Blood, bugs at 1 of Portland mayor’s new homeless shelters reveal ‘appalling’ training gaps
In the rush to meet Portland Mayor Keith Wilson’s goal of creating 1,500 new shelter beds by Dec. 1, the city failed to ensure The Salvation Army required critical health and safety training for all of the workers at its 100-bed North Portland shelter.
The Salvation Army is a key part of Wilson’s homelessness strategy, running three of Portland’s five overnight-only shelters at a cost of $5.7 million this fiscal year. But records, statements by The Salvation Army and interviews with several former workers show that the nonprofit did not require most of the workers at its Moore Street Shelter in North Portland to receive state-mandated training for dealing with bodily fluids until July, more than six months after the shelter opened.
One worker said he and others routinely cleaned up feces, puke, blood and used needles, all without training on the risks of being exposed to bloodborne pathogens. He also said they were responsible for, but not trained on, handling sheets covered in bugs.
“The lack of policies, training, just general information about situations that could come up was appalling,” said Andy…
