A viral video of a woman living on the streets of Portland’s Old Town prompted a nuanced conversation about addressing homelessness and a surprise reunion with her family.
In a Twitter video posted by Kevin Dahlgren, Wendy said being homeless in Portland is a “piece of cake.” Since it was posted on Dec. 31, the video has garnered more than 8 million views.
KATU’s Angelica Thornton caught up with Wendy after the video was posted. Wendy clarified that her message in the video was generalized, and that her experience is far more complicated and difficult.
Some of Wendy’s family in Utah saw the viral video and immediately messaged Dahlgren to make plans to see her.
Four of Wendy’s 10 siblings surprised her on the streets of Portland. Dahlgren facilitated the reunion and posted a video of the moment they embraced her.
One of Wendy’s younger brothers, Jason Mitchell, said Wendy has her own battle with addiction. Even though there are several agencies that offer her services, Jason said he feels a sense of responsibility to help her recover.
“I really think that there's a little bit of an onus on us as her family to sort of make up the gap between all the services that are there and like coaching her and providing motivation,” Mitchell said.
For a list of resources from the city of Portland’s Homeless Toolkit, click here. The city also has a list of resources for mental health services. Click here for that list.