Appeal Tribune Wednesday, August 30, 2017 3B
No more hotels? New housing coming
for ‘unplaced’ Oregon foster youth
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Since mid-2016, more than 130 Oregon
children have spent at least one night as
“unplaced foster youth” — meaning they
had no foster family to go home to.
But a soon-to-be opened temporary
housing program is looking to change
that.
In the past, being unplaced could
mean a night spent sleeping in an Oregon
Department of Human Services office.
Now, it usually requires a hotel stay
accompanied by a child protective ser-
vices worker.
Nonprofits Youth Villages and New
Avenues for Youth announced their col-
laboration with the Oregon Department
of Human Services and the Oregon
Health Authority to create a better op-
tion: a 12-bed, 24-hour housing facility
dubbed Robinswood opening mid-Sep-
tember in Clackamas County.
Housing unplaced youth has been a
contentious and litigious issue over the
years. In 2016, DHS agreed not to house
foster children in hotels or its offices un-
less it is an emergency, following a
settlement reached between the agency
and lawyers representing foster chil-
dren.
Earlier this year, Oregon Attorney
General Ellen Rosenblum said DHS had
permanently ceased the practice of
housing children in offices.
Some officials have argued that many
unplaced youths are older teens who pre-
fer the hotel environment.
But a lawsuit filed on behalf of two mi-
nors and by CASA for Children alleges
that more than half of the children sub-
jected to hotel stays are under 12 years
old. Additionally, the lawsuit states,
there is no limitation on the length of the
stays. A 9-year-old spent 81 days in hotel
limbo; a 5-year-old spent 55 days.
The plaintiffs stated they filed the
lawsuit to stop the practice of placing
abused and neglected foster children in
hotels.
“Unplacement creates serious emo-
tional and psychological harm to foster
children,” the lawsuit alleges.
The class action lawsuit remains in
litigation in U.S. District Court.
Once the program opens, any youth
age 9 to 20 who would otherwise be
placed in a hotel will instead come to
Robinswood, Youth Villages spokes-
woman Crissy Lintner said.
But, she added, the facility won’t sim-
ply be a place to spend the night. New Av-
enues for Youth will operate the housing
program and provide round-the-clock in-
tensive care. Youth Villages will provide
transitional services.
“New Avenues will welcome the
child, help them settle in, and assess the
circumstances that caused them to be
Strong economy means
Oregonians to get refund
CONNOR RADNOVICH
APPEAL TRIBUNE
Oregonians will receive a tax refund
next year thanks to an unexpectedly
strong economy bolstered by historic
tax revenue, the Office of Economic
Analysis said Aug. 23.
The state’s general fund revenue ex-
ceeded projections by 2.7 percent, trig-
gering a $464 million payout to taxpay-
ers at an average of $227 per person.
Based on an individual’s adjusted gross
income, the rebates range from $5 to
$4,900, with a median at $89.
“We thought it was going to be a good
biennium in terms of revenue growth
and we got a very good biennium,” state
economist Mark McMullen said.
Under Oregon’s “kicker” law, if gen-
eral fund revenue tops projections by
more than 2 percent, the entirety of the
above-projection moneys goes back to
taxpayers in the form of a rebate.
Next year, both the personal and cor-
porate tax kicker rebates will come
into effect, but the $111 million that
would go back to corporations will in-
stead go toward funding K-12 education
per a 2012 ballot measure.
The economy grew at around 15 per-
cent biennium over biennium, around
three times higher than a typical state,
McMullen said.
Among the factors that pushed reve-
nue over the 2 percent limit was record
estate tax collections, which contribut-
ed around $100 million to the fund,
McMullen said. Oregon set the record
for estate tax revenue in 2016, and then
nearly doubled that in 2017.
Much of it came from the tippy top
of the tax bracket.
“We’re talking some of the real 0.1
percenter-types,” McMullen said. “We
saw more of those accounts cashing in
this biennium than ever before.”
Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement
that “Oregon continues to show the
world that our state is a great place to
live, visit, and do business.” But she
added there is still work to do bolster-
ing the economy, especially in rural and
underserved communities.
McMullen said it’s unclear if this bi-
ennium’s estate tax revenue level is
sustainable. Add that to the kicker
payout and projected lower lottery and
corporate tax revenue and McMullen
said the state is expecting relatively
modest growth for the next biennium.
