the Customers Coming Back.

• What about that coy reference that employees of county contractors who worked at the site were involved in ‘inappropriate relationships with other staff’” Well—what were they? Kissy-face? The beast? Personal pronoun failures?

• Has anyone—beyond having a place to crash or let their dogs poop on the Astroturf—actually been helped to like, y’know, get off the street?

• Any more Behavioral Centers being teed up? God knows, there are an increasing number of derelict buildings popping up like psychedelic mushrooms around town. And the REI store has a nifty rock-climbing wall for druggies with the jitters. Who’s next?

• Will limiting the number of customers to 25 have any real impact on the neighborhood and its beleaguered business owners? (Tip to reporters: don’t wait for another plaintive letter to authorities; ask ‘em.)

• There’s an actual election coming up pretty soon for district three on the county board (since Ms. Vega Pederson got the Big Chair); does anyone running believe there might be a better place to spend the $-zillions? Like, maybe, closing the joint?

Answers, anyone?

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*A gross misnomer—they have “homes,” just not the kind that pay property taxes, which may be the bums’ greatest sin. Otherwise, tents are on the house.