Street roots., January 18, 2013, Page 4, Image 4

Street roots
4
Jan. 18, 2013
KOTEK, from page 1
services across the board - programs for
seniors, safety net services, TANF
(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
- all those things that have taken significant
cuts. It’s the usual - how do we do it all
with the little dollars we have?
What I’m hoping we’re going to be able to
do is a balanced approach to the budget that
does make some changes to PER S, not
probably to the depth some people are
asking for, but we have a problem with
PER S, so we have to fix some of that.
We still have problems in our tax system.
And the biggest issue for us is tax credits
and tax giveaways. We just had the Nike
conversation, and we’re frustrated about
that. But how do we look at our tax credits
and make them more fair?
So we have to do more around tax credits
and tax loopholes. And we need to look at
government efficiencies. Until we do
comprehensive tax reform, we’re never
going to have all the dollars we need.
J.Z.: W ho’s going to be the winners and
losers at the end o f this session?
T.K.: Middle-class Oregonians are going
to win. And by middle-class I think working
folks, I think it’s schools and kids and
seniors.
J.Z.: A n d who antes up?
T.K.: I don’t think it’s an either/or. I think
there are plenty of tax credits right now for
businesses. It’s not about taking away from
business; it’s about reinvesting in people.
Because that helps business, it helps
everybody.
We’ve all been losing. We’ve all been
suffering. Businesses complain. People have
been out of work for three years. If we don’t
have good livable communities where
people have access to jobs, we’re in trouble.
That’s where we have to focus.
J.Z.: These programs - T A N F, fo r example
- they’re not ju st cut-a-check assistance
programs. They’re helping the person who
takes care o f their grandmother so she doesn’t
have to go into a n u rsin g home, fo r example.
Are we going to see these services restored?
T.K.: Even though we’re in a steady
recovery, there’s still a lot of need out there.
So if you look at how we prioritize dollars,
the answer has to be yes. The caseload in
TANF - these are parents with kids who
have basically no income — is going up and
up and up. They’re not going to succeed
well in schools. They’re going to have a hard
time getting back into the workforce. They
can’t stay on the caseload forever.
J.Z.: A n d it adds pressure to the schools ...
T.K.: It adds pressure to the schools.
People want government to spend the
dollars wisely, and prioritize, but they also
get prevention. That if we spend the money
to get the family back to work, then they’re
not going to be on assistance any more.
Everybody for the last five years has
either suffered from the economic downturn
or knows somebody who did. So I like to
think that that’s a new understanding of
what the role of the public system is in
terms of helping people when they’re down
and out. I’d like to think that people have
gone through this, they’re a little more
sympathetic, they get that we have to help
each other because they know what it’s like.
J.Z.: That we’re a little wiser because it
touched more people.
T.K.: I would hope so. Because I do think
we are in our own little worlds. Until you are
living next to the foreclosed property, you
didn’t realize there was a problem. That’s a
rude awakening for people, even if it’s not
you. Or you’ve had family members couch
surfing at your place because they didn’t
have housing.
That’s why I think the next two years are
critical. We can all go back to our little silos
and talk about ‘I’ve got mine, everything’s
fine.’ Or we say, what do we want the state
to look like for everybody, and how do we
build to a different future. We finally have
some money, we’re not going to have
enough, but more money to build again, and
not just protect.
right to refuse leasing to a Section 8 voucher
recipient.
T.K.: Right. We allow for a landlord to say
“I don’t want to take someone with a
that’s showing up in my emergency rooms is
homeless individuals, maybe I should get
them housed. If they’re housed and they
have supportive services, they’re not going
to show up in the emergency department,
which is very expensive.
So we’ve given CCO s the flexibility to say,
“What I don’t need are emergency rooms,
but what I need is housing.” They could
spend their money on housing.
If they’re thinking ahead, they’re going to
come back to social workers, or housing or
getting people to their appointments.
voucher.”
