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street roots
March 1, 2013
Homeless veterans will benefit from House proposal
Law m akers hope to raise state docum ent filin g fee to f u n d efforts to get veterans o ff the street
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. Alison McIntosh is
a policy manager with
Neighborhood Partnerships.
BY ALISON MCINTOSH
everyone needs a safe, stable, and
affordable place to call home. We
believe that home is the foundation of
opportunity; without a home, kids can’t
succeed in school and adults can’t be stable
at work or address barriers in their lives.
Today, too many Oregonians are without
that safe, stable and affordable place to call
home. In every community in our state,
there are residents who struggle to make
ends meet and are often forced to choose
between paying rent and putting food on the
table. Moreover, too many veterans who
have served their country go without a
home in Oregon. We owe a debt to these
veterans — they sacrificed their time and
put their bodies and minds in harm’s way on
our behalf. We cannot let them come back
to Oregon only to have no place to call
home.
Veterans are more likely than the rest of
us to experience homelessness - and it’s
not just those who fought long ago during
the Vietnam era. It is also increasingly men
and women returning from conflicts in Iraq
and Afghanistan who’ve suffered
unbelievable injuries and post-traumatic
stress disorder. The average length of time
between returning from the war and
becoming homeless for these new veterans
is now just three years. Medical issues,
mental health concerns and an inability to
find a decent paying job are all contributing
factors. It’s estimated that as many as
130,000 veterans experienced homeless for
all or part of the past year across the United
veteran who has served this country.
The Housing Alliance believes it’s
unacceptable for anyone — a veteran, a
family, an individual - to be forced to sleep
outside, in a doorway or their car. We all
need a place to call home.
The 2013 Oregon State Legislature is
now in session, and the Housing Alliance
has many proposals this year to remove the
barriers people face in affording a place to
live. One of those proposals is HB 2417,
which would add $5 to an existing document
recording fee dedicated to funding
affordable housing. The funds raised
through this fee would specifically serve
veterans who are experiencing
homelessness or need assistance in
affording a place to call home.
The proposal would address the
continuum of housing needs - from
homelessness to affordable housing to
homeownership. It would help veterans who
need a permanent place to call home with
supportive services to address medical
needs or mental health issues. It would
assist veterans who need help affording an
apartment after experiencing homelessness
or prevent them from becoming homeless.
It would help more veterans afford a place
for themselves or their families. And for
those ready to take the next step towards
homeownership, it would help with down
payment assistance.
Helping veterans find a place to call home
matters to the Housing Alliance, just as it
matters that we find a place for everyone to
call home. In recent years, we’ve seen an
effort at the federal level to address and end
homelessness among veterans. The
S t a t e s , an d th r e e tim e s m o r e are s tr u g g lin g
from the state of Oregon through this
document recording fee increase will make
federal funds go farther, easier to use, and
more effective at this critical juncture.
Federal housing vouchers are a precious
resource for a disabled veteran - they allow
the veteran to find a place to rent and pay a
portion of their income toward their rent.
The government pays the balance, and the
veteran lives in safe, stable, affordable, and
permanent housing. However, this useful
tool doesn’t help a veteran with the costs
associated with finding that apartment - it
can’t pay for an application fee or even a
deposit. The good news is that this
proposed increase in the document
recording fee could pay these things. It
could also help pay for a case manager to
help veterans find apartments and ensure
they remain stable in their housing.
Veterans in Oregon also have access to
homeownership assistance through low
interest, fixed-rate mortgages. A little bit of
down payment assistance from the
document recording fee funds would help
more veterans gain access to
homeownership for the first time.
Working together, the Housing Alliance
believes we can solve not only the crisis of
veteran homelessness, but also end
homelessness for all Oregonians. Together,
we can make sure we all have safe, stable
places to call home and the opportunity it
provides.
So help us — help us pass HB 2417, and
help us as we work to address the housing
crises in our communities. Join us in Salem
on April 4 for Housing Opportunity Lobby
Day, or call your Legislator and tell them to
S e c r e t a r y o f th e U . S . D e p a r t m e n t o f
with high rents and low incomes. One out of
every three people who are experiencing
homelessness and sleeping in a doorway, an
alley or a cardboard box every night is a
a d d r e s s t h e h o u s in g n e e d s in o u r
Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, has called
for an end to homelessness among veterans
by 2015. This has led to increased housing
vouchers and resources for veterans. Funds
communities. Together we can solve these
problems and make sure we all have access
to opportunity.
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
T
he Housing Alliance believes
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