Whether they have or haven't experienced homelessness for themselves, Portland homeless advocates marched across the city to help others recognize that housing is a human right that must be met.

"Everyone has a right to a roof over their head," March Co-Organizer Carolyn Silvius said. "Just as food is a human right. You can't live without it."

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Attendees walked from Longfellow Square to Monument Square and made their way to Lincoln Park, where they would sleep out until the following day. While homeless individuals were encouraged to attend, homeless advocate and author Pat LaMarche said it may be better for them not to participate.
"Their allies need to speak for them because outing yourself on a news story or in a march; That is really devastating," LaMarche said. "So for survival reasons, for shame reasons, for any number of reasons, people who are experiencing homelessness keep it to themselves."
Silvius is an ally for homeless individuals but also believes they need to attend marches and stick up for themselves. She said she has experienced homelessness herself, and self-advocacy is what got her out of it.

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"I did unusual things. My son and I would tramp neighborhoods looking for vacant apartments," Silvius said. "I would sit there on the phone and called the city assessor's office to find out who owned the building and then call the landlord to find out why the apartment was still vacant."
Now Silvius is using her voice to highlight homeless needs and vote for smaller shelters on Nov. 2. Smaller shelters will be an amendment in Maine's 2021 election, and those for the amendment say it is the only way "to provide sustainable, effective and dignified shelter and services to those in need of shelter."
"In a larger shelter like the one the city would like to put up, with two hundred and eight beds, there is no way to hire enough staff to serve the needs of the people who are homeless," Silvius said. "More will fall through the cracks. People who are homeless need help."

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LaMarche said she is shocked that those who aren't experiencing homelessness get to decide where the unhoused live.
"We're asking some really nice people on one day in November to decide the fate of everybody else's living situation," LaMarche said. "What if where you lived was up for election? It's crazy."