Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2013)
Street roots June 7, 2013 Housing crisis still roiling for poorest residents in county Bobby Weinstock is the housing advocate at Northwest Pilot Project. The agency helps older adults obtain and maintain housing and provides support services to promote independence. He has been working in downtown Portland with people who are homeless and at-risk for 30 years. BY BOBBY WEINSTOCK C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T Comparison of Renter Households and Affordability of Units in Multnomah County n affordable rental housing crisis is taking place. More than 1,700 men, women, and children are sleeping outside every night. Another 1,000 people Total renter households are sleeping in emergency shelters and temporary motel rooms. People with modest income continue to be homeless while waiting for an affordable apartment to become available. Families are doubled up with friends in overcrowded housing situations unable to find their own home. Waiting list time for affordable housing is now measured in months and years. Social-service programs struggle to keep people in transitional housing programs much longer than optimal because no regular apartment can be found. Home Forward, the local housing authority, has closed its Section 8 wait list after 21,000 households applied within two weeks for 3,000 spots on the waitlist. Due to federal sequestration budget cuts, Home Forward does not expect to offer Section 8 rent subsidy to anyone on the wait list this year. Rents are higher than ever and rising quickly. Many of those fortunate enough to have an apartment are paying most of their income for rent and are at risk of falling into homelessness. the nation. The City Council and the This is not a description of some far away Multnomah County Commission have been place. This is the current housing situation heroic in ensuring funding of social services in Multnomah County. These facts may be to assist the homeless and the near shocking to the general public but are well- homeless. However, even the most known to those struggling to secure an proficient social-service system will have affordable apartment. difficulty reducing homelessness in the face There are 34,790 renter households in of such a severe affordable rental housing the bottom 30 percent of median family shortage. income in Multnomah County. Income for It is critical that the current reset action this group is less than $1,217 monthly for a plan being formulated to reduce single person and less than $1,733 monthly homelessness in Multnomah County for a family of four. This includes thousands includes a strategy to address the rental who have worked hard all their lives but housing crisis. Strategies to reduce the now find themselves surviving on little imbalance between the number of extremely income. Included are people working part- low income households and affordable time for low wages, retiring baby boomers housing units are necessary for the plan to whose only income is social security, be effective. These strategies might include disabled adults on fixed incomes, veterans preserving the affordable buildings we have, on pensions, and single parent families with lowering the rent in existing buildings to children, struggling to survive on A FD C make them affordable, and developing new benefits while juggling childcare and job- affordable buildings. All these strategies hunting. require funding. Multnomah County contains 12,010 Public investment in affordable housing apartments which are affordable to its has not kept pace with the magnitude of the 34,790 lowest income households. Rent is crisis. Traditional local funding from urban considered affordable if it consumes less renewal districts for affordable housing is than 30 percent of monthly household quickly drying up. To effectively address the income. Only 35 affordable apartments exist affordable housing crisis, a strategy for for every 100 of the lowest income increased, ongoing, and dedicated housing households in need of such housing. This investment is needed. Though federal shortage of over 22,000 affordable housing programs are critically important, apartments is the leading cause of waiting for the federal government to solve homelessness. the local housing crisis is not a viable plan. Social-service workers encounter Local voters have shown a willingness to immense need each day in their efforts to invest in the well-being of the community by assist the homeless. Social service providers supporting funding for open space, schools, in Multnomah County are among the best in A M o f e â e f t : t Affordable units B i l l Surplus/deficit 60,125 arts, libraries, children’s programs, fire stations, parks, transit, etc. It’s time to add housing to the list. Whether Multnomah County voters will support the request is an open question. However, the public debate which would accompany a ballot measure for affordable housing funds is sorely needed to raise public awareness of the rental housing crisis. It’s time to ask for help from voters to increase the affordable housing supply and reduce homelessness. Creating a net increase of 1,000 affordable apartments annually over 20 years would eliminate the affordable housing crisis. Any new apartment buildings would be designed to be compatible with existing neighborhoods and be disbursed throughout the County. This is doable with the support of voters. Multnomah County could be the first urban region in the nation to eliminate the human misery of not having a home. What a proud achievement that would be. - $20 aeccm m $ 4 0 / FULL PLATE PROJECT“ A MEAL, aanuéL, A HUG, a fadenina ea*> these fill our plates and hearts at Sisters. Join our Full Plate Project this summer, because everyone deserves a Full Plate. SISTERS OF THE ROAD 133 NW 6th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97209 503-222-5694 www.slstersoftheroad.org 3Ö ÄSE 21st Avenue (5 0 3 W tC A W C (674-2642) SNAP/EBT accepted Weekly Farmers' Market, Wednesdays 2-7pm www.peoples.coop FOOD CO-OP
