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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2011)
Street roots May 13, 2011 î tm iw 13 In this economic crisis, County must make wise investments BY DEBORAH KAFOURY My prioritiesfor this year include a few items that I know will'make a difference in n a cold night last winter, I took my people’s lives immediately. Some of these 10-year-old son with me to serve items I’ve highlighted below were in the dinner at the Winter Warming Chair’s proposed budget and some I will Shelter. By the time we arrived, families propose as amendments to the budget. were already lined up outside. ■ Short Term Rent Assistance. It works. The evening flew by. While I helped dish With small amounts of money we can out servings of lasagna, salad and roasted prevent and end homelessness. This year, vegetables, my son played with the children the County devoted a little more than who were staying at the shelter. $354,000 to short-term rent assistance^ In As we were driving home, I thanked my this budget, Chair Cogen added an Son for coming with me and asked him what additional $500,000, which is tremendous. he thought about the evening, He was silent But with stimulus funds going away, this for a minute and then, remembering the increased investment will only maintain the families waiting by the door, said “it was current level of rent assistance. Already, really cold out tonight” agencies that.distribute rent assistance run My children are used to dinner time out by the 5th of every month. For that conversation about those in need. We talk reason, I’m going to ask the Board to double about poverty, homelessness and helping the proposed addition to $1 million. (If you others. But all the words in the world need rent assistance, please call 211). cannot replace an evening’s experience. ■ Bridges to Housing provides 139 We all know times are tough. Sometimes previously homeless families with housing the problems feel so daunting that you don’t and intensive case management The know where to. begin. As your Multnomah private grant funding that built this program County Commissioner, one of the best is now finished. It is critical housing for opportunities I have to make a difference is families that we’ve built over the last five through the County’s Budget years and we can’t afford to let it go away. On May 5, County Chair Jeff Cogen Thank you to the Chair for including an released his proposed budget. My fellow additional $480,000'.-to fully fund Bridges to Commissioners and I have just over a month Housing. to ask questions, propose changes, and ■ East County Outreach. People are adopt a balanced budget. sleeping outside from Forest Park to Over one third of the County’s budget Thousand Acres outside of Troutdale. Last comes from the state and federal year,-the County partnered with JOIN on a governments. We are expecting anywhere pilot program to reach out to people from $17* million to $60 million of cuts to camping in East County. Our small essential services like mental and physical investment of $75,000 was much more health care, public safety, aind energy effective at ending homelessness than assistance. continued sweeps by the Sheriff’s office. I On the one hand, given the unknown cuts will propose that the County continue to ahead, I feel the need to be conservative fund this effort. with our general fund. If the state cuts ■ Rapid Re-Housing. For the-last two. - programs that people in our community can^ years, I’ve requested emergency funding to not live without, we may have to step in. house families in our winter warming On the other hand, the hard times are shelter. The first year, we housed 32 here and I believe we need to invest in . families in 30 days. Last year, we housed people who need help. over 65 families. At my request, Chair C O N TR IBU TIN G WRITER 0 Deborah Kafoury is the Multnomah County Commissioner for District One Cogen added $325,000 to the budget again this year, so we don’t have to wait for an emergency. This strategy works to get families quickly out of shelter and into stable housing. ■ Action for Prosperity. The County’s dedicated anti-poverty providers are trying new ways to address homelessness. The . newest approach pairs rent assistance, case management, and job training together for families in crisis.. Stimulus dollars Over one third of the initially funded this County's budget conies from program, named the state and federal Action for Prosperity. I will be advocating governments. We are adding $195,000 for expecting anywhere from another phase of this $ 1 7 m illion to $ 6 0 m illion initiative, leveraging investments from the - of cuts to essential services Housing Authority of like mental and physical Portland and Worksystems Inc, our health care, public safety, partners in this effort. and energy assistance. ■ Street Roots’ Rose City Resource. County staff and those we contract with use this guide on a daily basis. It’s time we started paying our fair share of the cost to produce and distribute i t The Chair included $20,000 in the proposed budget to make sure the Street Roots’ Rose City Resource continues to exist. Together, these items total just over $2.1 million. In light of the economic crisis we : find ourselves in, these are wise investments that will help people immediately. I would appreciate any feedback you have on these proposals and on the budget in general. Email me at districtl@multco.ua ox come to a budget. hearing and share your opinion. The full schedule and link to the proposed budget is available at http://web.multco.us/board/ budget-hearings.. Cost of renting continues to creep out of reach ALISON MCINTOSH C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T Alison McIntosh is a Policy Manager with Neighborhood Partnerships ents rise despite high unemployment, foreclosures and downed economy , Higher prices in the rental market more and more Oregon families find continue to force Oregon families to choose themselves homeless for the first time. between paying rent, putting food on the “Every year it is becoming more difficult table, and paying utility bills. A national for hard working Oregonians to find decent study reports that the cost of renting an homes they can afford,” said Suzanne apartment in Oregon has increased again, Washington, Deputy Director of Impact an alarming trend for a State with Northwest “This year, someone making unemployment at 10 percent. minimum wage in the Portland metro would “The on-going recession, high have to work nearly twelve hours a day, unemployment and continued wave of seven days a week just to be able to afford a foreclosures in Oregon continues to make it place to call home.” more difficult for hard working Oregonians “Hardworking people should be able to to find a safe, decent and affordable place to afford housing and still have enough money call home,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the for groceries and other basic necessities,” Housing Alliance, “In Oregon, we believe said Janet Byrd. “Too many families in the everyone needs a place to call home« As we Portland metro area can’t afford a safe, work together to’solve the current budget stable place to call home. We’re calling on crisis, the Legislature needs to prioritize the State Legislature to provide support for providing basic needs to those most affordable housing and emergency rent impacted by the ongoing recession.” According to the report released today by assistance to hélp protect families and children affected by the recession.” the National Low Income Housing Coalition The report, Out of Reach 2010, was (NLIHC), the average rent and the income jointly released by the National Low Income required to afford those rents continue to Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, rise despite high unemployment and DC-based housing advocacy group, and foreclosures. As rents continue to increase, R Oregon’s Housing Alliance, The report provides data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country. The report also defines a housing wage, which for Oregon is $15.81, nearly double Oregon’s minimum wage. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn — working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year — to be able to afford rent and utilities m the private housing market The average fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Oregon is $822 — a number that has increased 35 percent since 2000. This year, Oregon is the 29th most expensive state in the nation for renters. The National Housing Wage is $18.46 in \ 2011. For additional information, visit www. nlihc.org/oor/oor2011/. The Housing Alliance brings together advocates, local governments, housing authorities, community development corporations, environmentalists, service/ providers, business interests and all others dedicated to increasing the resources available to meet our housing needs to support a common statewide legislative and policy agenda. Love America by Sam Al-Jondi America is you and me Always and forever more to be. Work of the divine is in thee. For all to wonder and see From sea to shining sea. Red White and Blue! For that whd knows and that Who has no clue. Yes we can, yes we can do. The people with the plan Where the Noble blood ran Yes we can, yes we can. Do you understand Mr. Stan? Lead humanity, not into temptation But to the Land of Salvation True Guardians of Civilization That is our destination. M issed your favorite columnist? Check out www.streetroots.wordpress.com fo r past articles.
