WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK New report shows scope of homeless youth Dianne Lugo Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK There are over 8,000 youth and young adults in need of safe and afford- able housing in Oregon, according to a new report released by the Oregon De- partment of Human Services. The report projects a deficit of thou- sands of units for an ideal housing sys- tem in the state. More than $154 million is needed to bridge the identified housing and ser- vice gaps statewide. To house and assist the nearly 2,000 youth experiencing homelessness in the Mid-Valley and North Coast region alone, the report es- timates a need of $20 million. Authors expect the completed as- sessment to inform and guide lawmak- ers in future appropriations decisions. Ongoing crisis The project to analyze and estimate the need and pipeline for housing and services for the thousands of youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness across Orgon came after the introduc- tion of HB4039 during 2020's legislative session. At the time, ODHS reported the state third in terms of the highest rate of un- sheltered, unaccompanied youth home- lessness in the nation – a grim statistic representing ongoing efforts to combat youth and chronic homelessness. The bill would have allocated $2.5 million from the general fund to the De- partment of Human Services (DHS) for services specifically geared to support unaccompanied homeless youth. The proposed bill also would have dedicated a portion of the funding for a statewide assessment of the continuum of hous- ing and service needs for youth experi- encing homelessness. The bill failed to pass during the 2020 session, but ODHS moved forward with completing a statewide assessment. A new report from ODHS projects $20 million is needed to support housing and similar “front porch” interventions in the Mid-Valley for thousands of youth experiencing homelessness. CONNOR RADNOVICH / STATESMAN JOURNAL “Youth homelessness has been his- torically underfunded and due to the very nature of the visuals of youth expe- riencing homelessness it is much more See HOMELESS, Page 4A Mid-Valley man helped save lives in Afghanistan Nasirullah Safi, who served as an interpreter, hopes for US citizenship Capi Lynn Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Getting back to Shellburg Falls Shellburg Falls spills out at the recreation area in the Santiam State Forest in late October. Officials say work to restore the area will continue into next summer. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL Oregon Department of Forestry taking public comment on its plan to reopen the ‘gem of the Santiam State Forest’ after last year’s fires Eddy Binford-Ross Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Shellburg Falls looks a little different these days, more than a year after the Beachie Creek Fire roared through the forest around the popular waterfall east of Salem. The towering green trees that once surrounded the 100-foot waterfall are almost entirely blackened and broken, while a new layer of green ferns and tree seed- lings are sprouting up through the understory. State officials released plans last week to reopen what they call the “gem of the Santiam State Forest,” but hikers still won’t be allowed in until next autumn, at the earliest. The Oregon Department of Forestry just opened a 30-day public comment period on a plan that includes removing some “hazard trees” while restoring trails and roads. They plan to do some commercial logging while most of the area will be left to regenerate natu- rally, officials said. Comments can be emailed to: Burnt and healthy trees line a trail near Shellburg Falls recreation area near Stayton. odf.sfcomments@oregon.gov “It’s the most visited area in the Santiam State Forest,” said Jason Cox, ODF Public Affairs Officer. See FOREST, Page 4A New rules for drones coming for summer Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Love or hate them, drones in Oregon’s outdoors are here to stay. But for the first time, Oregon officials plan to craft rules that govern where unmanned aircraft can fly with new rules expected to be in place by next summer. A recently-formed rules committee will consider where drone pilots can take off and land at state parks and the Oregon Coast, taking into account the aircraft’s impact on wildlife and personal privacy as the number of drones continues to rise. “Our hope is to get our recommendations ready for approval by February or April so they can be in place for the 2022 summer season,” Chris Havel, spokesman for Online at SilvertonAppeal.com News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: h Photo galleries the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, told the Statesman Journal in June. The committee considering the new rules includes drone pilots and advocates, park users, and aviation of- ficials, a news release said. A full list of members can be found at the bottom of this story. The committee’s first meeting is scheduled to meet virtually Nov. 10. The public can register to watch the meeting at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_37-oa0iSTDaDu00iUb7_1g. No public comment will be taken at the first meeting, but a com- ment period will follow the release of the proposed rules. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission would finalize the rules. The rules would apply only to the Oregon Coast and See DRONES, Page 4A Vol. 140, No. 48 Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y Nasirullah Safi is awaiting a call for his naturaliza- tion interview, the last major hurdle to becoming a U.S. citizen. He came here on a Special Immigrant Visa in 2016 after serving more than seven years as an interpreter and cultural adviser to American military forces in Afghanistan, experiencing first-hand some of the bloodiest battles of the war. He served alongside soldiers who earned medals and made the ultimate sacrifice. He was caught up in the same ambushes and firefights, the target of the same rocket-propelled grenades and improvised ex- plosive devices. As far as many of those American soldiers are concerned, he’s a veteran just like them and should be thanked today for his honorable service. “Having somebody work as an in- terpreter more than five years, I would Safi equate that to 20 years in our mili- tary,” said Pat Flanagan, an Army pla- toon sergeant who worked with Safi. “That’s a long time dealing with the dangers.” In addition to being in the line of fire, Safi received almost daily threats from the Taliban while working with U.S. military units at a small combat outpost in Kunar Province near the Pakistan border. Interpret- ers were considered traitors and infidels by the Tali- ban. Like thousands of others during the 20-year war in Afghanistan, he risked his life to be the eyes and ears for American troops who couldn’t understand the diverse dialects of the people or the complex cul- ture of the country. Some of the officers he served with later went to battle on his behalf to help him get to the United States. One even hooked him up with a place to stay with his family. “He thanks me all the time for what I did for him over here,” said Kevin Devine, another platoon ser- geant Safi worked with. “I told him it means more to me what he did for us than what I’ve ever done for him. He prevented me from filling body bags.” Safi now lives and works in the Mid-Valley. He re- cently published a book titled “Get the Terp Up Here! War as an Interpreter to U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.” A common theme through many of the pages is the friendships he forged with American soldiers. “I just became one of them,” he said. “The bond that we created is something I’ll never forget the rest of my life.” Growing up in Afghanistan Safi was born and raised in a small village in east- ern Afghanistan. His parents were poor, raising eight children in a two-room house made of stones and mud. They went barefoot and didn’t have proper clothes for the winter. There were days they had no food and others but little to share. Part of the book is about his childhood and how growing up in a war-torn country under the Taliban regime made getting an education difficult. Many schools were closed, and his family couldn’t afford tuition or uniforms at others. But Safi always had a desire to learn. He dreamed of one day becoming a doctor to help his mother who suffered from chronic illness. His father inspired him to learn English, even though in religious school he was taught it was “the devil language.” His father could read and write the basics and always stressed the importance of foreign languages. “The more language you learn, the more friends you make,” his father always insisted. The only person Safi knew who could speak, read and write English was a nearby farmer, but the man refused to teach him because it would be too danger- ous. Anyone caught speaking the language could be See AFGHAN, Page 3A