Street Roots • June 26-July 3, 2015
Page 3
E d it o r ia l
Federal plan has promise, but needs more to deliver
hospitals yet are too sick or injured to recover on the
streets. Getting the health care system working in
Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End
Homelessness got a bit of a makeover.
tandem with housing makes common sense, as each
It’s only five years old, but the nation’s only
network is highly influenced by the success of the
comprehensive policy for addressing homelessness was
other. The federal Housing and Human Services is
falling behind the times. One of the most notable is the
promoting using Medicaid assistance to include
realization that it’s a lot tougher than just pointing a
permanent, supportive housing for people experiencing
finger at states and demanding
and at risk of homelessness. And it should. Housing is a
results: In fact, the feds have
social determinant of health.
pushed the goal for ending chronic
And, of course, the plan recognizes the obvious: The
homelessness back two years to
need for more affordable, stable, low-income housing. It
2017, blaming a lack of
also encourages public-private partnerships, and
Congressional support.
synching networks between the streets and housing and
The changes also include adding an operational
assistance opportunities, and promoting “housing first”
definition for an end to homelessness. Yes, the 2010
and rapid-rehousing programs. All well and good and in
original seems to have left out that bit of whimsy. As
many cases working tremendously right here in
proposed, the new operational definition states that an
Portland and Multnomah County.
end to homelessness means that every community will
All great, but where’s the money?
have a system in place that ensures homelessness is
prevented whenever possible or is otherwise a rare,
The president’s 2016 budget includes nearly $5.5
brief, arid non-recurring experience.
billion dedicated to homelessness assistance, plus
Maybe that will put an end to the shifting sands of
additional housing vouchers to help a whole range of
defining homelessness that has been problematic since
low-income families, youths and veterans. That’s a $345
states began implementing 10-year plans to end
million increase over the previous budget and.is to be
homelessness. Regardless, it’s a needed definition,
dispersed in the form of state and local grants.
emphasing the imperative on prevention and pleasantly
It’s a start, but the forces of under-unemployment,
void of complex parameters that parse those declared
suppressed wages, social displacement and a
worthy from the simply destitute.
skyrockting housing market, among other economic
The changes to the federal plan also emphasize the
factors, remain unfettered and continue to work against
connection between housing and health care and link
us. Reversing poverty has to be a nationwide priority
services for people experiencing homelessness. Medical
with
all those factors in our scope, because
respite programs, like our Recuperative Care Program
homelessness is their creation. Until then, we will
in Multnomah County, are proven to be cost-effective
continue to see the dates extend into the future, on an
alternatives to long-term hospitalization. More ;
. obscure federal document, to meet our endless, goal of
importantly, it is humane treatment, for people
ending homelessness.
experiencing homelessness who are discharged from
If you would like
his month, a seldom-quoted document called the
B
that you’ve
written published
\
in our pages, or would
like to get involved as a
member of our reporting staff,
author’s name and contact information,
Street Roots
21 f NW Davis St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-5657
Fax:503-227-3117
www.streetroots.org
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Advertising
Interested in advertising in Street Roots?
Contact Israel Bayer at israel@streetroots.org
Executive Director Israel Bayer
israel@streetroots.org
M an ag in g E d ito r Joanne Zuhl
.
joanne@streetroots.org
Vendor Coordinator Cole Merkel
cole@streetroots.org
Operations Director Sarah Beecroft
Program Assistant Grace Badik, Jesuit
Gentrification a sweet tune for the privileged
f T ^ h e latest 2015 Multnomah County Homeless
Count was released in early June.
If homelessness, housing and wages are any
indicator of how much Black Lives
Matter in Portland - then we are
failing, badly.
Homelessness in the black
MRBCTORrS community
is skyrocketing.
S IP! SBC
“African Americans have the
highest rates of over-representation
By Israel Bayer
among communities of color,
making up 24 percent of the
homeless population compared with
7 percent of the county’s population as a whole,”
according the latest Multnomah County street count.
“African-Americans also experienced the greatest
growth in homelessness between 2013 and 2015.
This comes on the heels, of the State of Housing
report put out last month by the City of Portland
showing that there wasn’t one neighborhood that black
and Native American Portlanders could afford a two-
bedroom apartment. Not one. Zero.
“Correlations can be made between thé fact that
black people have median incomes that are less than
half of their white counterparts and that housing rates
have gone so high that there are few neighborhoods left
that people can afford,” says Karol Collymore with the
Equity Foundation.
It’s true.
,
According to the Urban League’s latest report, State
of Black Oregon, the unemployment rate among
African-Americans in Oregon age 16 to 19 was 55
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.
percent.
If all of these facts aren’t examples of blatant racism
in progressive Portland, then I don’t know what is. We
haven’t even touched on the long history of inequities in
the criminal justice system and education systems.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum a
different group of people live: a mostly white and
progressive population that are finding Portland to be
quite nice. A sustainable city filled with hope, creativity
and innovation: those with resources and an education,
they call it paradise.
“Creating walkability with restaurants and stores can
help transition an edgy part of town into one that is hip
and hopping with pedestrians,” said National
Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun
at the latest national realtors conference in May. “This
type of real estate development transforms the
community for the better.”
The coffee is brewing, the whiskey is flowing and the
music is playing. There is money to be made and lots of
it. It’s a sweet tune for those privileged enough to hear
its jingle.
“The soul of our community is currently being
tested,” says Charles McGee with the Black Parent
Initiative. “We need to fight to maintain the Portland
many of us fell in love with. We all benefit from a more
diverse community. Until all Portlanders are able to
access stable housing and living wage jobs we aren’t
living up to our community’s promise. We can do better.
We have to do better.”
The question we have before us, readers, isn’t
whether racism is alive and well in Portland. It’s what
are we going to do about it?
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, Jared Paben
Photographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode
Canvasser Desmond Hardison
Board of Directors
Chairman Bruce Anderson
Vice-Chairman Brad Taylor
Treasurer Heather Stadick
Secretary Amber Bielman
Directors Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson,
Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander,
Eddie Barbosa, Rachel Langford
Volunteers
( I Bayer, Rob Shyrock, Stacey Heath, John
Barker, Sarah Hansell, Aaron Von Reyn, Chere
Cobb, Audrey Cerchiara, Jade Maniscalco,
Anjali Rathore, Eliese Baker, Doug Spangle,
Susannah Kamala, Susan Gallagher, Tom Ray,
Lee Ko, Dan Jones, Lisa Waldo, James Yu, Sam
Bouman, Cherie Vedal
If you are Interested In volunteering with
Street Roots, please submit a volunteer
application atstreetroots.org/volunteer. Or
call Volunteer Coordinator Grace Badik for
more Information at 503-228-5657.