01473091

Component

Homelessness is a widespread societal problem—the National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that 636,071 persons were homeless in January 2011, of whom 243,701 were “unsheltered,” meaning that they lived on the streets or in other places not intended for human habitation (http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/4362). Given the scale of the problem, it is not surprising that employees of state and local departments of transportation regularly interact with homeless individuals and households living on Department of Transportation (DOT) rights-of-way and rest areas. Little research exists in the transportation literature on the scale and operational implications of homelessness for these agencies; no literature has addressed what might be considered “best practices” for addressing the problem. This paper presents a case study of the relocation of homeless households from the Baldock Rest Area near Wilsonville in metropolitan Portland, Oregon in 2010-11. Drawing from key informant interviews, archival materials, and two national surveys of DOT/rest area managers, the paper analyzes the approach used in the Baldock relocation, identifies the key actors and processes used to address the problem, and evaluates the outcomes for the public agencies and the homeless individuals themselves. The authors find that interagency collaboration and the utilization of both push (sanctions) and pulls (incentives) were critical to this successful relocation. Given the emphasis on environmental justice embodied in the Obama Administration’s renewal of Executive Order 12898 of 1997, the authors suggest that DOT maintenance managers, supervisors and engineers be proactive in adopting procedures and practices that effectively and humanely address homelessness on DOT property.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AHD10 Maintenance and Operations Management.

01470560

13-0782

English

18p

2013

Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References; Tables

Best practices; Homeless persons; Incentives; Maintenance management; Relocation assistance; Roadside rest areas; Sanctions; State departments of transportation

Portland (Oregon)

Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Society

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2013 Paper #13-0782

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Feb 5 2013 12:16PM