5
Street roots
N ot . 11, 2011
Survey of vets on the streets reveal disparaging figures
STAFF REPORTS
tri-morbidity (mental illness, physical illness
omeless veterans face an abundance
and substance abuse occurring
of unique and life-threatening issues
simultaneously) and dual diagnoses (mental
on the streets upon returning state
illness and substance abuse occurring
side, according to a new report released simultaneously).
this
week by the 100,000 Homes’Campaign.
Additionally, according to the report’s
Veterans experiencing homelessness are
executive summary, 61 percent of homeless
more likely to remain homeless an average
veterans surveyed reported a physical health
of two years longer than non-veterans and
condition, 55 percent reported mental
report health conditions that are more likely health issues, 76 percent reported a
to be fatal than non-homeless vets, including substance abuse habit and 32 percent of
liver or kidney disease and frostbite. These
those surveyed reported all three.
health risks are, in part, more prominent
The national survey, which was the first
among homeless veterans because the more of its kind to be based on in person
time a perbon spends living on the streets,
interviews with veterans, shows even more
the more likely they are to develop more
graphic statistics for veterans of the wars in
severe medical conditions, according to the
Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans of the
survey summary.
current wars report more cases of traumatic
Those veterans who have been on the
brain injury compared with pre-Afghanistan
streets for longer than two years are more
veterans, and more report having received
likely to report serious mental and physical
mental health treatment than previous war
health conditions, including higher rates of
veterans. While these veterans are more
likely to have had mental health treatment,
they are less likely to report having health
insurance than their pre-Afghanistan
counterparts, according to the survey.
Less than one-third of homeless veterans
report using shelter regularly, potentially
pointing to the multiple instances of
frostbite.
The report found no correlation, however,
between Veteran’s Affairs (VA) benefits and
the amount of time spent homeless or the
health problems of homeless vets. The
report also found little difference between
the overall health of VA-insured veterans
and non-VA insured veterans, except that
VA-insured veterans are more likely to have
been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. The report
states that these rates may be higher simply
because VA-insured veterans have greater
access to medical care and testing than non-
insured vets.
According to the survey, homeless
DEAD, from page 1
But because of the liability associated with
Wholesale supplier Costco saw opportunity
failing to track down relatives, and because
in the death care market in 2004 when it
of a 10-day waiting period prior to use of the
started selling coffins for $950 and urns for
body that rendered the bodies less valuable,
$99.
OHSU changed the policy to require family
“There are different theories about why
or donor consent Now, approximately half of cultures have rituals to mark the death of
OHSU’s body donations are planned in
their members,” explains Jennifer
advance by donors, and half are gifted by
Schuberth, assistant professor of religious
family members.
studies at Portland State University. “Some
Overall, OHSU has gotten more body
theorists argue that it is because death
donations over the years, says Bill Cameron,
represents a dangerous or precarious time
director of OHSU’s teaching institute and
for something like the soul of a person, as it
demonstrator of anatomy for the state.
moves from this world to the next, or
However, Cameron attributes the increase to perhaps to another body in the case of
boosted popularity of the program.
reincarnation. Other theories argue that the
“Oregonians are donating to our program
rituals are for the living so that the society,
largely due to word of mouth and an
which has now lost one of its members, can
altruistic attitude perpetuated through
reinforce its bonds as a community. In other
wtosTdeatii seemsto tmeaten the sociaT'1
generations;” believes Cameron.