We want to make the program work as
well as it can for landlords. We’re trying to
push housing authorities to make the
program as flexible as possible so they want
J.Z.: C a lls fo r tax reform permeated this
to be a part of the program. But on the
last election cycle. Are we going to see real tax
other hand, you can’t just routinely
reform come out o f this session?
discriminate against someone just because
they have a voucher. You at least have to
T.K.: Probably not out of this session but
J.Z.: I t ’s a labor issue sweeping the nation:
take the application.
the discussion is going to start. To do
The other thing the bill is going to do is
Are we going to become a “right-to-work” state
comprehensive reform, you’ve got to go to
recognize that there is a connection
anytime soon?
the voters. And the governor is sitting down
between the housing authorities and the
T.K.: If there was a different majority in
with business leaders and labor leaders and
state. The housing authorities are going to
the house, I’m sure it would happen. It’s not
pretty much the people who will bankroll
have to report to the state on how their
going to happen with a democratic majority
anything that goes. H e’s trying to figure out
Section 8 program is working. They don’t do
if there is an agreement between those
in the House.
that now - there’s no connection. They
The whole right to work movement is a
groups.
report to the feds. No one at the state has
There will probably be a conversation
political attempt to undermine the power of
any idea what the housing authorities are
about property taxes. Since we did property
labor unions? Plain and simple. I’m a big
doing. They get money from H U D , and then
caps 15-20 years ago, we’re looking at how
believer in labor unions. I believe in
they run their programs.
they’re affecting services and public schools.
collective bargaining because it’s about
We’re not trying to make it difficult on
We’ll continue to review tax credits. All the
having a right at the table to talk with your
the housing authorities, but I think the state
tax credits now have expiration dates so
employer. In some cases it’s not even about
should know: How’s your voucher program
every two years a group of new tax credits
how much you get paid, it’s about how you
going? How many people are renting? How
has to get reapproved. One of the biggest
get treated in the work place. And I’m very
many are returning them? If it takes three
ones this year is the Earned Income Credit.
supportive of continuing efforts to organize
people to use one voucher in your program,
It’s a good credit, but it costs money, so the
the private sector, there certainly most of
there’s a problem in your program. We want
question is, can we afford to re-up it.
the labor unions are public sector
people to get housed right away when they
I think whatever goes forward will have to
employees. But the real challenge is in the
get a voucher.
have be a proposal that both business and
private sector. The work that SE IU Local 49
Hopefully, we’re going to put some new
labor can get with. If there’s going to be a
does to organize janitors and facility people
money into a new fund so that when people
plan, it won’t happen until 2014. Because it
here is really, really important. And it’s not
are in a crisis, we keep them housed —
has to go to the voters. It’s got to be
an “us vs. them.” Business has a role. Labor
before they become homeless. There is a
something that can survive on the ballot if
has a role. I ’d like to see more workers
very, very limited pot of money for
someone refers it.
unionized. I think it’s beneficial - it trains
emergency rental assistance. So maybe
more leaders, there’s more engagement.
somewhere down the line we talk about
J.Z.: What will this legislative session
having a state voucher program, similar to
produce that will alleviate homelessness and
J.Z.: The National Mortgage Settlement
Section 8, but before we get there, we need
improve access to affordable housing?
delivered $29 m illion to the Oregon state
more emergency rental dollars. It’s a lot
government. It h a sn ’t all been spent, a n d in
cheaper to keep them in the house they
T.K.: I’ve been doing poverty and social
fact only $12 m illion was p u t toward
have than let them become homeless.
justice work for decades in this state. I don’t
mediation and related foreclosure efforts. What
think the state has really been 100-percent
do you say to affordable housing advocates who
J.Z.: A n d studies show that fam ilies with
focused on the housing issue. A lot of that is
want to see this spent on affordable housing?
children are a rapidly growing population
done locally, but I understand that if
am ong people experiencing homelessness, here
individuals don’t have access to good
T.K.: There was the money going back to
an
d
nationally.
housing, quality, affordable housing, if
homeowners and the money that the state
they’re ill they won’t get better, if they’re
got. So when we were finalizing the budget,
T.K.: The big piece for me is the
students and they’re homeless, they can’t
we did put some of it into housing
homeless population among students. If
learn in school. And yet we talk about health
counselors and foreclosure legal assistance.
your family is in crisis and you’re going to
care and we talk about education, we talk
I think some went back into the General
lose your housing, you’re not going to show
about all these things and we forget housing.
