Independent Journalist Exposes Homeless Crisis the Media Won’t Show in Portland

Kevin Dahlgren says Portland’s homeless crisis is far worse than the media admits

PORTLAND, Ore. — Independent journalist Kevin Dahlgren says what most Americans are seeing about Portland in the media is not the full story. With more than 25 years of experience working directly with the homeless population, Dahlgren has made it his mission to show the raw reality of addiction, mental illness, and life on the streets.

“I focus on homelessness, addiction, [and] mental health,” Dahlgren explained. “But I also talk about the homeless industrial complex because I worked at these nonprofits for many years and realized just how dysfunctional and even corrupt they are. What once was a cause has become this billion-dollar industry, which is Homeless Inc.”

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Dahlgren’s interest in the issue became personal when his younger brother developed a meth addiction and ended up on the streets of Portland. “Trying to get him help in that system was extremely difficult, which was confusing to me because I always assumed when a person was ready that help was there. And that wasn’t necessarily the case,” he said. His brother later passed away after years of struggling with addiction and homelessness.

According to Dahlgren, many common perceptions of the homeless population are simply wrong. “They are far more intelligent than people realize. They’re extremely street wise. A lot of them have gone through severe trauma… A good 90% had gone through something pretty severe when they were younger, which led them to addiction or the streets or mental illness,” he said.

But the system, Dahlgren argues, is failing those it’s supposed to serve. Portland spends $740 million a year on homelessness — roughly $80,000 per person — yet he says 95% of the homeless people he’s interviewed report they have “never been approached by an outreach worker.” Dahlgren asked, “Where is the money? Where is it going?”

The scenes he documents are often shocking. In one case, he discovered children under three years old living in a Portland squatter house surrounded by “needles on the ground, fentanyl foil, [and] crazy people.” Dahlgren called it “as bad as it gets,” adding, “It is nightmare.”

He also says conditions have worsened. “I have found more bodies on the streets of Portland in the last year than in my combined 30 years of doing this work,” he revealed, attributing most deaths to overdoses.

While politicians insist Portland is recovering, Dahlgren argues they are ignoring reality. “The scary thing is, why won’t many of the Oregon politicians admit this?… Even if you’re like in North Korea, if you look up, it’s going to look nice… But if you look down, you’re going to see something far worse,” he said.

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For Dahlgren, this work is about more than documenting urban decay — it’s about saving lives. “People are dying, people are suffering, people need legitimate help. Because someone like my little brother is out there who I love. These are people with families who care about them,” he said.

Dahlgren shares his reporting through his Substack newsletter Truth on the Streets, where he publishes videos, photos, and written accounts of what he sees daily. “Independent journalism doesn’t pay,” he admitted. “I make almost no money, actually. Substack is the one place where people [can] support my work.”