In many areas of SE, liveability issues and public safety concerns disproportionately affect residents. To better marshall City programs and services into a collaborative team to address cleaning and activating public spaces, the Public Environment Management Office (PEMO) was established. Their goal is to streamline solutions to public realm issues including trash, graffiti, illegal dumping, abandoned cars, unsanctioned camping and more in public spaces like sidewalks, streets, parks, right of ways and others.
PEMO’s Problem Solver Network brings together a diverse set of community stakeholders including businesses and business district associations, neighborhood associations, non-profit and community organizations and others. 15 Problem Solver areas meet every two weeks in online Problem Solver meetings. By working together, the network addresses community challenges in a comprehensive, creative and timely manner, while maintaining a strong sense of urgency and accountability.
The 30-minute meetings are grounded in partnership, accountability and outcomes. Meetings are practical and solutions-oriented, focusing on reporting, follow-up, action and new issues. City staff (Portland Police, Portland Fire, Graffiti Abatement, etc.) updates community members on the status of issues from previous meetings and hears about new problems reported by district representatives.
The Problem Solver meeting schedule is available at portland.gov/pemo/pemoproblemsolver. To attend a Problem Solver meeting, email pemo@portlandoregon.gov. There is also a Problem Solver boundary map to help people identify which meeting is appropriate for their area.