Youth
and families represent the future of the
city and must be supported and nurtured.
Portland is an attractive city for raising
children because of the slower pace and
small town feel. The city accommodates
families with sustainable practices, public
transportation, bike and pedestrian options
for commutes, neighborhoods with local
businesses, public spaces and parks. People
appreciate the many activities and places
that are child and family friendly. One
common concern is whether future generations
of families will be able to live here,
given the under-funded schools and lack
of affordable housing. Portlanders imagine
a city where the norm is affordable housing,
flourishing neighborhood schools, and
where all children and families have health
coverage and are well fed.
Note:
This chapter contains content and themes
that are very similar to those mentioned
in Urban
Livability: Family-Friendly. A reading
of both sections will provide a more complete
picture of people’s thoughts on the benefits
and challenges of raising families in
Portland.
-
Many people view Portland as a family-friendly
city.
-
People want to see the basic rights
of all children and families fulfilled.
- More resources,
programs and community support are needed
specifically for youth.
- Many families
are leaving Portland because of rising
costs and other key livability issues.
- Unsafe environments
deter some families from moving to or
remaining in some neighborhoods.
- How does
Portland remain family-friendly in the
face of growth?
- Many
people view Portland as a family-friendly
city.
- People appreciate the many
aspects of Portland that make
it a convenient and attractive
place for families raising children,
including:
- Child-friendly artistic
and cultural events;
- Activities and venues
that cater to families;
- The slower pace of life
& smallness of the city;
- Portland’s emphasis on
sustainability and on keeping
a clean and healthy environment;
- Public transportation;
- Neighborhoods with small
businesses, parks, and the
ability to bike/walk to
work; and
- Safe public and open spaces.
- People value that youth are
educated about their food sources
and have access to healthy foods,
for instance, through school
gardens.
| "I
like that it's a great place
to raise children. It's
safe for kids. It's a family
friendly city, yet a bit
cosmopolitan at the same
time.” |
| "[I
value the] opportunities
for family friendly education
and recreation.” |
| “…Portland
is very family friendly—a
totally unique trait to
any other 'international
city.' This is a fundamental
reason why many families,
even young, working professionals
without children choose
Portland. There is still
hope of good housing and
a promising future for raising
a family in a balanced urban
environment. This is why
many families who have been
in Portland continue to
stay here, if they can still
afford it...” |
- People
want to see the basic rights
of all children and families
fulfilled.
- Portlanders feel that all
children and families have basic
rights which the community must
strive to meet. These include:
- Health;
- Quality food;
- Safety; and
- Quality education.
- Health: People want to see
health coverage for all families,
and particularly for all children.
Many feel that health and wellness
benefits should not be dependent
on whether or not one has insurance.
- Food: The community also needs
to reduce and prevent hunger
before it becomes an even greater
problem.
- Childcare: Some respondents
think that childcare should
be free or at least available
to everyone, no matter their
income level.
- Safety: Young people, families
and elders want to feel safe
in their neighborhoods—free
from violence, gang activity
and drug trade, People are also
extremely concerned with the
fact that there are homeless
youth and families with no viable
place to sleep.
- Education: A vast number
of respondents expressed deep
concern over the under-funded
public school system, believing
that the community’s youth will
end up under-educated. They
would like to see:
- All schools become first-rate;
- Inequities between neighborhood
schools addressed;
- More after-school programs
for youth;
- Education in the arts,
music, theater and outdoor
programs reintegrated into
the curriculum; and
- Teaching that emphasizes
civic involvement and an
understanding of the government.
- Transit: Everyone deserves
access to transit. There
should be free transportation
options for people struggling
to make meet their other
basic needs.
| “[In
the future] we are a community
that supports children and
families at all stages of
life.” |
| “[In
2030, Portland] is a city
where every child in every
public school has an opportunity
for a first rate education;
an education that is not
only focused on excellence
in English, math and science,
but which emphasizes civic
involvement, an understanding
of how government works
(or doesn’t), and which
offers opportunities to
every child for a rich education
in the arts. The educational
opportunities will include
pre-K through post secondary,
and will be well connected
to business and government
in terms of ensuring that
the necessary knowledge
and skills are being taught
to connect students with
rewarding job opportunities.” |
| "Education,
Education, Education. I
think our youth are getting
the short end of the stick
all the time. They have
a shorter school year and
many students are going
to failing schools where
the teachers are over worked
and under paid. There is
also no equity in the education
students from poor colored
neighborhoods are getting
compared to students in
rich white neighborhoods.
We have to start thinking
out of the box in regards
to how to deal with educating
our next generations.” |
- More
resources, programs and community
support are needed specifically
for youth.
