Homeless person threatens to burn Portland woman’s house down

By Simon Gutierrez

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    PORTLAND Oregon (KPTV) — A homeowner in North Portland is frustrated with an organization that has been handing out tents and supplies to the area’s homeless after a confrontation with a camper ended with a threat to burn down her house.

Vivica Elliott said she noticed a large new tent set up right behind her home on North Going Ct. early Monday morning. Having had problems with other camps nearby in the past, she found this one too close for comfort, so she went to tell the person she didn’t want them there. They responded with a threat.

“He said ‘I’m gonna burn your house down.’ He said it four times,” said Elliott.

Elliott called 9-1-1 and eventually, a police officer showed up but didn’t make an arrest. A spokesperson for the bureau said the investigating officer didn’t find that a crime had been committed.

Elliott wondered where the new tent came from and found out an organization called People’s Housing Project was handing them out and setting them up, in this case, in her neighborhood.

“I think it is misguided. I don’t think they see really what they’re doing to the neighborhoods and to the people that live here,” said Elliott.

In an emailed statement, People’s Housing Project said, “As an organization that provides emergency shelters and services to houseless folks, we are very familiar with neighbors who are frustrated with the city’s failure to fix the housing crisis. We are also aware that not everyone supports efforts to provide services to houseless folks.”

Elliott said she does support providing shelter and services to the city’s homeless, but not quite this close to her home.

“It makes me nervous. It makes me really nervous. They’ve been in my yard. They throw needles in my yard. They throw trash in my yard,” said Elliott. “I don’t know what to do.”

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