Street roots., August 21, 2009, Page 13, Image 13

w
e S M B R Ä T I W Ä »B C A D S
I Street roots
13
Education * Dialogue * Independence
MOTEL, from page 1
tto blame.
2008 numbers in children up to age 5 being
because of her less-than-stable housing
“It started slowing down last September,
served by emergency shelters. Even more
situation. The eldest lives with her father -
and each month since has been worse than
•elaborate quickly responds, “let’s not talk
•sobering was the number of households
one of Tiffany’s two ex-husbands - while the
the
last.”
about that.”
turned away from overflowing shelters: 313.
two younger children live with a friend of
The story is the same over on Interstate
Slingerland at HAP says that “some
The women are surviving on food stamps ’
Tiffany’s parents.
Avenue,
where
Phil
Patel,
the
manager
of
combination of th e one-night shelter count
and Tiffany’s sporadic work driving school
“It’s so close to the beginning of the
and the one-night street count is probably
and charter buses with First Student, as well the Economy Inn who says he is “somehow
* school year for the kids that even if I got
related”
to
Anu
Patel,
is
struggling
to
stay
as her $261 unemployment checks for the
the best, though imperfect, way to
into a place big enough to have all my kids,
afloat
(measure) unmet need for shelter and
weeks when she has no work. Rent is $250
I’d leave them up there so they didn’t have
“The
last
couple
months,
we’ve
been
emergency vouchers,” though he notes that
per week, which leaves little for diapers and
to transfer at the beginning of the year,”
dead,” said Patel. “Our business is off
this may not fully capture the unmet need
gas, just two of many items an Oregon Trail
Tiffany says.
almost
50
percent
from
this
time
last
year.”
for such cases as domestic violence-related
card can’t buy.
As a result, she Jias minimal Contact with
Long-term occupants used to be a key
assistance.
■
Tiffany expects things to improve once
them and remains a secondary figure in
component
of
the
Economy’s
relative
Amplifying a national trend, HUD reports
school starts up again and she has more bus
their lives - a fact she seems to have
success, but Patef says most rooms are
that Oregon had a significant increase -
shifts. Patricia; for her part, is attempting to
accepted, especially because Caden is a
currently
being
rented
nightly.
over 30 percent - in newly homeless
get certified as a licensed caregiver through
handful on his own. No one knows this
However, this does not mean that
families through September 2008. Given the better than Patricia, who takes care of ’
the state so she can get paid for taking care
of Caden, but is still waiting for her
Caden when Tiffany is at work.
paperwork - submitted in late May - to be
“I don’t do anything else,” Patricia says
processed.
with no small amount of resignation. “I
Some motel inhabitants, like Tiffany and
almost never leave this room.”
Patricia, pay their own rent; others rely on
The space is less than ideal for Caden,
Short-Term Rent Assistance (STRA) in the
the women say.
form of emergency vouchers funded by the
“He has nowhere to play outside, so we
Federal Emergency Management Agency,
let him crawl around on the floor,” Patricia
the state, of Oregon, Multnomah County and
says.
-
the cities of Portland and Gresham. They
“But he’s got dirty knees, and feet from
are distributed locally by the Housing
the floor here,” Tiffany says. “And we have
-Authority of Portland (HAP).
to be careful with opening the door. He likes
Ian Slingerland, HAP’s rental program
the door open, but he’ll crawl right outside.
assistance manager, said that of the k
, There’s stairs there” - not to mention
$2.73 million allocated to Oregon STRA for
Sandy Boulevard.
fiscal year 2009-10, $2.45 million went to -
There are no other children at the motel,
direct client assistance, with the rest
and no adults thé women want tojjefriend.
covering administrative expenses. The
Plus, notes Tiffany, “1 really don’t think we’ll
state’s STRA budget increased 60 percent
be here that much longer, so what’s the
over the previous fiscal year because of
point of talking?”
increased funding by the American Recovery
The women connected in mid-July with a
and Reinvestment Act. ;
mentor at Human Solutions who has found
Slingerland says that emergency vouchers
them an apartment in outer Southeast that
generally are used in two situations: for
they can move into later this month. The
agency will provide moving assistance, and
people with emergency health Or domestic
the women will be eligible to apply for
violence situations that make them either
energy assistance to lower their utility
ineligible for shelters or in danger if they
payments.
sleep Outside; and to obtain temporary
' . ;/■ - /
;
P H O T O B Y K E N H A W K IN S W W W K E N H A W K IN S C O M
P a t r ic ia a n d T if f a n y a r e g r a t e f u l f o r t h e
shelter for people-such as Tiffany and« •
TiffanyShepard stands u)ith her sön ~ Gaden, with~Patricia. Schafer on the porch, outside thé
help,but they Both feel that it shouldn't^
Patricia, who are waiting on peyinanent or
motel they’ve been calling home..
-
have taken so much time and strife to find a
transitional housing that is not yet available.
place to-Iive, i.
Occasionally, vouchees will be issiied to
“Our credit is shot, and that’s what
caused us to have such a hard time finding a
families-who cannot live in a shelter.
rapid acceleration of the economic crisis
financially strained families àré resettling in
place we could get into;” Tiffany says.
