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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, FEbRuARy 26, 2022
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
Publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
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BEHIND THE NEWS
‘Everybody wants somewhere to live’
hen Astoria revealed a potential workforce
housing project at Heritage Square in January,
one component stood out.
Edlen & Co., a Portland-based developer, pitched
workforce housing for lower-wage workers and a part-
nership with Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare on support-
ive housing for people struggling with mental health and
drug and alcohol abuse and facing homelessness.
Mental health was not part of the conversation last
fall when the City Council called for
workforce housing at Heritage Square
and invited developers to submit ideas.
The micro units envisioned at Heri-
tage Square could help provide a more
stable path from treatment to recov-
ery for people at 30% of area median
income — $15,330 a year using 2021
DERRICK
figures. The partnership would also
DePLEDGE
reduce the income average for all the
housing units, allowing Edlen & Co.
to offer a broader income range for the workforce units
while remaining eligible for the government financial
help necessary for the project.
Any housing at Heritage Square was bound to draw
some opposition, but the mental health component of the
Edlen & Co. outline has animated the campaign against
the project.
City Councilor Tom Brownson and City Councilor
Tom Hilton, who on Tuesday night voted against an
exclusive negotiating agreement with Edlen & Co., cited
concerns about Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare’s role as
among their reasons.
The mental health component will likely be among
the most scrutinized elements of the project at open
houses to gather public input in the coming weeks.
“It’s just so normal for people to be fearful of some-
thing that’s change in general,” Neal Rotman, the hous-
ing services manager at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare,
said.
The agency has been looking for housing opportuni-
ties in Clatsop County. A small footprint has started to
take shape: A sober living duplex in Warrenton; a few
supportive housing units and a handful of transitional
housing beds in Seaside; a house in Astoria for women
and children.
Heritage Square — at 33 micro units with support
services — would be an ambitious expansion.
In an interview, Rotman talked about the importance
of housing to the agency’s mission and his thoughts
about some of the criticism that has surfaced about the
project.
Q: How does housing fit within Clatsop Behav-
ioral Healthcare’s mission to provide mental health
and drug and alcohol abuse treatment?
A: There’s been studies over 20 years now related to
the Housing First model. The studies show us that peo-
ple who are homeless don’t do well in taking care of
their physical, the physiology or their behavioral health
needs.
For us at CBH, our mission is to reach as many peo-
ple as possible, to help them with their behavioral health
concerns, whether it be substance use disorder type stuff
or the mental health issues that they may be facing. And
as long as we have a population of individuals who are
homeless, trying to engage them — with serious engage-
ment — is extremely difficult.
When you’re worrying about, where am I going to
eat? Where am I going to spend the night? Where am I
going to go to the bathroom, actually, in many cases?
To focus on getting to an appointment, following up
with a case manager or a therapist or some type of sub-
stance use program in general, is extremely difficult for
people.
W
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Neal Rotman is the housing services manager at Clatsop
Behavioral Healthcare.
So really, it’s partially wanting to do what our mission
is, which is to serve the Clatsop community with behav-
ioral health services, and not being able to be able to do
that with a moderate amount of the population.
Q: The housing crunch in Clatsop County hits
across income ranges. How does the lack of rental
housing options, in particular, create barriers for peo-
ple looking to emerge from treatment into recovery?
A: Everybody wants their own place, I mean that’s
just a given. Everybody wants somewhere to live, they
want something to call home.
If you’re currently on any form of disability, you’re
earning between $780 to maybe $1,300, $1,400 a month.
We know with the current housing stock to rent a stu-
dio or a one-bedroom in Astoria or even, move down the
coast a little bit, you’re looking at anywhere from $800
to $1,400 for just a mildly priced unit.
If your income is in that $1,000 range, you cannot
afford to rent a unit. So you’re left to homelessness or
you’re forced to rent a unit and then have nothing else
for anything else in your life, including food.
Even on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program) benefits and things like that, you’re still only
going to get about $120 a month ...
The reality is you just can’t afford to compete with the
housing market when your income is low.
Now, for folks who have had some kind of mental
health, behavioral health — they may have lost a posi-
tion during their behavioral health crisis, they may have
engaged in some behaviors with their family or other
support systems — and so even staying with family may
become problematic.
But to get into that job that you want to get, trying
to get there without showering, without taking care of
yourself, doing laundry on a regular basis, can be very
difficult.
So that’s why our folks really struggle.
Q: The supportive housing units at Heritage
Square are still in the concept stage, but can you give
us some idea of the people who would benefit most
from these types of micro units?
A: If we are successful — which we’re really trying
to get funding from multiple streams, one of those is per-
manent supportive housing.
In order to get the housing vouchers through that pro-
gram with the state, you have to be part of coordinated
access (for entry into the local homeless services sys-
tem). Clatsop Community Action oversees coordinated
access for this county.
So our folks would be like any other individual,
they’re going to have to get into that queue of coordi-
nated access, which means — who this could help —
is pretty much anyone who is in that 30% AMI (area
median income) category.
Q: Over the past few years, Astoria has struggled
with how to respond to some of the increasingly vis-
ible bad behavior downtown and near the Astoria
Riverwalk. Some of this behavior is related to home-
lessness, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse.
What do you say to people who are concerned that
the supportive housing units at Heritage Square
would attract more bad behavior downtown?
A: I think there’s this misnomer that any type of
affordable housing project is going to attract a bad ele-
ment, just because you’re talking about a lower eco-
nomic situation for people.
The reality is — I’ve been part of a number of sup-
portive housing programs, and I’ve never seen people
congregating, because it’s someone’s home.
