News
Page 4
Street Roots • Dec. 21-27, 2018
Stretched thin
Local agencies weigh budget options to
alleviate the high-stress and low-wage
conditions social-workers workers face
on the front lines of the homeless crisis
and low-income people receive will worsen:
Clients will have multiple case managers due
to high staff turnover, shelters and other
ow wages, high staff turnover, stress
programs may be understaffed, and programs
and low morale are rife among the staff
will slowly become less effective and more
at homeless services nonprofits,
dysfunctional.
according to those who work in the field. So
“We’re not going to see good outcomes ... if
the Joint Office of Homeless Services is
we can’t stabilize the organizations,” Jolin
looking to the upcoming budget process to
said.
help fund solutions.
There are increasing concerns with being
“There is an urgent need to stabilize our
able to retain employees, prevent high
nonprofits,” said Marc John, the director of
turnover and fill job vacancies. Sources for
the Joint Office of Homeless Services, during
this story say it is also a struggle to provide
a Dec. 17 budget presentation to the
appropriate training, support, and ongoing
executive committee of A Home For
training and education for employees so their
Everyone. “They’ve grown aggressively. We’ve
job skills change and advance.
asked them to achieve more and more. What
In the social-service world, the stresses and
we’ve been hearing is that it’s a strain.”
demands
of the job, which involves working
A Home For Everyone is an advisory group
closely with people while they are homeless
for the Joint Office composed of homeless and
and experiencing great
housing experts. Its
m MM i m n m m
— atr-Gaorio mheFeftt i y - - ■ ■
executive committee
taxing, especially during
approved
the past few years as the
1C •Our staff
recommendations to
Portland area has
prioritize next year’s
experienced a crisis in
experience significant the
dollars for programs
affordability and
that reduce racial
availability of rental
housing stress and
disparities among the
housing.
homeless population,
instability, We’re feeling Low pay,
preserve budget money
characteristic of
and programs that
It' fairly acutely as an
nonprofit work, is also
receive matching dollars
cited as a factor, and it
from the state and
organization,”
affects the ability of case
federal governments,
-
Stacy
Borke
managers, shelter
and prioritize services
Transition Projects workers and other
that prevent people
employees in the social
from becoming
service world to find
homeless.
affordable housing.
The 2019-20 budget
Morale, sources say, is consequently low.
will not be approved until next summer, but
Stacy Borke, a member of A Home For
planning is already underway to draft the Joint
Everyone’s executive committee and the
Office’s budget and create different funding
senior director of programs for Transition
scenarios in the case of an increase in budget
Projects, one of the largest social-service
dollars, stable funding or a budget cut.
agencies in Portland, said that many of
The issue of staffing concerns surfaced
Transition Projects’ employees have a second
repeatedly.
job. Other employees live “doubled up” with
“If we want to better meet the need, we
family and friends, in their cars or even in a
need more staff and more resources,” said
shelter.
Bobby Weinstock, the housing advocate for
“Our staff experience significant housing
Northwest Pilot Project, a social service
stress and instability,” she said. “We’re feeling
agency that houses low-income seniors. “I
it fairly acutely as an organization.”
think the whole system is feeling that.”
Borke said the starting wage for a case
As the recommendations for how to
manager at Transition Projects is $17 an hour;
prioritize the budget were being drafted, Jolin
the starting wage for people who work in
said, there was discussion of abandoning the
shelters is $14 an hour.
recommendation to address staffing concerns
According to the National Low Income
in the budget, for the sake of continuing
Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach 2017 report,
prioritizing programs that prevent and end
a person needs to earn nearly $24 an hour to
homelessness.
be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in
Yet there are growing concerns that if thé
issue is not addressed, the services homeless
BY AMANDA WALDROUPE
STAFF W R IT E R
B
ISTOÇK ILLUSTRATION
See STR ESSED , page 5