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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2013)
street roots May 24, 2013 Unexpected revenue could be used to fix struggling services Alison McIntosh is a policy manager with Neighborhood Partnerships, a member of the statewide Housing Alliance. BY ALISON MCINTOSH C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T e are now well past the halfway point of the Oregon Legislative Session. These final six weeks will be primarily focused on budgets and outstanding policy items. On Thursday, May 16, the Legislature received the final revenue forecast of the session. This is the last piece of information that Legislators need to make budget decisions - the revenue forecast gives them the official amount of revenue that will be available to balance the budget for the next two years. The news on Thursday was good — the Legislature has just over $270 million in additional revenue that they weren’t expecting to have. So, what does this mean? Everything gets talked about in the context of the current proposal from the Co-Chairs of the Legislature’s budget writing committee, the Ways and Means Committee. Senator Devlin and Representative Buckley’s budget proposal assumes a few things: it assumes some savings from changes to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) which have already been approved by the Legislature; it assumes the Legislature will find $275 million in new revenue by cutting tax credits or raising existing taxes; and it assumes $135 million in additional cuts to W health and human services, which have already been cut dramatically since the recession started. The new revenue could mean a range of things, good and bad. The good news is that a few it is likely that there aren’t more severe cuts to the programs Oregonians with low incomes depend on to help them meet basic needs. The bad news is that it doesn’t necessarily mean the proposed $135 million in cuts won’t take effect, or that new money will be reinvested in critical services. We know that too many of our neighbors and families here in Oregon are struggling, and the systems and structures that help us find the assistance we need when times are tough are stretched to the limit. We also know that the critical and life saving services provided by the Department of Human Services, Oregon Health Authority, and Oregon Housing and Community Services aren’t meeting the needs in our communities. The budget cuts of the past three years have meant that too few Oregonians are getting the basic services they need including: emergency rent assistance to prevent or end someone’s homelessness, domestic violence shelters to help women seeking safety from violence, and child care or transportation to help a family receiving temporary assistance look for work. Here in Oregon, we have worked hard to come together and to build the communities and public systems that sustain us. As a community and as a state, we can make choices that reflect our priorities. We can live in a state where everyone has access to opportunity, and a decent, stable and affordable place to call home. We can live in a state where families and neighbors are supported in times of crisis. So let’s choose that future together. If you believe, as we do, that as a state we’re better and stronger when everyone has a place to call home, then take a few minutes to do something about it - call your Legislator and ask them to reinvest in the critical services that help meet people’s basic needs and let them know how important it is to you that we come together as a community to take care of each other. Now is the time for us to lift our voices together, and let our elected representatives know that we want more for the people in our state. Ask them to reinvest in opportunity. Ask them to reinvest in the programs that help meet people’s basic needs - like the Emergency Housing Account and the State Homeless Assistance program, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Ask them to reinvest in our state and the people that make this place great. / Needle exchange funding saves lives, creates impact 7 a» 18 LOOKING FOR AN I L _ BY THOMAS D. ASCHENBRENER As a grandfather with an energetic 2-year- old grandson who loves to run wild in wenty-four years ago Outside In Sellwood Park; as a condo owner and dog opened one of the first syringe walker who uses Washington Park and exchange programs in the nation. We Forest Park as my yard; and as an engaged did so to help prevent HIV infection among Portland citizen, I know how horrified I am injection drug users. Today, we’re on those rare occasions these days when I exchanging nearly 600,000 syringes do find a discarded needle in the bushes or annually. on the sidewalk. I do not want that to We started the program to save lives. But become a daily occurrence the program has other significant impacts: For more than 20 years, the program has • It prevents accidental needle sticks, been supported by both Multnomah County perhaps by children who find a syringe in a and the City of Portland. For the County, park. syringe exchange is an important • By keeping people healthy, it eliminates component of their public health response the need for costly treatment. to HIV and Hepatitis C infection among • It works to get people off drugs and drug users. For the city, the program into treatment when they are ready to make provides an important public safety function this change. for the community. For both, it is a point of A syringe exchange works the same way entry for some of our citizens to find health Oregon’s bottle bill works: Portland’s parks services and addiction counseling. and streets are clean of discarded bottles This year the funding for this program and cans, unlike streets in many other was eliminated from the Mayor’s budget. cities. We all understand that Oregon’s However, the Mayor advocated with the famous bottle bill is the principal reason for county for this service, and the County our clean streets and are proud of that. Chair agreed to fully fund the program. Syringe exchange serves the same function Thank you Mayor Hales and Chair Cogen to keep our streets and parks clean of for ensuring this program continues. Thank discarded syringes. Since the program you Commissioners Fritz and Novick for began we have collected and safely disposed you strong advocacy for this service. of over 10 million syringes. If we close our Thomas D. Aschenbrener is a board member syringe exchanges, the people of Portland will find needles on our streets, in our parks for Outside In, which provides health where our children and adults should expect services for homeless youth and other marginalized people. to be safe, and in the public waste bins where our workers can be harmed. C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T T AFFORDABLE PLACE TO RENT? Your online housing search just got easier. L a ? e NN 8yil N i A s I A ' I 3 NN\ > N | A 8 M C I Thousands o f listings • Free service Includes special needs housing EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY M ir a d o r COMMUNITY STORE*» Canning jars & equipment, cookware, kitchen tools & appliances Organic cotton I sheets, towels, ] & blankets Natural Kitchen & Home Food dryers 2106 SE Division Books on meat-free cooking, gardening & sustainability 503*231*5175 Dignity Povertv p M on-Sat 10-6 * Sun 11-5 Juicers Thank you forgiving a hand up in Portland and supporting your neighborhood vendor!