“Overall the arrow is still pointing
up. We’re still expanding and we’re see-
ing revenue growth,” he said. “But
there will be quite a bit of slow down for
a lot of idiosyncratic factors.”
Contact
the
reporter
at
cradnovich@statesmanjournal.com or
503-399-6864, or follow him on Twitter
at @CDRadnovich.
help in Oregon,” said Andrew Grover,
executive director of Youth Villages
Oregon. “Our work is designed to not
only provide for their immediate needs,
but goes further to address the root
causes of the troubles they face.”
Sean Suib, executive director of New
Avenues for Youth, said their immediate
focus will be to provide short-term sup-
port. But, he said, their goal is to create
longterm, lasting change.
“Young people need to be empowered
and have a voice, and by listening to and
partnering with youth and their commu-
nity, we can help create the safety and
permanence all young people deserve,”
he said.
In 2016, an average of 7,600 children
were in foster care on a daily basis.
Cantu-Schomus said as of Wednesday,
eight foster care youth were unplaced.
From Sept. 2016 to July 2017, their av-
erage length of stay was eight days.
“We’re excited about this new solu-
tion to a serious problem facing Oregon’s
most vulnerable youth and proud to be
coming together to make it happen,”
Lintner said.
For questions, comments and news
tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth
at
wmwoodwort@statesmanjour-
nal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on
Twitter @wmwoodworth
there,” Lintner said. “Within 72 hours the
New Avenues and Youth Villages teams
will work with other community part-
ners to determine the supports needed to
successfully transition the child back
into a family setting.”
Their emphasis will be on finding bio-
logical and foster care family place-
ment.
Lintner said the services won’t disap-
pear once youth leave the facility. Spe-
cialists will visit three times a week and
provide 24-hour crisis response for an-
other four to six months.
The two nonprofits realized their
complementary strengths and re-
sources and joined forces with DHS in
early 2017 to solve the longtime problem
of unplaced foster youth.
The Oregon Health Authority and
DHS decided they like the new approach
and decided to invest in it, Lintner said.
DHS spokeswoman Andrea Cantu-
Schomus said the collaboration was a
“natural fit” and offers a unique, special-
ized solution.
Between Robinswood and partner-
ships with Boys and Girls Aid and Ma-
plestar, more than 23 beds will be avail-
able to unplaced youth.
This, Cantu-Schomus said, will prob-
ably permanently abate the need to use
hotels.
“We are proud to be part of this inno-
vative solution for children who need our
KYAC kicks off concert series
and older. Pre-show din-
ners are available from
5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Reserva-
tions are required and
have a separate charge.
For dinner reserva-
tions, call 503-859-4488.
The concert room opens
at 6:30 p.m. and the perfor-
mance begins at 7 p.m.
For more information,
call Ken Cartwright at
503-507-2941. The full con-
cert schedule can be
viewed
at
http://
www.wvi.com/~dnielson/
KYACconcerts/KYAC-
seasonFlyer.htm.
For a preview of Spur-
ing’s appearance, visit
https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Ff8E8F1s
Vdw.
ANNETTE UTZ
SPECIAL TO THE STAYTON MAIL
KYAC Radio, 94.9 FM
out of Mill City, is about to
kick off the 2017-2018
KYAC Concert Series.
Singer, songwriter and
storyteller Steve Spurgin
will do the honors at 7
p.m., Saturday, Sept. 16, at
Trexler Farm outside of
Stayton.
Spurgin began per-
forming in the early 1960s
and has worked with the
likes of Gene Watson and
Reba McEntire. With
years of experience and a
boatload of awards under
his belt, he continues to be
an audience favorite.
The eight concert se-
ries
continues
with
monthly shows through
April 21, 2018. Season
tickets are on sale
through Sept. 15 or until
any individual show sells
out. Individual show
tickets go on sale approxi-
mately 90 days before the
concert date. Season
tickets are $165 and single
show advance tickets are
$20.95 (both include all
online fees) per seat.
Tickets at the door are
UPTOWN FOLK CLUB / SPECIAL TO
THE STAYTON MAIL
Steve Spurgin.
$25. Advance tickets are
available
through
www.staytonevents.com.
Trexler Farm is locat-
ed at 20146 Ferry Rd. SE,
Stayton. Beer and wine
are served during the
shows so admission is for
persons 21 years of age
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