May 9, 2023 on The Story: It will surprise absolutely no one to hear that homelessness is a big problem in Portland. But how much of it is tied to mental illness or addiction? It's difficult to know for certain. According to the most recent Point-in-Time survey of people experiencing homelessness in the Portland tri-county area, almost 36% self-reported having a mental health disorder and 35% reported having a substance use disorder. About 20% reported having both. This means that addressing any one of those things almost requires treating all of them at once. Tonight we're taking a closer look at the issue — first explaining some of the most misunderstood symptoms of mental illness, then telling the story of someone who has been through it all and come out the other side. Watch more The Story videos: http://bit.ly/watchTheStory Follow The Story on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheStoryKGW Follow The Story on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestorykgw