Apr. 13—As Astoria tries to address quality of life concerns tied to homelessness, tensions between LiFEBoat Services, a social services provider, and several businesses continue to spill over downtown.
LiFEBoat, which opened on Commercial Street last August, is the umbrella organization for Beacon Clubhouse, a members-only center that provides mental health support and other services, and Filling Empty Bellies, a nonprofit that serves meals to anyone in need and connects homeless people with services.
The nonprofit has received frequent complaints and police calls from neighboring businesses and others over people gathering outside, trash left behind and behavioral issues. Many of the critics have taken to social media, posting pictures and videos of homeless people and documenting problematic behavior that has drawn disparaging, angry and sometimes threatening comments.
Over the past several months, LiFEBoat has taken steps to respond to the concerns by enforcing rules, working with police to ban people who cause disturbances, cleaning sidewalks and requiring people to bring their belongings inside while visiting.
Business owners and others have acknowledged the improvement. But some do not believe the nonprofit should be located downtown.
"I am still wondering why LiFEBoat thinks it is kind to put the suffering and hard times of those they serve on display in the middle of downtown for all to see?" Gretchen Allen, the owner of a tax preparation service downtown, said on the Concerned businesses/citizens of downtown Astoria Facebook page. "It seems quite heartless and counter to the privacy and dignity of those they purport to serve? Why do they lie about reality? Is this serving or taking advantage of others for their own gratification?"
'It worries me'
Allen was among a few dozen people who attended a meeting for business leaders on downtown livability last week at Fort George Brewery's Lovell Showroom, where the location of LiFEBoat was a dominant theme.
The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Astoria Downtown Historic District Association and Clatsop Economic Development Resources led the discussion in an effort to identify specific challenges and potential steps forward. The meeting was organized after some business owners said they have not felt heard.
Britney Brim, an employee with Caring for the Coast, a business that provides in-home care for the elderly and disabled, said the activity outside of LiFEBoat has affected daily operations. She said she has not been able to effectively communicate with LiFEBoat, so she took her concerns to the city.
"You got people fighting outside, you got people smoking pot outside, you got people smoking cigarettes right out front. I don't feel like that is a warm environment for anybody to want to walk into when they're already dealing with crisis," Brim said.
"And when their family members don't feel safe coming into our business, because of what's happening in front of our business, it worries me because we're not able to step in and provide the care that they need."
Several business owners asked about ways to force LiFEBoat to leave. Some argued that offering social services attracts more homeless people to the city.
"If they stop feeding them downtown, we would have a lot less litter downtown," Miriam Graham Rose, a downtown building owner, said about the homeless who access LiFEBoat's services. "And that started in the park."
Rose has also been vocal on social media against providing social services for homeless people downtown.
When someone on Nextdoor suggested she speak directly to LiFEBoat and learn more about what they do, Rose said, "Clearly you think the 'clients' have more rights than the business owners or the tax paying citizens of Astoria. I have less than no interest in confronting these 'folks' as I do not want to be hauled away by the police in response to my actions."
During an Astoria homelessness solutions task force meeting in late March, Osarch Orak, the director of Filling Empty Bellies, who runs LiFEBoat Services with his fiancée, Erin Carlsen, the director of Beacon Clubhouse, referred to some of the critics as a "lynch mob."
Orak apologized for making the comment during the meeting, but it still sparked outrage on social media.
When The Astorian asked Orak if he regretted the comment, he said that he only regretted apologizing.
"Because it's the way I feel," he said. "It's not something I made up. It's not something I can't back up with proof of people's actions toward us. It's the true definition of that mob mentality is coming after us."
'You have to start by humanizing them'
This is not the first time in recent years that tension around the city's homeless population has bubbled up to the surface. The city started a homelessness solutions task force in 2017, in part to respond to perceived safety concerns and complaints from downtown business owners about property damage and disturbances.
Orak and Carlsen have been involved for years. They began fundraising and saving money for a daytime drop-in center in 2018. Filling Empty Bellies started serving meals at Astoria parks in 2014.
The ground floor of the drop-in center on Commercial Street serves members of the Beacon Clubhouse, who are stable, employed or working toward employment. The basement is where anyone can come eat through Filling Empty Bellies, access resources and connect to services.
LiFEBoat provides clothing and shoes for anyone in need, offers a washer and dryer and has plans for showers. The nonprofit is also moving forward with improvements to the building in preparation for providing a year-round overnight shelter.
Orak, who was formerly homeless in Astoria, said the goal is to help people who come for a meal or other basic needs connect with services. He said he wishes he had access to a low-barrier service provider like LiFEBoat when he was living outside.
"If you heard some of our participants stories ... I don't know who wouldn't be moved by some of our people's stories," Orak said. "And some of them just never had a chance.
"You have to understand what some of these people have been through. Their life is constant trauma — and yes, a lot of it is self-inflicted currently — but a lot of them don't know any better. And it's hard to get them to a place to where they can make the decision for themselves to do something different unless there are low-barrier (services)," he said. "You have to start by humanizing them."
Orak agrees the location downtown is not ideal, but that after an extensive search, it was the only property owner willing to rent to them. He said they sent proposals to two different property owners on the east and west ends of town away from downtown and residential areas, but were denied.
The owners of Astoria Downtown Market, which is next door to LiFEBoat, have frequently complained publicly since the nonprofit opened. LiFEBoat's other neighbor, Gizmo's Arcade & Eatery, has also complained about people sleeping and loitering in front of the business and creating messes.
Orak noted that the businesses attracted homeless people before LiFEBoat opened. A previous owner of the Astoria Downtown Market had regular homeless customers and provided help when he could, sometimes offering people a place to sit and get out of bad weather.
The awning of the Gizmo's building has long been used as a cover during bad weather. Orak said he also slept in that doorway when he was homeless.
"It's just kind of unfortunate how it all played out," Orak said. "We 100% would have rather had been in a different location.
"Yeah, we're on Commercial Street, we're extremely visible," Orak said. "But no matter where we go, there's going to be a contingent of people, a group, that is going to be extremely loud against us. It does not matter where we go.
"Astoria is a very small city. There's no place that isn't someone's backyard."