- The city needs more constructive
activities for young people
and young adults to allow them
to be contributing members of
the community, to be safe, and
to develop skills. These include:
- More mentoring programs
(including more roles for
elders mentoring kids);
- More community centers
for youth;
- More social services for
youth that are affordable
and youth-centered;
- A greater number of affordable
after school activities;
- More jobs for young people;
- Vocational training programs
for transition youth;
- More funding and infrastructure
planning for young people
with special needs, such
as accessible playgrounds,
and support staff in schools;
and
- Increased youth engagement
in the planning and political
processes.
| "More
youth voice, I would like
to see youth speak loud
and proud." |
| “We
need more money to keep
youth programs going. Things
are extremely tight; programs
are going away...We need
people in leadership who
know how to “think outside
the box”, especially our
school officials. Our schools
are consistently deteriorating;
it must end somewhere or
you will lose families to
Vancouver, WA.” |
| "I
would like to see Portland
become more kid-friendly.
There are some activities
for youth to do but not
very many are accessible
for low-income families
for reasons of cost or transportation
and/or that the activities
are not quality for each
age group.” |
- Youth-centered service
programs should include models
such as peer-to-peer learning,
youth leadership development,
and more opportunities for youth
to influence decisions.
- “Make this the epicenter
for families and education for
children...Create the best,
smaller scale learning environments...Not
only the school environment
but what will business and city
do to help parents take the
time needed with children, such
as parental leave for newborns,
affordable daycare (look to
Scandinavia).”
- Many
families are leaving Portland
because of rising costs and
other key livability issues.
- Many respondents express their
concern that Portland is losing
families with children, particularly
families struggling with poverty.
- Factors pushing families out
of Portland include:
- The rising costs of housing
and the lack of affordable
housing;
- The deteriorating quality
of the public schools;
- A lack of living-wage
family jobs; and
- Safety concerns in neighborhoods
(see Public
Safety: Neighborhood Safety);
- In order to make Portland
more affordable and accommodating
to families, people would like
to see the following:
- Affordable or free childcare
and preschool options;
- After school activities that
are more affordable to all young
people; and
- Many more living-wage family
jobs.
- Respondents would like to
see special attention focused
on improving quality of life
options for the following groups:
- Ethnic minorities;
- Youth, particularly those
that are homeless; and
- Young people with disabilities.
| "Less
concentration on high rise
apartment/condo buildings
and more on family housing
and parks. It seems we are
forcing families out for
the city. I would hate for
the downtown to be unaffordable
and livable for families.” |
| “[I
would like to see] childcare
assistance to unemployed
individuals searching for
work—remove barriers.” |
| “We’ve
got to make this a city
where families want to live.
This doesn’t happen by legislating
wages, but rather by creating
an environment where businesses
want to expand here. If
there are good jobs, the
families will follow.” |
- More businesses and
agencies should support working
mothers.
- The City needs to significantly
expand access to affordable
housing.
- Unsafe
environments deter some families
from moving to or remaining
in some neighborhoods.
- Some parents feel they have
to limit their children’s activities
because of neighborhood safety
concerns.
- In particular, parents of
minority children are afraid
that their children will be
harassed by police, or that
they will encounter needles
in parks or other unsafe situations
in their neighborhood.
- Families of color are being
pushed out of livable, close-in
neighborhoods near the central
city, often into areas in East
Portland that are experiencing
rising crime rates and are generally
less livable.
For more on neighborhood safety
concerns, see: Public
Safety: Neighborhood Safety.
| “[In
2030] All neighborhoods
are safe and affordable
for many family types and
income levels, and diverse
family types feel at home
and welcomed…” |
| “We’ve
got to tackle safety and
security of Portland. In
many parts of the city it
is no longer a desirable
place to raise a family.
I grew up in NE Portland
and now fear for my security
when returning to the area
I grew up in. Families have
been flocking to the suburbs
for several decades now,
but we fail to see it…” |
| “[In
2030] We are all walking
safely on the streets, with
a deep background feeling
of family…that we are all
in this together and that
we belong. People’s basic
needs are met—including
housing, food, and healthcare.
Children have diverse options
for learning—outdoor programs,
arts/theatre/music, as well
as many different methods
of address diverse learning
styles…” |
|
- How
does Portland remain family-friendly
in the face of growth?
All Portlanders seem to value the idea
of a family-friendly city, where families
are able to thrive and make the most
of community resources while raising
children. The tension lies within the
degree to which families are able to
access such resources and partake of
the qualities that raise Portland up
to be the model city it is today. Given
the population growth expected for Portland's
near future, the question remains how
it will attract families and nurture
existing families to remain in the city.
One group of respondents speaks of
the breadth of amenities that serve
families in Portland. They seem to
have very few complaints and, to the
contrary, find Portland particularly
unique in its family-oriented opportunities
like the many parks, recreational
activities and quality, organic foods.
The one major concern is the deterioration
of public schools.
Another group's descriptions of the
city, as it relates to youth and families,
are in some ways in direct conflict
with the first group, although the
concern for schools seems to be fairly
unanimous. The tension centers on
the socioeconomic circumstances that
force many families to make difficult
choices. These choices primarily revolve
around cost of housing, when housing
prices are rising in neighborhoods
across Portland, and whether it is
possible to remain living in Portland.
|
