Oregon’s Ethos Encourages Homelessness to Flourish
Definition of ethos: The moral character of a culture.
In Oregon, our ethos is personal autonomy, and for many Portlanders, it supersedes all other values.
What do I mean by personal autonomy? It is the freedom to pursue a course of action based on one’s beliefs and for the public to respect and honor a person’s decisions regardless of any potential adverse consequences to the individual or the community that may result. Put more simply, who are we to impose our values on those who think differently than we do?
There are several ways Oregon’s ethos of personal autonomy affects the homeless crisis. Here are few examples:
For a small minority, homelessness is a personal choice, and because our culture believes in personal autonomy, we are expected to respect their decision to live on the street, seemingly wherever they choose.
It is also against Oregon’s ethos to involuntarily treat the mentally ill. If they do not want treatment, who are we to force them to do something against their will, even if it is in their best interests to do so?
And finally, how Portland’s homeless are treated for their addiction is influenced by Oregon’s culture of personal autonomy as explained below.
Two Polar Opposite Approaches to Treating the Addicted
What is Harm Reduction Treatment?
It is based on the belief that addiction is an involuntary brain disease, akin to Alzheimer’s or dementia. Therefore, any suggestion that their addiction is caused by their personal behavior is considered an act of ignorance or cruelty. Harm reduction treatment assumes most people cannot recover from serious addiction and therefore, the social obligation is to provide the space and means for addicts to continue in their addiction.
Harm Reduction is the philosophy of the Multnomah County Health Department. As a result, the county has Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) Centers. These centers provide free access to methadone and other opioids which simply substitute the street drugs for another opioid. It does nothing to help addicts overcome their addiction. Instead, they are now addicted to the free opioid the center provides.
Up until recently, Multnomah County provided “safe” smoking supplies to fentanyl and meth users. This policy was abruptly stopped in 2023 when the county received strong criticism from Mayor Wheeler and an overwhelming backlash from the public at large.
The Harm Reduction approach fits perfectly with Oregon’s ethos of personal autonomy. The use of illegal drugs is a personal choice, and the public should respect their right to continue in their addiction.
What is Abstinence-Based Treatment?
Abstinence-based treatment is based on two principles that run counter to the ethos of personal autonomy – intervention and accountability.
Intervention, either by family or friends, or by the court system, is based on compassion for the addict. They recognize that the most compassionate thing they can do is to help the addict become clean and sober. Intervention is designed to help the addict acknowledge they have an out-of-control substance abuse problem and then provides the necessary steps to gain sobriety.
Accountability is the cornerstone for abstinence-based treatment. To help them maintain sobriety, addicts are required to regularly attend group meetings and are strongly encouraged to have accountability partners. In most cases, their accountability partners are recovering addicts, so they know firsthand the difficult struggle they face to become clean and sober.
All organizations vetted and approved for a grant from Hope for the Homeless Foundation provide abstinence-based treatment for the homeless.
To summarize, Hope for the Homeless Foundation categorically rejects Oregon’s ethos of personal autonomy for two reasons:
It degrades the dignity of those who are homeless suffering from addiction and mental illness, and
Ultimately it leads to the breakdown of a well-functioning society (everyone does what is right in their own eyes).
Those are my thoughts. I welcome yours. Do you think our Oregon’s ethos of personal autonomy is impacting our homeless crisis?
