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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2015)
Health care, homelessness report charts action foward new report released last week by the City Club of Portland outlines the challenges and opportunities our community faces concerning homelessness and health care reform. The report found what many advocates have argued for years, that one of the greatest social determinants of __ health is housing. ■“ According to the report, national surveys have found that homeless individuals are three to six times more likely to become sick than those who are housed, and Multnomah County is no exception. More than half (53 percent) of the homeless population in Multnomah County were found to suffer from potentially life threatening disabling conditions, with 17 percent of the unsheltered population reporting a chronic health condition.. The annual report, produced by the local government, the medical examiner’s office and Street Roots, found that from 2011 to 2013 more than 135 people experiencing homelessness died in Multnomah County. This only includes individuals who actually died outside and doesn’t include individuals who were homeless but died in a hospital or other such shelter. We know the number to be much higher. The average age of death for all three years was in the mid 40s - well below the average life expectancy of 71 years in Multnomah County. The City Club report concludes that despite issues with the Cover Oregon website, new Medicaid enrollments of the homeless population are high. Participants were enrolled in OHP by social-service providers, housing and health care workers, the police and others in law enforcement. Street Roots has seen this first hand. Partnering with Central City Concern ■ » M and others we were able to enroll more than 90 percent of our vendors. We also know that maintaining this kind of effort will require the support of local and state government to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are engaging the health care system in a timely manner. Even with an address and resources, it’s not easy navigating America’s health care system. Our community must remain diligent in not only providing, but helping facilitate access to our health care system. Some of the report’s other recommendations include: ■ By 2016 all health care providers should be trained to address the special needs of homeless populations; ■ Anyone on the streets discharged from a hospital should have a housing or shelter plan; and ■ Multnomah County and the city of Portland should look at increasing housing resources for people experiencing homelessness. The final recommendation, which may in the end be the most important one, is to have health care and housing advocates, government officials and others who work in the interest of the homeless, to strongly advocate for the social determinacy of housing, “It will further strengthen applications to receive funding for housing from public and private foundations, granting entities and private philanthropy sources,” In November, hospitals in Orlando, Fla., pledged $6 million specifically for rent assistance to assist individuals and families. There’s no reason that local hospitals and health foundations in the region shouldn’t be making the same investment. Street Roots believes that with the emergence of health care reform we can significantly decrease the num ber of people experiencing hom elessness in our community. The pieces are jn place. All it takes is the leadership to make it happen. ÜI Write in member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at 503-228-5657, joanne@$treetroots. . com. We ask that ail submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available. Street Roots 211 N W D a v is S t Portland, OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax:503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m, Sat., and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl joanne@streetroots.org Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org Vendor Coordinator Operations Director Sarah Beecroft Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer grace@streetroots.org w ' Development Director Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Rhetoric around bikes, homeless a dehumanizing narrative result of frustration and a feeling that the police and ikePortiand Publisher and Editor Jonathan Maus other agencies are not taking care of the problem quickly has been reporting on a growing concern that enough.” some homeless camps in Portland have become Vigilante actions? That’s a terrible idea. “chop shops” for stolen bicycles. One recent headline Adding fuel to the fire, the group Bike Index tracks stated, “Police search suspected Springwater chop shop, stolen bicycles distributes and sells stickers that state find stolen frame,” referring to an abandoned homeless “Death to bike thieves.” camp. Of course, I don’t believe that any of these individuals This comes after Maus himself had his bicycle stolen and then hours have any ill will toward people experiencing homelessness. However, it’s not funny o r ironic when later found it in what appeared to be you’re claiming that people on the streets are running an abandoned camp littered with chop shops, which I believe is naive to say, and then bicycle parts. having an organization promoting “Death to bike thieves” After the incident, BikePortland By Israel Bayer as a sensational way to make a statement. organized a well-attended Portland The reality is, regardless of this particular ■ h m h m h m Bike Theft Summit Where panelists conversation, targeting people experiencing, talked about the challenges facing homelessness through verbal and physical violence is all Portlanders and the relationship between people too real. experiencing homelessness and stolen bicycles, among Individually, these things might not add up to much. All other things. of them together ends up making for a tasteless and Since that time, BikePortland has been offering ' dehumanizing narrative. commentary on the issue, including posting photos of To be fair, Maus and BikePortland have always been what appears to be homeless camps with a number of champions for people experiencing poverty and the many bicycles and bicycle parts. cycling programs that exist in the region. He has always It’s understandable that people are pissed. I don’t been fair in reporting that individuals in the camps should blame them. Having anything stolen can be a traumatic not be assumed guilty - trying to capture the complexity and infuriating experience.'Any time something is stolen of the situation. from us, there’s a feeling of vulnerability. I understand In the end, there might be a real opportunity to do the frustration. What I don’t understand is the message some people in some great things in the community. Recovering people’s bikes is one of them. Maus also suggested possibly selling the cycling community are choosing to deliver when the bikes confiscated by police to support an agency talking about people experiencing homelessness and bike working with people on the streets. theft. The reality is that besides TriMet, cycling is the No. 1 In one article, BikePortland quotes an unnamed source form of transportation for the vast majority of people as saying, “They’re considering getting some friends experiencing homelessness. Possibly, “Cyclists for together, rolling up on cargo bikes, and simply carting housing” could be our next mantra. .. away the parts themselves. Vigilante actions are the B DIRECTOR’S DESK Israel B a yer is the executive d irector o f Street Roots. You can reach h im a t israel@ streetroots.org o r fo llow h im on Twitter @israelbayer. Gailtot Reporters Emily Green, Sarah Hansell, Sam Bouman, Jacques Von tunen Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina W right Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Anderson Vice-Chairman Michael Anderson Treasurer Heather Stadidc Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa Volunteers Jan Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John Barker, Dane Niddas, Kevin Glaset Sarah Hansell, Sam Bouman, Eliese Baker, Tom Ray, Cherie Vedal, Jessie Carver, Mary Locke, James Yu, Melissa Kahn, Vinnie Kinsella, Lisa Waldo If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer. application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik for more information at 503-228-5657.
