Presentation Title
Understanding How NIMBY-ism Shapes Portland, Maine’s Homeless Policies: A Qualitative Study
Document Type
Poster Session
Department
Social Work
Faculty Mentor
Reuben Addo, PhD, MSSA
Keywords
homeless, homelessness, policy, NIMBY-ism, neo-NIMBY-ism
Abstract
On June 17, 2019, after a prolonged period of community concern, the Portland City Council voted to relocate the city’s homeless shelter from the rapidly gentrifying Bayside neighborhood to a wooded area at the city limits. As municipal shelters continue to move away from metropolitan areas, the impact of NIMBY-ism on local and state policies related to homelessness cannot go unnoted. By analyzing publicly available testimony that occurred in the months after the decision to relocate, a variation of NIMBY-ism begins to emerge. This phenomenon, which could be referred to as “neo-NIMBY-ism” is characterized by individuals with lived experience of homelessness and advocates arguing that it is exclusionary policies, rather than homeless individuals, are not welcome in their proverbial backyards.
Open Access?
1
Included in
Social Policy Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Social Work Commons
Understanding How NIMBY-ism Shapes Portland, Maine’s Homeless Policies: A Qualitative Study
On June 17, 2019, after a prolonged period of community concern, the Portland City Council voted to relocate the city’s homeless shelter from the rapidly gentrifying Bayside neighborhood to a wooded area at the city limits. As municipal shelters continue to move away from metropolitan areas, the impact of NIMBY-ism on local and state policies related to homelessness cannot go unnoted. By analyzing publicly available testimony that occurred in the months after the decision to relocate, a variation of NIMBY-ism begins to emerge. This phenomenon, which could be referred to as “neo-NIMBY-ism” is characterized by individuals with lived experience of homelessness and advocates arguing that it is exclusionary policies, rather than homeless individuals, are not welcome in their proverbial backyards.
