Crime is rampant in a community. Neighbors blame tiny home village

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — People in North Portland's University Park neighborhood are on edge after a spike in crime, and some blame a Safe Rest Village.

KATU found some alarming data to support this claim.

This comes after a neighbor showed the KATU crew surveillance video that appears to show someone breaking into a pickup truck in front of a home near the Peninsula Crossing Safe Rest Village.

The homeowner told KATU the person stole several valuable items.

Neighbors said they had similar experiences, but no one wanted to speak on camera.

They all said that property crime has increased since the tiny home development was built.

However, several others also said the area had become much cleaner and noted that there were fewer homeless camps there.

“Since the city has set up the Safe Rest Village, things have really improved on this street. There used to be a huge tent city with over 150 tents along the bike path,” said Brian Kim. “Now that the Safe Rest Village is in place, everything is under control.”

Portland police data supports the claim that crime is rampant in the University Park area.

Between July 2023, shortly after the opening of the Tiny Home Village, and July 2024, 923 property crimes were reported.

This is significantly more than the 482 property crimes reported between July 2022 and July 2023.

KATU attempted to contact Safe Rest Village officials but was told they were unavailable for comment.