In 2016, as part of our Homeless and Low-Income Political Empowerment Pilot Program, we worked with and empowered three homeless residents of downtown Portland, Oregon, to participate in the democratic process.

In addition to holding workshops, lunches, and other discussions with our participants, SMART ALEC provided transportation, breakfast, and small stipends to remove barriers to participation so that people experiencing homelessness could have a voice on two proposals for shelters that were pending before the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.

In a second round of comments before Multnomah County, our participants addressed the overall impact of sleep deprivation that results from police harassment, criminalization, and being woken up in the middle of the night while sleeping in public places.