OPINION
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
A5
OTHER VIEWS
Jimmy Jones
Our economy is
pushing more into
homelessness
regon is facing a new housing crisis
beyond anything we have seen to date.
Desperately needed eviction preven-
tion programs have poured more than half a bil-
lion dollars into the rental market since 2020,
protecting thousands that lost income during the
pandemic. A series of eviction moratoriums and
tenant protections, in support of the financial
resources, have kept Oregon evictions low.
In a typical pre-pandemic year, there were
roughly 18,000 evictions — about 1,500 a
month. To our collective credit, the numbers of
evictions have not returned to that prepandemic
level, though the gap shrinks every month.
We can take no solace, however, in these
numbers.
A prepandemic eviction is not the same as
one now, because opportunities for rehousing are
minimal. Nor are the numbers of evictions even
close to the number of people losing their hous-
ing for inability to pay.
Many more have voluntarily left their homes
rather than face formal eviction. Many leave
when they receive notice of legal action, hoping
to spare their families the trauma of a knock at
the door and a lockout.
Research suggests these informal self-evic-
tions are 5.5 times the number of actual eviction
filings. So the 1,122 Oregon evictions in March
hides another 5,600 households who lost their
homes. This economic violence falls heavily on
the poorest of our citizens, especially on people
of color.
This is both an economic crisis for our work-
ing poor and yet more evidence of the callous
consequences of white supremacy in Oregon.
Just as the cost of single-family homes has
skyrocketed, rental costs have bludgeoned our
working poor, increasing by 50%. New units are
coming online rapidly, but not fast enough to
matter. And most of the new units will be mar-
ket rate.
Vacancy rates hover at 2-2.5%, making rental
stock heavily competitive, and availability depen-
dent on tightening conditions of credit and wages
that can support a 3-to-1 income-to-rental cost
ratio. Much of the perceived affordability baked
into that old 3-to-1 ratio is smoke and mirrors.
Inflationary forces in the Consumer Price Index
pushed prices up 8.5% last month, the larg-
est recorded increase since the recession year of
1981.
Wages have not kept up with the cost of liv-
ing, and the gains in wealth have mostly been
reserved for homeowners. Increased wages
are more heavily concentrated in white col-
lar and professional work, and are less visible
in unskilled labor. That means that low-income
families have to pay more, especially for gas
and food, creating painful choices for the work-
ing poor: “Do we buy groceries, or put gas in the
tank so we can get to work this week?”
The gold standard for understanding the
impact of these high rents and their relationship
to income and housing stability is the concept of
“cost burdened” (households spending 30% of
their income on housing costs and utilities) and
“severely cost burdened” (households spending
50%-plus).
In April, the National Low Income Housing
Coalition reported that “extremely low income”
households in Oregon are 87% cost burdened,
and 76% severely cost burdened. “Very low
income” households are 80% cost burdened and
36% severely cost burdened. These households
are one bad break from homelessness.
Runaway basic-need inflation makes the
already high number of rent-burdened house-
holds in Oregon greater than it otherwise appears.
Those that lose their homes have nowhere to
go. Thousands more are living on the absolute
edge, unable to afford basic standards of living
for fear of becoming homeless. Every day there
are women living with their children in cars. And
elderly and disabled folks who cannot afford the
rental increases and must go hungry to make rent.
Some will solve their own problems. Many
will not.
For those evicted, they will face a gauntlet of
few open rental units, at impossibly high prices,
with credit and other personal and financial his-
tory barriers that are too great to overcome.
Some of those, the lucky ones, can live with their
families.
Others will join our large and growing home-
less population. Just this week, the metro coun-
ties released their homeless numbers for 2022,
showing a 25% increase over 2019. Central Ore-
gon saw a 17% increase.
Our homeless crisis is no longer a phenome-
non that can be dismissed as a crisis of personal
responsibility and poor choices. The next gener-
ation of Oregon’s homeless are today’s working
poor families.
We have reached a cliff, where if we fail to
act there will be two Oregons tomorrow, one rich
and one poor. One with a future, and one fighting
every day to survive.
———
Jimmy Jones is the executive director of the
Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency
in Salem. The agency provides anti-poverty and
harm-reduction programs in Marion and Polk
counties, and some program areas serve as many
as 11 Oregon counties. Jones also serves as the
chairman of the Legislative Committee of the
Community Action Partnership of Oregon. He
is also a member of the Housing, Homelessness
and Human Services Committee of the Governor’s
Racial Justice Council.
O
Freedom and sacrifice is a call to all
OTHER
VIEWS
Jack James
W
ith Memorial Day approach-
ing on Monday, May 30, I
thought it would be prudent
and contemporary to highlight a young
Oregon warrior who made the ultimate
sacrifice for this great nation: Marc Lee.
