Why the city is doubling tiny home villages

Doubling Tiny Home Villages

City Hall has failed at quickly opening a second outdoor mass shelter; the North Portland site needs an environmental cleanup. So officials plan to increase the size of two existing tiny home villages: Hillsdale’s will quadruple, to 100 units, and Lents’ will double, to 120. Tiny homes make up a fraction of the over 2,700 city and county shelter beds — which aren’t nearly enough spots for the more than 6,000 people experiencing homelessness. [Oregonian 🔒]

Tree Cleanup Continues

Cleanup from the January storms continues as arborists work to cut down and clear out damaged trees. One explanation for the extensive damage is many Doug firs were once part of a larger stand of trees that were cleared for housing developments. “A tree that grew up in a stand that’s now fully exposed — those are going to be at much greater risk because they haven’t had the time and inclination to reinforce themselves below or above ground,” says Scott Altenhoff, who’s with the Oregon Department of Forestry. [Portland Monthly]

Fire Bureau Response to Overdoses

The new Portland fire bureau team responding to overdoses is helping to administer Narcan, save firefighter resources, and even help a few people get out of the grips of addiction. So far it’s clear the team, informally called CHAT1 (Community Health Assess and Treat), has built trust with people on Portland’s streets, but it’s slow work. [Oregonian 🔒]

• Related: Big (and small) ideas to fix downtown, dangerous trees, and rehab on wheels. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Are We About to Finally Cancel Daylight Saving Time?

The age-old gripes about time change are back in the headlines, thanks to a new proposal by State Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer. It’s part of a multi-state effort to shift away from Daylight Saving Time and instead make Standard Time permanent: Science journalist Erin Ross explains why she thinks Sen. Thatcher might be making the right move.