Companies like
order, so coming
Biogift arid MedCure
together around
offer a third, cost-free
death reaffirms that
option. In exchange
the community will
"There is no program for the live on.”
for a free cremation,
Biogift and MedCure
“Funeral rites go
deceased whose fam ily
selectively remove
with human
members don't have money.
organs and tissues for
individuation from
A lot of people are being
medical research and
the universe — the
taken care of from cradle to
place where we say
sometimes
transplants. Heart
Johnny really existed
grave, and it stops at the
valves, eyeball lenses,
as Johnny, he was a
grave."
long bones and even
real so-and-so (not
LYNNE NELSON
like all the other
deep skin tissue, for
OREGO N M O R TU A R Y A N D CEMETERY
BOARD
so-and-so’s), we will
instance, are all
remember him, he
particularly valuable
lives on with us, and
body parts harvested
for research.
we hope that the
Biogift staff say
same will be done
their numbers have gone up since they
with our memory,” says Alan Cole, professor
settled in North Portland in 2003. However,
of religious studies at Lewis & Clark College.
because they do not ask the motivations of
“In short, funerary rites mark the continuing
donors, there is, no way Of knowing if the
virtual existence of the human personality in
increase is due to financial struggles.
all its uniqueness.”
Finally, there companies advertising
Meanwhile, calls for funeral help continue
discount cremation services, some more
to come in at 211info on NE 81st Avenue.
transparent about their services than others. Cara Kangas, community information
One Denver-based organization called
specialist, describes a call she received two
weeks ago from a woman who, until recently,
Ascensiori Catholic Funeral And Cremation
had been the sole caretaker and friend of a
Services goes by five generic names, takes
calls 24 hours a day, and claims in
senior citizen living by himself. The woman
newspaper ads that, “no matter what your
was at a loss for what to do with the body;
the man had left no funds behind.
financial situation we will help you!” The
organization refused to comment
Kangas took a deep breath. She
encouraged the caller to reach out to
traditional sources of support family, church
and community organizations. She urged the
regon has one of the nation’s highest
caller to talk to funeral homes about
cremation rates, as opposed to many
financial need, or a hospital social worker
Southern states where casket burials are about the indigent fund. She connected the
more common. “Oregonians are not
caller to services that pick up items from an
traditional people,” says Cameron, who
estate for free.
chalks up the difference to Oregonians’
Most of all, Kangas assured the caller that
“greenness” and desire to leave a smaller
she was doing the right thing. “She wanted
biological footprint
to honor him,” said Kangas.
“It’s really hard for a person to say, ‘I can’t
While cremations aré generally less
expensive than burials, both come with
afford to pay to bury my friend or family
significant costs. The average price of
member. I can’t afford this basic rite,’” says
cremation amongst three Portland funeral
Willoughby.
homes is approximately $3,000. The average
price of a burial is $3,720. Local caskets can
cost up to $6,495, and urns up to $3,695.
H
“The indigent burial fund is not designed
for people with family,” says Lynne Nelson,
interim executive director of the Oregon
burial fund,” says Christine Stone,
Mortuary
and Cemetery Board, who says
communications coordinator for the Oregon
that they are seeing more indigent cases.
Public Health Division. “It could also be due
“There is no program for the deceased
to better marketing — more hospitals and
whose family members don’t have money. A
hospices may be telling folks about the
lot of people are being taken care of from
indigent burial service.”
cradle to grave, and it stops at the grave.”
In the late 1980s, Oregon offered state-
subsidized burials for people on welfare, but
abolished the program in the early 1990s
o what happens when your neighbor can’t
when it became too expensive.
afford to bury her grandfather? Or the
“The state came to the Conclrision that
homeless woman living outside your grocery
welfare was to help living people,” says
store dies? Or your recently deceased
Tjaden. Nelson admits “this may be
coworker does not seem to have any
something that needs to be looked at
traceable family?
legislatively,” but says, at this point, the
“We g e ttw o jE ^ W o f in d ig en t cases;”’* "
board advises low- or no-mcome people to
explains Tom Chappelle, deputy medical
reach out to their communities and churches
examiner for the Multnomah County
and shop around for less expensive funeral
Medical Examiner’s Office. “Either we
homes. “Cremation at one funeral home may
cannot find the next of kin, or we find next
be $995, and at another it’ll be $400.
of kin, but they are unwilling or unable to
Families may not know that,” says Nelson.
