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
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