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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2015
Veterans:7KH\QHHGPRUHWKDQKRXVLQJWROHDGDIXO¿OOLQJOLIH
Continued from Page 1A
The program can af-
ford to spend about $600
a month on a single
veteran’s housing needs, yet
few landlords in the communi-
ty rent apartments and housing
units for that amount, he said.
Coy has housed several
veterans in the region, and has
worked with cases involving
single veterans, to veterans
with a family of four living
out of a car. Three veterans
are scheduled to be housed
soon, he said, but 11 addition-
al veterans who qualify for the
program must wait for hous-
ing to become available.
“It’s a national problem,”
Coy added.
Bottom-line barrier
The Northwest Oregon
Housing Authority runs a
program, in conjunction
with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, called the
Veterans Affairs Supportive
Housing.
The program’s primary
tool to support veterans is a
“VASH” voucher, a relatively
new asset for Clatsop, Colum-
bia and Tillamook counties
that helps veterans rent from
a private landlord. Right now,
41 vouchers have been allo-
cated to the service area.
“We’re excited and hope
we can get more VASH
vouchers on board,” said Todd
Johnston, executive director
of the housing authority.
But the scarce housing op-
tions can prevent the vouch-
ers from doing much good.
“That’s the biggest issue
we’ve seen right now, is a
lack of available housing —
just units in general, whether
it’s low-income affordable,
or just market-rate units,”
he said. “Even people with
a voucher that can rent a
market-rate unit, there’s just
nothing available right now
in all the three counties that
we serve.”
Herzig said housing
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ing license”: They allow peo-
ple to hunt but do not guar-
antee a catch — and veterans
with vouchers in hand often
remain homeless simply be-
cause homes are in short sup-
ply.
Local landlords some-
times evict veterans and other
tenants because the landlords
can make more money during
the summer with a weekly or
weekend rental than with a
monthly rental, Coy said.
And the money to be
made on short-term vacation
rentals dissuades develop-
ers from building affordable
housing, Herzig said, adding
that he’s heard developers
say the bottom-line is better
served by building boutique
housing.
Fighting for home
Photos by Joshua Bessex/The Daily Astorian
ABOVE: The crowd listens during the Lower Columbia Diversity Project’s Helping Our Heroes: Addressing Veteran Homelessness in Clatsop County
panel discussion Sunday. BELOW: Hannah Silverman, with the U.S. Coast Guard, gives a presentation Sunday about homeless veterans during the
Lower Columbia Diversity Project’s panel.
abuse care and aftercare.
Without these services, many
veterans risk sliding into
homelessness.
Dan Brown, a U.S. Army
veteran living in Restoration
House in Seaside, shared his
story of post-traumatic stress
and personal tragedy that led
him to drugs and alcohol and,
from there, to committing a
robbery that landed him in
prison for 10 years. Though
he’s been sober for 11 years
and is working to put his past
behind him, Brown’s felony
charge makes him, in most
circumstances, unemploy-
able and unhouseable.
Patrick Preston, a disabled
veterans employment repre-
sentative for the Oregon Em-
ployment Department who
served in the U.S. Army, said
post-traumatic stress, borne
of experiencing emotional
intensity day after week af-
ter month after year, is inde-
scribable.
“It just doesn’t come down
overnight, sometimes never,”
he said, adding that veterans
must often be housed in a sta-
ble environment before case-
workers can effectively begin
to address veterans’ personal
development.
Decent housing — a safe
space for people to work,
play, raise families and live
their lives — is a main factor
that determines the health of
individuals and communities.
“Housing actually has a
whole lot more to do with
health than a lot of people re-
alize,” Brian Mahoney, direc-
tor of Clatsop County Public
Health, said.
Johnston said he once
heard a landlord, after dis-
covering the challenges many
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mer felons — confront just to
get a roof over their head, re-
mark: “These veterans fought
for our home. Now it’s time
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CO M IN G IN FEBRUARY!
2016 ED ITIO N
of th e a w a rd-w in n in g publica tion from
th e publish ers of Coa st W eeken d
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and Current M ilit ar y P er s o n n el
ea t fo r
Veterans need more than
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life after serving their coun-
try, according to Hannah
Silverman, an emergency
response specialist and ac-
tive duty member of the U.S.
Coast Guard Sector Colum-
bia River who opened the
presentation.
They need access to
healthcare, nutritious meals,
psychological
counseling
and, sometimes, substance
⁄ 2 P R IC E
1
Veterans day w ed, Nov 11th
C h ec k o u t o u r
D aily S o u p & Lu n c h S p ec ials
Monday - Fri
day • Open dai
ly at 11am
1 BLOCK OFF BROADWAY • 1 BLOCK FROM BEACH
20 N. COLUMBIA, SEASIDE • 503-738-4331
NormasSeaside.com
I Am Thankful
T h e on ly region a l
m a ga zin e focused on
just th e Colum bia -
P a cific region
This is the time of year when we
reflect on our lives and our blessings
There are many that list something they are thankful
for each day in November on social media.
On Thanksgiving Day,
The Daily Astorian will dedicate a
full page in our classified section to the
community, allowing a time to share
something you are thankful for.
T here is a 20 w ord m axim u m for each su b m ission .
T his allow s m ore p eop le to p articip ate.
How to p articip ate:
em a il you r “ I a m tha n k fu l” to- hla rk in s @ d a ilya s toria n .com
or m a il to- The Da ily A s toria n , P.O . Box 210, A s toria , O R 97103,
A ttn : Holly La rk in s
Dea d lin e: N o vem b er 2 0th a t 5pm .
RES ERVE YO UR S PACE TO DAY!
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