So the difference between a shelter or something of
that nature, or a navigation center ... that’s quite differ-
ent from permanent supportive housing, in the sense that
these are people’s homes.
People aren’t going to get any type of resource com-
ing to this supportive housing, because unless they’re
a tenant — unless they’ve gone through the housing
authority, Clatsop Community Action — it’s not an entry
point.
So hanging out in front of a supportive housing pro-
gram is not going to get you access, it’s not going to get
you services. Like anywhere else in town where some-
one’s congregating or whatever and having some kind
of behavioral health issue, it may get a crisis program to
come out and talk to them, but it’s not going to get you a
bed for the night. It’s not going to get you the things you
want long term.
I don’t really see the two connecting that way, as
compared to a shelter or some other type of program.
Q: We’ve been struck by some of the language
used by critics of the outline at Heritage Square:
“Monstrosity.” “Unhealthy development.” “If you
build it, they will come.” “The hole isn’t that bad.”
What are your thoughts on some of the criticism?
A: Everybody wants the best for their community.
Any idea that something’s going to take away from what
you currently have — and some of the criticism I see is
we’ll lose some parking, this was originally planned out
to be a public space.
I think the design that Edlen and (architect) Stuart
Emmons have put together is trying to incorporate all of
that together, with a community space honoring the Gar-
den of Surging Waves.
We’re trying to make it designed so there is still some
parking available, so that we’re not going to eat up any
more of a limited resource downtown as far as parking.
So when I hear “monstrosity,” I can’t really relate to
that. Because, to me, it’s really well designed. And if
people really wanted to look at the design and under-
stand, which I’m hoping we’ll get opportunities to do,
they’ll see that this actually will beautify downtown in
many ways.
In our discussions, we’ve talked about how do we
make Surging Waves even more of a prominent point
and a place where people want to go and look? And I
think by incorporating the community space in there, as
well, is a big effort to do that.
We’re also trying to figure out, can we put child care
on something like this, because that’s needed downtown
as well. So that, again, adding another service to the com-
munity that will make people gravitate there and use it.
derrick dePledge is editor of The Astorian.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Nix
e: “A reflection of Astoria’s policy
values” (The Astorian, Feb. 19): Nix
on developing Heritage Square into work-
force housing by Edlen & Co.
The city of Astoria and the taxpay-
ers should not be in the business of sub-
sidizing housing for local enterprises to
accommodate their employees. Instead of
a downtown location, encourage the apart-
ment projects in the works near Tongue
Point, Uppertown and Uniontown.
Astoria needs open space downtown for
all kinds of gatherings. At least two presi-
dents have made remarks outdoors in our
city. The space can be a starting point for
events or outside concerts. The Astoria
Sunday Market is a huge activity for locals
and visitors, who also visit the shops in
town.
Parking is needed downtown. Even
with Heritage Square available now, try to
find a place to park when the Liberty The-
atre or Fort George Brewery has an event,
or even on a holiday weekend. And like it
or not, many of the potential residents of
this new housing will have cars.
This project will have long-term neg-
ative effects on our enjoyment of open
space in the city. How about taking a vote?
The city belongs to all of us.
MIKE GREEN
Astoria
R
Overlooked
n all this talk about what to do with Her-
itage Square, I am very concerned that
one of this city’s best and greatest eco-
nomic draws is being overlooked.
I
As a vendor at the Astoria Sunday Mar-
ket for eight years, here is what I have
observed. The Oregon Coast is world
famous. People fly into Portland, rent a car
and come visit our coast. They start their
journey in Astoria!
On Sunday mornings, I have met peo-
ple from all over the world! They spend
money here, so let’s continue to capital-
ize on this by enhancing their experience
while they are here. Let’s develop a city
with open space and a green lawn, where
visitors and residents can walk around and
breathe!
During the week, the adjacent park-
ing lot is essential for visitors and shop-
pers and workers. Then on Sunday, it turns
into this wonderful marketplace — where
several hundred-small business people can
sell their handmade goods, local farmers
can sell their healthy produce and thou-
sands of people can eat delicious food and
listen to music. All while they enjoy our
beautiful city and marketplace and spend
money.
Fill in the hole and landscape it to
enhance the Chinese garden. It is called
Heritage Square, not apartment building
square. Let’s celebrate our unique heri-
tages with respect and beauty and they will
come!
TED MESSING
Astoria
Intolerant reaction
he point of view represented in the
lead article “Astoria looks at menu of
options to address quality of life concerns”
(Feb. 19) is incredibly offensive. Whose
quality of life are we concerned about?
T
Obviously not those who are marginalized,
vulnerable and already suffering from a
lack of stable housing.
We have the highest rate of homeless-
ness per capita in the state. This is not an
issue we can reactively criminalize our
way out of. Suggesting that citizens who
have to witness others’ struggle degrades
their quality of life is a point of view of
privilege and intolerance.
Homelessness is directly related to a
shortage of affordable housing and social
services. Rather than implementing an
“out of sight, out of mind” approach, how
about not arbitrarily limiting the Astoria
Warming Center’s days of operation and
number of beds?
Why don’t we allow shelters as an out-
right use, instead of a provisional use, in
this city? Why do we think that our quality
of life matters more than theirs?
This article, coupled with the outright
fear-mongering and campaign of misin-
formation led by a city planning commis-
sioner against the proposed supportive and
affordable housing development at Heri-
tage Square, casts this city as incredibly
intolerant and heartless.
I, for one, stand with Billie Delaney of
the Astoria Warming Center on this issue.
I am concerned about the quality of life
of all citizens, housed or unhoused, strug-
gling or comfortable. We are better than
this short-sighted, intolerant reaction.
LAURA JACKSON
Astoria