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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 2015)
Street Roots • February 13-19, 2015 Page 3 Editorial Write in if you would Ske " / \ to have \ something that you’ve / \ A---- A, wri»puW tohed — / \ / jo our pages, or would like to get involved as a ' member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi at . 503-228-5657,joanne@streetroots.org. We ask toat all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, jfavaiiable. Street Roots 211 NW Davis St, Portland, OR 97209 503-228*5657 Fax; 503-227-3117 www.streetroots.org www.newSeStreetroots.org Hours; 7:30 a.m.~3 p.m. Mon,-Fit, 7:30 . a.m.-2 p.m., Sat., and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@streetroots.org What will it take to end homelessness? T X o r tla n d , like many cities throughout thé United States, finds itself at a crossroads. How do we collectively tackle the housing crisis and begin to really put the resources needed into ending homelessness? „ , ______ . , Anna Griffin’s series on homelessness in The Oregonian B I B E C T O B 'S has provided the region with a broader perspective on the issue. People around the city, in doorways and under bridges, in coffee houses By Israel Bayer and pubs, in the halls of power and atneighborhoodgatherings are all asking the same question. How can we tackle the housing crisis in dur city? Regional government leaders, foundations and supporters like you have been working for years to hold the line both politically and financially when it comes to housing thousands of people experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, after 30 years of divestment by the federal government from public housing, no regulations on maintaining affordable housing locally and multiple recessions, we still find ourselves asking the same questions. What new ideas or tools can we use to specifically tackle the issue of homelessness and housing? That’s the question I posed to civic leaders, government officials and advocates. Here’s what they had to say. JL Israel Bayer is the executive director o f Street Roots. You can reach him at israel@streetroots. org or follow him on Twitter @israelbayer. Deborah Kafoury, Multnomah County chair: “I spent the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 28 at JOIN s day center on Northeast 82nd Avenue. It was the second time I’ve participated in the one-night street and shelter count and the experience reminded me in a very tangible way how desperate the need for housing is in our community.- It is my number one priority as Multnomah County chair. “Creating ‘A Home for Everyone’ and the collaboration between Multnomah County, the cities of Gresham and Portland, Home Forward and Meyer Memorial Trust was a first step toward creating a common agenda that will align policies and dollars to make new strategic investments. “This past month, we committed to end all veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and we were awarded a $2 million federal grant to house 130 chronically homeless households. However, no m atter how efficient or well-coordinated our system becomes, unless we have new tools such as inclusionary zoning and more dollars to develop affordable housing units, we won’t make a significant impact on th^ housing gap, especially for our extremely low-income neighbors.” Jes Larson, director of the Welcome Home Coalition (a coalition working to provide long-term supportive funding for affordable housing and homeless services): “We know housing is the antidote to homelessness. What we haven’t solved is our strategy to sufficiently fund our housing affordability infrastructure. Local communities historically relied on federal resources to fund affordable housing, but these funding streams have been cut dramatically year after year for the past four decades and newer state-level funding strategies have never filled the gap. After 30 years of divestment, we’ve created our modern-day rate of widespread homelessness and a housing crisis that affects most family budgets. “To solve homelessness, we need to act locally. We can learn from other U.S. cities acting locally by dedicating new revenue streams to fund affordable housing. For example, in Miami, Fla., a 1 percent dining tax generates $20 million annually and has reduced the city’s rate of homelessness, from 8,000 to 800. That’s $1 for every $100 meal out ending homelessness. “Seattle’s property tax levy is another leading example. The average homeowner pays $65 a year, in turn generating $20 million for housing development, rent and homeownership assistance. “Boston, for example, uses a combination óf developer fees on commercial and residential projects to produce nearly $20 million in affordable housing investments each year. “Many are familiar with San Francisco affordability crisis, where voters recently passed a ballot measure to require a $20 million set-aside from the city’s general fund for affordable housing, with a schedule to increase to $50 million by 2045. “These are just a few examples of how local communities are coming together to dedicate local funds to address local housing needs. It’s time for the Portland metro region to come together and decide h o w See DIRECTOR'S DESK, page 5 Managing Editor Joanne Zuhi joanne@streetrc5ots.org Cole Merkel cole@streetroots.org V e n d o r C o o r d in a to r O p e ra tio n s D ir e c to r Sarah B eeaoft P r o g r a m A s s is ta n t Grace Badik, Jesuit Volunteer, grace@streetroots.org Development Director Sarah Cloud Development Assistant Ann-Derrick Gaillot Reporters Emily Green, Sue Zalokar, Christen McCurdy, Sarah Hansell, Sam Bouman, Jacques Von Lunen Photographers Diego Diaz, Kristina Wright Canvasser Desmon Hardison Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Anderson Vice-Chairman Michael Anderson Treasurer Heather Stadick Secretary Amber Bielman Directors Rich Rodgers, Brad Taylor, Leo Rhodes, Ken Hawkins, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa, Rachel Langford Volunteers Jan Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John Barker, Sarah Hansell, Jade Maniscalo, Sam Bouman, Eliese Baker, Tom Ray, Lee Ko, Aaron Von Reyn, Cherie Vedal, Jessie Carver, James Vu, Melissa Kahn, Lisa Waldo, Susannah Kamala, Monica Kwasnik, Doug Spangle If you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik fo r more information at 503-228-5657. u
