Street roots
Sept. 13, 2013
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Now is not the time to give up on those who are homeless
ast week, a young, frightened woman
incidents, the articles only tackle a fraction
phoned my Multnomah County office
of the story. A more complete picture would
looking for help. She was a mother,
show that the homeless population in
with three children, who needed housing. Multnomah County include:
The family had been doubling up with a
1. Parents who are raising children. The
relative, but now that relative was moving
number of families who are homeless
out of town. She needed help immediately.
increased 18 percent since the last point-in
She’d called the shelters in Portland, but
time Count.
they were full and most had a six-week
2. Newly homeless. More than half the
waiting list. She was growing desperate.
people sleeping on our streets have been
Her call hit particularly close to home.
homeless for less than a year. In other
I m a mother and I have three children. I
words, just a year ago, they had homes and
know too well how hard it is to get three
many of them had jobs. In fact, many of
kids fed, clothed and ready for school, to
them still do have jobs.
arrange childcare, pay bills, keep up with
3. Military veterans. More than one in 10
vaccinations, struggle to help them with
of our homeless adults served this country.
math homework, meet with their teachers,
4. Young people. On any given night,
counsel them about bullies, to care for them
there are at least 100 homeless youths on
physically, emotionally and mentally in
waiting lists for a shelter bed.
today’s increasingly complicated world.
What the headlines do capture is that our
But, I cannot imagine what it’s like to do
system is at capacity. Multnomah County,
all that while homeless.
the City of Portland, Home Forward and
Too many of our mothers and fathers do
community partners have helped thousands
know, though. Between low vacancy rates,
into homes in the last decade with smart
rising rents and the lingering effects of the
strategic spending on programs like rapid
recession, on any given night in Multnomah
re-housing, flexible rent assistance, and
County, more than 2,869 people are
permanent supportive housing for those
homeless, according to the 2013 point-in
with addictions and disabilities.
time Count.
Yet the federal government, paralyzed by
Reading the painful headlines this
sequestration, is actually serving fewer
summer, it’s tempting to want to throw up
households and with lower benefits. The
our hands.
result is that despite our best efforts so far,
“Violent Attacks amid seasonal rise in
too many people in our community cannot
homeless population raise tension in city,”
afford a place to live. Last November, for
The Oregonian, July 22, 2013
instance, when Home Forward opened up
“Homeless Camp in SE Portland
the Section 8 voucher waiting list for the
Frustrates Neighbors, Homeless” The
first time in years, they received 21,000
Oregonian, July 26, 2013
applications in one week. Yet, under the
“Three Blocks of SW Fourth Are A
most optimistic scenarios, only 3,000 of
Homeless Camp” Portland Mercury, June 7,
those households will be helped in the next
2013
five years.
While it’s reasonable for the press to
We have reached a critical crossroads: we
inform the community about these
can either stay the course and hope that
L
Deborah
Kafoury
Deborah Kafoury is
the M ultnom ah
County
Commissioner for
District 1. She can be
reached a t deborah.
kafoury@multco.gov
forces outside Oregon’s borders like
Congress and the national economy will
somehow resolve this issue. Or, we can
boldly step together in a new direction.
We can start by knocking down the
artificial boundaries of a 30-year-old
agreement that made the city of Portland
responsible for chronically homeless
individuals and Multnomah County
responsible for homeless families. Instead of
this archaic system
with gaps and
unintentional overlaps,
we can create a new . The federal government,
unified hub that will
paralyzed by sequestration,
pool our scarce
Is actually serving fewer
resources, encircle
households and w ith lower
our community
benefits, The result Is that
partners and inspire
despite our best efforts so
our partners in
business and
far, too many people in onr
philanthropy.
com m unity cannot afford a
Toward that end, I
stand with City
Commissioner Dan
Saltzman for his
recent pledge of
additional funds for housing. I commit to
working with my Colleagues at Multnomah
County to respond in kind. And I call for a
new unified effort that more closely aligns
our entire efforts, streamlines our
administration and re-focuses on attention
toward building on what we know works.
We are one community and we must work
as one.
This week, we know that there are far too
many children who dressed for their first
day of school at a homeless shelter. Let’s
help their mothers and fathers bring them
soon to a safe and secure home.
Sum m er
by Avendor
Dignity
Poverty
)ver 6 million people worldwide vote for dignity over poverty
vhen they buy street press. By doing so. th e y help vendors
n 40 co u n tries, selling' over lOO different titles, to change
h e ir lives. In re tu rn , re a d e rs enjoy quality, ind ep en d en t
o u rn a lis m . in th e know ledge th a t th e y ’ve m ad e a difference.
Vote for Dignity.
International
Network of
Street
Papers
Summer
glory of sun,
importance of water,
solace of shade.
Vain assemblies,
warm pennies
bustling laundromats,
the thoughtful elderly...
Children chasing children,
butterflies crossing their paths
wars, fires, overheated cars
cold beer, rock festivals, moonlight carousing.
Monks in monasteries,
fruitsellers in tents
lovers on a park bench,
college-bound students gearing up;
and I
doing my duties
yearning for joys
and portents of loveliness