S treet Roots • J u ly 2 4 - 3 0 , 2 0 1 5
News
Page 7
City, county looking fo r landlords to house homeless veterans
BY EMILY GREEN
STAFF WRITER
"V
TT T ith approximately 360 Portland-area
% /% / veterans still in need of housing,
▼ ▼ city and county officials are
pleading with landlords to consider taking
homeless veterans as tenants in order to
reach local and federal goals of housing all
veterans by the end of 2015.
“Maybe these veterans don’t have the
best credit history or rental history, but
we’re here to partner with you to make
them successful,” says Mary Carroll,
Multnomah County’s project manager for
the Home for Every Veteran campaign.
In early June, County Chair Deborah
Kafoury and Portland Mayor Charlie Hales
signed off on a letter sent to 600 landlords,
property owners and managers across the
metro region, urging them to consider
renting to homeless veterans. With local and
federal funding allocated to pay all costs
associated with the program, landlords can
participate with little financial risk,
according to Carroll.
Home for Everyone and Home for Every
Veteran, local government and nonprofit
collaboratives, have “made a commitment to
landlords that they will not be left with
unpaid expenses,” should they rent to a
homeless veteran, says Home for Everyone
Director Marc John.
But despite veterans’ access to vouchers
and funding, finding landlords willing to rent
to them has been a challenge, says
Multnomah County spokeswoman Jessica
Morkert-Shibley. •
Navy veteran Shaun
Followed, is one o f 10
Street Roots vendors
who signed up fo r
housing vouchers in
May. A ll 10 are still
homeless. Followell
says he usually sleeps
under Tilikum
Crossing or along the
waterfront so he’s close to Street Roots for
early m orning newspaper pickup. He sells
in front o f Stumptown Coffee Roasters on
Southeast Division Street and 45th Avenue.
“We realize that the rental market is
really tight, and they pretty much have their
pick of the litter when it comes to having a
tenant,” she says, “but we are asking them,
please, give a shot to homeless veterans.”
To date, only about a dozen landlords
have expressed interest in the program,
says Carroll.
Homeless veterans who qualify are able to
pay rent with vouchers provided to them
through the Veterans Administration, and
veterans who don’t qualify for VA benefits
are eligible for vouchers through Transition
Projects and Home Forward. Funding from
the state, Multnomah County and City of
Portland cover additional moving costs, such
as application fees, security deposits, and
even a 24-7 landlord response team should
problems arise. There are also funds
available to cover any damage incurred to
rental units not covered by the security
deposit, says Carroll.
The county estimates it needs to find
housing for two veterans per day moving
renting to a typical tenant, who may have
forward in order to end homelessness
lied on their rental application, have an
among veterans by 2016. Jolin says every
outdated credit report, or whose ability to
year about 690 veterans in the Portland
pay rent may change after signing the lease.
metro region experience homelessness.
She says the program even offered to pay
Locally, 300 veterans have been housed
the $1,400 a month rent for the three-
through the effort to end veteran
bedroom condo she had available while she
homelessness so far this year, he says.
screened potential tenants. She was also
While the future of the federal incentive
allowed to set her own parameters. She said
program is uncertain, Jolin says that locally,
she didn’t want a smoker or pet owner. She
“We’re trying to build a system that has the
rented the unit to a veteran with two young
capacity going forward
daughters a week and
to fulfill the needs of
a half ago and says
homeless veterans and
the process has been
Landlords interested in renting to
continue to have local
smooth.
investment”
homeless veterans should contact
“Right now finding
In addition to
housing is very hard,
Mary Carroll by emailing her at
federal and local
so if he didn’t work
mary.carroll@muitco.us or by
funding for rent
out,” she says, “I
calling 503-988-6796.
vouchers, application
could put it in the
If you are a homeless veteran in
and other moving fees,
paper and have 200
need of housing, you can get started
Portland’s regional
people wanting the
by going to the VA Community
public housing agency,
unit.”
Resource and Referral Center at 308
Home Forward, has
“I would urge any
SW First Ave. in Old Town, Portland,
prioritized veterans,
landlord to at least
or by calling 211.
committing to renting
look at this program,”
50 units located at
she says.
Carroll says the
properties in
offices of Hales, Kafoury, City
downtown Portland and the Pearl District to
Commissioner Dan Saltzman, County
homeless veterans when they become
Commissioner Jules Bailey and Gresham
available. A side effect of this prioritization
City Councilor Karylinn Echols are following
is that other households that may have been
up with large property managers by phone
waiting for housing longer may continue to
in an effort to find housing for the remaining
wait.
homeless veterans.
5 Joani Jones, a landlord with property in
“We cannot be successful unless private
Gresham, has decided to participate in the
program. She says it’s less risky than
landlords participate,” she says.
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C areO regon-
goMobileteam
Vendors sell Street Roots
throughout Portland. If you
want to find a vendor near
you, call our vendor
department at
B»_
503-228-5657_ _ _ _