The consensus among Portland service
sincethen it’s hot altogether unlikely that
cheap apartments. Because many of them
Lack of rental history also proved an
providers is that distributing motel vouchers have poor credit ratings, evictions or even
the figures are higher now.
obstacle for the women.
is a last resort. ..
foreclosures in their recent history,-
“I had one place tell me, ‘Oh, well, you
“I personally have only used vouchers for
landlords are unlikely to rent to them. Thus,
don’t have a rental history at all,’” Patricia
here are benefits to motel life, Tiffany
motels very few times simply because they
service providers speculate, many homeless
says, “I’m only 20; I really haven’t had a lot _
are not really a bridge to housing,” says I
says as she picks at a large hole in the
families likely are living with other family
arm of the tattered couGh. “Don’t have to of experience with renting.” She feels as
Brad Taylor, a homeless outreach worker.
members or in cars or tents and, along,with
pay electric or water; we’ve got free cable...” penalized for what she hasn’t done as what
Indeed, Dawn Jones, who works the front
the hotel homeless remain uncounted by
she has, Î
desk at the Unicorn Motel on 82nd Avenue,
The list ends there.
the city and county, they are a statistically
“You look at the fact that so many people
Tiffany’s
phone
rings,
and
she
takes
the
says that although some people are
invisible but ever-growing segment of the
hâve trouble getting into a place, and that
call in the cramped kitçhenette, the one
completely Content living in a motel room,
homeless population.
adds to the homeless problem,” Patricia .
place where sunlight streams through à
others become trapped there because they
says, adding that she thinks renters should
small window. Patricia puts Caden in a toy­
can’t save up enough money for a deposit on
be more forgiving of those who have made
laden baby bouncer, and he jumps up and
an apartment while paying weekly of
he economic downturn has sent Oregon
past mistakes but are now trying to start
down, transfixed by the jingling bells and
monthly rent for their room.
skyrocketing to the top of dubious
over.
' ■ -
•
brightly
colored
plush
animals.
“The primary purpose (of renting a motel
national rankings, including homelessness.
“My boyfriend has a felony, and I know
Tiffany flops hack down on the couch.
room) is for people to stay here long enough
The Annual Homelessness Assessment.
that it’sreally hard for a lot of people to
“That was my boyfriend,” she says. He and
till they can accumulate enough money to
Report for 2008, released last month by the
look past and realize, people do change,”
Patricia’s fiancé both work for the traveling
leave,” says Jones. “But by that time they’ve
federal Housing and Urban Development
says Patricia. “He’s not like that anymore.
carnival
company
Funtastic,
which
puts
on
been here for years.”
agéncy (HUD) showed that a higher
Ho made a mistake, he paid for his crime” -
Portland’s Rose Festival and the Oregon
“The only times we do [vouchers] are for
percentage of Oregonians are experiencing
“And they’re making him pay for it for the
State
Fair
in
Salem,
among
other
events.
-
families, if being in a shelter isn’t a good
homelessness than in any other state. The
rest of his life,” Tiffany says.
“If we can’t quite make rent one month,
option for them,” says Erica SMver, the'
results of Oregon Community Housing
Patricia hopes-the apartment move
then part of their money goes toward
deputy director at the homeless service
Services’ statewide one-night homeless
happens soon and that it’s a good place to
helping us pay for here,” Tiffany says. Their
agency Human Solutions. From'July through count in January found 17,122 people
make à home for her child.
traveling schedule means that Tiffany and i
December 2008, only 2 percent of Human
experiencing homelessness, up from 12,529
Patricia rarely see them. Patricia’s fiance |
“I’m five months pregnant, and in four
Solutions’ STRA funding went toward
people in 2008.
months,
Patriciasays, “there’ll be a little
hopes
to
get
a
Portland-based
job
by
October
emergency vouchers,
The one-night shelter count m
baby.” Î want to be jn an apartment; and
so he can be in town for his child’s birth.
“They eat up our STRA funding because
Multnomah County undertake^ by the
know that there will be a roof over my
Tiffany has three other children ages 1Î,
they’re so expensive,” Silver says.
Department of County Human Services on
child’s head. I don’t want to bring my child
8 and 5, but none of them live with her
The average rate at a Portland budget
Jan. 28 showed a 54 percent increase over
home from the hospital to...” She pauses,
motel, according to multiple service .
gesturing at her surroundings. “...To this.
providers and an informal survey of 10
It’s better than living in a car or a homeless
motels, is $60 per night or $300 per week.
shelter, which I’ve done before. But it’s not
The amount a family would pay for a month
Cobblestone Streets
a stable home. If we don’t pay rent one
in a motel is likely more than they would
By Diane Tamassia
week because we can’t afford it, we’re out
pay for an apartment rental, a reason that
“It’s that insecurity, that not knowing,”
long-term stays in Portland motels are on
Place your feet upon cobblestone streets
Patricia says. “I don’t want my child to grow
. the decline.
Where you m eet,
up with that"
This shift comes at a cost to hotel
-Gypsies wearing worn, tom and tattered clothes
Caden, seated on Tiffany’s lap, looks up at
managers, who hâve begun to realize how
Tell their tale of woe
his mother with huge, expectant eyes; as if
dependent they became on longer-term
In the song Of old
Waiting for an answer from her which she \
occupants for income.
Crying for people to buy
doesn’t have. Tiffany holds him and says, as
Anu Patel, who owns the Econo Lodge on
Can’t you see why?
much to herself as to her baby, “we’ll be out
, Columbia Boulevard, said that weekly and
Tired by the way they weep
of
here soon.”
monthly business “is the slowest it’s ever
Carrying their goods up and down cobblestone sfreets
been,” and has no doubt that the economy is
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