Fund. I understand that advocates were
up to school the next day. People say that
So, my goal is to talk more about housing,
upset that not all of it went to housing.
there are all different kinds of populations,
so that’s why you see that we now have a
but I think we need to focus on families
Human Services and Housing committee.
J.Z.: Is that money gone from affordable
right now, and keep them stable so their
We’ve never really had a committee where
housing concerns at this point?
kids c,an stay in school. To me it’s a
we know where housing bills are going to
connection with the success we want to see
T.K.: I don’t know.
go. We do now in the House.
in schools. And I represent North Portland
The governor has put a renewed
- I have a very high poverty set of schools.
J.Z.: A n d the m ediation bureau h a sn ’t been
emphasis on poverty, which I really
They’re not going to graduate if they’re not
as engaged as expected.
appreciate. In his budget, the one agency
in school, and that’s the goal. So the
that handles housing at the state level, the
T.K.: The banks have refused to
housing piece is an educational goal,
Oregon Housing and Community Services,
keeping kids housed and families stable.
participate in the program. The goal of the
is now going to go through an evaluation.
foreclosure legislation was to give people
They’re starting a public conversation on
J.Z.: The previous legislature set up the
the opportunity to have a face-to-face
what the agency should look like. Right now
new M edicaid delivery system with coordinated
conversation with their lender - if they’re
they do the affordable Housing Trust Fund
care organizations. How much control do you
pursuing a foreclosure outside the court
and some of the safety net services through
have to tweak those organizations to
system. And then the M E R S ruling came
community action agencies. Over the next
incorporate housing and other supportive
down, and the simultaneous fact that we’re
two years, people are going to be talking
services?
saying you need to meet with people and
about what is the role of state in housing.
that M E R S ruling that if you had a house
T.K.: If I’m a coordinated care
Should it be in one agency? Should it be
through M E R S, you had to go to the courts.
organization handling the Medicaid
divied up? What’s the goal? It’s a really big
So the banks said, fine, they’re all doing
population, and I haven’t talked about
deal and one of the biggest conversations
judicial foreclosures in the courts.
housing, than I’m going to have a problem.
that’s going to happen over the next couple
If you want to keep your person on the
of years.
J.Z.: Which is an end-run around the
health plan with a chronic condition and get
mediation.
them healthier, you make sure they’re
J.Z.: A n d you introduced your H ou sin g
housed, which is a really big issue for the
Choice bill on Monday.
T.K.: Yes. So the banking industry wants
folks here.
T.K.: To me, if you’re going to provide
some changes on the mediation bill. They
We said we’re going to give you an
housing choice — and by choice we mean
say a few changes to make it more feasible
integrated pot of money, both physical and
the ability of individuals to live close to
for them to participate. I haven’t seen the
mental health, and go serve your population.
where they work, to where they want their
changes yet, but I’m open to having it
In prenatal care for example, only about 30
kids to go to school, closer to where they
changed so more people can get the non­
percent of the women who are on the
can afford the services that they need —
judicial process. I am not going to give up
Oregon Health Plan who are pregnant, only
than we have to make sure there’s more
with the fact that people should have a righ
30 percent have had prenatal care their first
choice. And one of the ways we do that is
to be face-to-face with their agent. The
trimester. We’ve got to fix that because we
the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher
banks should be sitting down with their
deliver half the babies in this state through
program. It’s not our program, but it’s the
homeowners and trying to get them into a
the OHP. If only 30 percent are getting
largest housing program in the state, that
better situation. Right now, the biggest
prenatal care, what’s wrong with that
the state has nothing to do with it.
problem we have is people don’t know
picture?
/
CCOs: we’re going to give them a budget.
J.Z.: Other than it allows a landlord the
If I’m the head of a CC O , and the population
See KOTEK, page 5