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Performance MeasureMeasure #100717779Value #104203396

LIVED-IN VEHICLES TOWED

Count of lived-in vehicles towed by the Vehicle Inspection Team

A complete source packet for this Performance Portland measure: current value, official scale, history, narrative notes, context, and links.

1

Start with value

Use the latest official value and current trend as the first read.

2

Check why it matters

The Vehicle Inspection Team (VIT), a unit within the Parking Enforcement Division, is responsible for clearing homeless camps that involve lived-in vehicles on city-owned property.

3

Use the source packet

Continue to the chart, official notes, topic links, source URLs, and full history table.

History

Official values

This chart uses the official actual values cached from ClearImpact. The latest point is highlighted; the table below preserves every raw row.

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Latest

704

FY 2024 - 25

First shown

98

FY 2020 - 21

Change shown

606

Within visible history

-84.5133.8352570.2788.5FY 2198FY 22FY 23FY 24FY 25704X-axis: reporting period. Y-axis: official actual value.

Full source history

Every cached ClearImpact row for this measure.

PeriodActualTargetTrend
FY 2024 - 25704—1
FY 2023 - 24465—1
FY 2022 - 23269—1
FY 2021 - 22232—1
FY 2020 - 2198—0

Narrative Tabs

Official Performance Portland notes

Why Is This Important?

The Vehicle Inspection Team (VIT), a unit within the Parking Enforcement Division, is responsible for clearing homeless camps that involve lived-in vehicles on city-owned property. The VIT, using information from the community and other city bureaus, identifies homeless camps that are detrimental to health, safety, and overall community livability. Many of the vehicles within the camps leak sewage or engine/transmission fluid, are in poor condition, contain mold, rodent infested, partially dismantled, or have fire damage.

What Do The Numbers Show?

The VIT has progressively increased towing of lived-in vehicles. The increase in towing correlates with the city’s post-pandemic policy to be more assertive in clearing camps and in offering to move campers to other types of shelter, such as tiny homes, RV Safe Rest Villages, or congregate shelter. Once a camp with vehicles is identified, the VIT places tow warnings on the vehicles within the camp that are in violation of Title 16 of the Portland City Code . From the time of placing the tow warning through the day of the tow (usually 72 hours or more), VIT members work with willing campers to find congregant shelter, a tiny home within a Safe Rest Village , or a parking spot within an RV Safe Rest Village. Once the warning period is up, the VIT returns to the camp and tows the vehicles that fail to heed the warning. In many cases the Impact Reduction Program responds to clear garbage, tents, and structures. After the vehicles are removed and the garbage picked up, there is a noticeable difference in safety, livability, and cleanliness.

Title 16 of the Portland City CodeSafe Rest VillageImpact Reduction Program

How Did We Arrive at These Numbers?

Community members report abandoned autos/lived in vehicles through an online system, by a phone recording, or speaking to a person from Parking Enforcement or 311. The reports are entered into the Abandoned Auto database which is an internal facing system that can be accessed by members of the Vehicle Inspections Team (VIT). The database allows the officers to address and monitor the complaints made by the community and to add and manage vehicles they personally observe in violation. The officers can search the database by vehicle identifiers, location, date ranges, actions taken, case number, and current status. If a VIT member determines a vehicle within the database is eligible to be towed, they order a tow through the City's contracted tow vendor - Autura- and make a note in the database showing a tow was ordered. The data for this measure is extracted from the Autura system which shows the number of tows that were completed.

Where Can I Find More Information?

The Portland Bureau of Transportation's Report an Abandoned Vehicle webpage provides more information on how Portlanders can inform the City about abandoned and junk vehicles, including occupied vehicles, in the right-of-way.

Report an Abandoned Vehicle