make arrangements.” For instance,
“I would just as soon see1 the fund
Chappelle says that this year, many families
abolished so I could look a family in the eye
have abandoned deceased kin because they
and say there is no fund,” states Tjaden, Who
hadn’t seen them in several years.
says his funeral home company is losing
, In Oregon, when an indigent person dies,
money from “skyrocketing” indigent burials.
a funeral home is contacted that is willing fo
“I feel sorry for the unemployed, but as an
cremate the body. In exchange, the state
industry we can’t be the ones to fix this. The
pays the funeral home a reimbursement, the
family has to help us out.” *
amount of which depends on the number of
So it might come as a surprise that Tjaden
indigent burial claims filed every month. The is furious at the state’s 2009 decision to
maximum reimbursement in Oregon is $650; raise the maximum reimbursement from
in other states, it can be as much as $2,500,
$450 to $650. Tjaden, who takes pride in his
and maybe paid for by the county or city.
nine affordable facilities, confides that the
Oregon’s indigent burial fund is managed
actual cost of cremation is closer to $250. If
under the Oregon Public Health Division and a family truly cannot afford his price of $495,
funded by death certificate fees.
Tjaden says he will sometimes negotiate.
For eligible spouses, Social Security pays
But, other funeral homes, he says, will take
$255 for funerals. For veterans who are
the full $650 reimbursement without
homeless or have no family contacts, and
questioning whether the family is truly
were discharged honorably, the Veterans
indigent.
Affairs department offers “an appropriate
As a result, the indigent fund can diminish
burial and marker at the national cemetery,”
during months with lots of claims, and
says Mike McAleer with the Portland
become too small to cover costs. Lately,
Veterans Affairs Medical Center. McAleer
Tjaden has been receiving $128
estimates there’s one indigent veteran burial reimbursements for indigent burials, which
per month in Oregon.
he calls his “community service.”
Unclaimed indigents are listed in a
Will the fund ever dry up completely?
searchable database back to 2000.
“No,” says Tjaden, because if one thing is for
sure, people will keep dying. Since the
indigent fund is paid for by death
certificates, and the annual death rate in
happelle’s definition of indigent — the
Orégon is fairly constant (around 31,500
current statues which includes
every year), the indigent fund is supplied
financially-strapped family members — is a
with an estimated $179,550 per year.
“The fund has always struggled,” says
topic of heated debate among “death care”
Tjaden. “Now times are tough, and there are
stakeholders. ’
people who really, truly need the assistance.
“The way the indigent burial laws are
But it’s being misused.”
written and the way the funds are being
used are two different things,” says Randy
Tjaden, principal of Crown Memorial
Centers of Portland, Milwaukie, Tualatin and
regon Health Science University’s Body
Salem.
Donation Program is one option for
“Some of these family members are not
destitute families, and in fact, funeral "homes
truly indigent and could really pay,” says
are required to offer indigent bodies to
Tjaden. “Then what happens is the fund is
OHSU before cremation. Until 2009, OHSU
depleted, our company carries the load, and
truly indigent people still have to be buried.” accepted indigents for use in medical study.
S
C
O
O
veterans are much more likely (21 percent
versus 9.4 percent) than non-homeless
veterans to be living on the streets at the
age of 60 or older. These senior citizen
veterans are two times more likely to face
mortal health conditions than non-veteran,
homeless seniors.
The survey shows that after two years on
the streets, homeless veterans are likely to
remain there for an average of nearly nine
years. Homeless non-veterans, on the other
hand, remain on the streets an average of
just over seven years after being homeless.
The 100,000 Homes Campaign is a
national organization with the goal of finding
homes for 100,000 homeless Americans by
July 2013. The report on homeless veterans
resulted from Step 2 of the 100,000 Homes
model, which clarified the demands of the
veteran’s population by surveying veterans
with a vulnerability index and coordinating
those results in a database.