“Bayside at rock bottom” (May 6) captured the complex realities of my neighborhood effectively. We can walk anywhere, our home is relatively affordable and it’s a diverse, friendly community. However, the ugly realities of day-to-day life are just as the article describes. The day it was published, a woman was shot on the sidewalk in front of my house.

Some want to dismiss our concerns as the hand-wringing of a few new, well-heeled gentrifiers. But most neighborhood activists have been residents for a decade or more, are working class and have been raising these concerns for years. It’s hard to stomach accusations of NIMBYism when our neighborhood hosts the vast majority of social services and shelter beds in this city.

But this concentrated density of services and needs, within a system that is tragically underresourced, isn’t just Bayside’s problem. For too long, this situation has been tucked away on the backside of the peninsula and ignored. But it affects all of our safety, our economy and the future of our city.

Until real solutions are adequately funded and resourced, Portland’s welcome mat should be sized to attract those we can effectively serve. Currently, too often real help is not available, and the result is a concentrated pool of vulnerable people, a magnet for criminal predators. This helps no one.

The current location of Preble Street Resource Center and the Oxford Street Shelter is untenable. The initiative to build a new, purpose-driven shelter is a substantial improvement that deserves strong support from all fronts. The providers will gain the space and appropriate facilities they need to carry out their mission; the served populations can focus on addressing their challenges rather than surviving the chaotic frenzy of the current location; and everyone will benefit from relief from the dangerous impacts of a completely overwhelmed and inadequate system.

Sean Kerwin

Portland