Historically, Memorial Day is a
national holiday set aside to remember
our military members who fought and
died. Typically, the World War II genera-
tion is highlighted, and rightly so. How-
ever, the service and sacrifice of those
who died in the Korean War and Viet-
nam War should never, ever be forgotten.
I would also contend that since the
terrorist attacks on 9/11, our country has
been at war for over 20 years. Men and
women, who entered the military ser-
vice after 9/11 and chose to do a military
career, have spent 20 years at war. As a
retired military person, this fact is stag-
gering to me and should be to every citi-
zen of this county.
Lee, grew up in Oregon, enlisted in
the Navy after 9/11, and became a Navy
SEAL. He was a special person as you
will find out when you read his last letter
home, which follows. His maturity and
insight to life, death, war and citizenship
was beyond his years. But I would also
contend that Lee was also simply a good
example of his generation of volunteer
warriors and patriots. Young people who
have been volunteering to go in harm’s
way for you and for me, for over 20
years now. Please read Marc Lee’s last
letter home, let it sink into your soul, and
just perhaps, do what he recommends.
Thank you.
Lee’s last letter home (written July
2006):
Glory is something that some men
chase and others find themselves stum-
bling upon, not expecting it to find them.
Either way it is a noble gesture that one
finds bestowed upon them. My ques-
tion is when does glory fade away and
become a wrongful crusade, or an unjus-
tified means by which consumes one
completely?
I have seen war. I have seen death,
the sorrow that encompasses your entire
being as a man breathes his last. I can
only pray and hope that none of you
will ever have to experience some of
these things I have seen and felt here.
I have felt fear and have felt adrena-
line pump through my veins making me
seem invincible. I will be honest and say
that some of the things I have seen here
are unjustified and uncalled for. How-
ever, for the most part we are helping
this country. It will take more years than
most expect, but we will get Iraq to stand
on its own feet.
Most of what I have seen here I will
never really mention or speak of, only
due to the nature of those involved. I
have seen a man give his food to a hun-
gry child and family. Today I saw a hos-
pital that most of us would refuse to
receive treatment from. The filth and
smell would allow most of us to not be
able to stand to enter, let alone get medi-
cine from. However you will be relieved
to know that coalition forces have started
to provide security for and supply med-
icine and equipment to help aid in the
cause.
I have seen amazing things happen
here; however I have seen the sad part
of war too. I have seen the morals of a
man who cares nothing of human life. …
I have seen hate toward a nation’s peo-
ple who has never committed a wrong,
except being born of a third world,
ill-educated and ignorant to Western civ-
ilization. It is not everybody who feels
this way only a select few but it brings
questions to mind. Is it OK for one to
consider themselves superior to another
race?
Surprising we are not a stranger to
this sort of attitude. Meaning that in our
own country we discriminate against
someone for what nationality they are,
their education level, their social status.
We distinguish our role models as mul-
timillion dollar sports heroes or talented
actors and actress who complain about
not getting millions of dollars more then
they are currently getting paid.
Our country is a great country, don’t
get me wrong on this, otherwise none
of us would be living there. My point of
this is how can we come over here and
help a less than fortunate country with-
out holding contempt or hate toward
them if we can’t do it in our country. I
try to do my part over here, but the truth
is over there, United States, I do nothing
but take.
Ask yourself when was the last time
you donated clothes that you hadn’t
worn out. When was the last time you
paid for a random stranger’s cup of cof-
fee, meal or maybe even a tank of gas?
When was the last time you helped a
person with the groceries into or out of
their car?
Think to yourself and wonder what
it would feel like if when the bill for
the meal came and you were told it was
already paid for.
More random acts of kindness like
this would change our country and our
reputation as a country.
It is not unknown to most of us that
the rest of the world looks at us with
doubt toward our humanity and morals.
I am not here to preach or to say look
at me, because I am just as at fault as the
next person. I find that being here makes
me realize the great country we have and
the obligation we have to keep it that
way.
(July Fourth) has just come and gone
and I received many emails thanking me
for helping keep America great and free.
I take no credit for the career path I have
chosen. I can only give it to those of you
who are reading this, because each one
of you has contributed to me and who I
am.
However what I do over here is only
a small percent of what keeps our coun-
try great. I think the truth to our great-
ness is each other. Purity, morals and
kindness, passed down to each genera-
tion through example. So to all my fam-
ily and friends, do me a favor and pass
on the kindness, the love, the precious
gift of human life to each other so that
when your children come into contact
with a great conflict that we are now
faced with here in Iraq, that they are
people of humanity, of pure motives, of
compassion.
This is our real part to keep America
free! HAPPY 4th Love Ya.
Marc Lee
P.S. Halfway through the deployment
can’t wait to see all of your faces.
Lee was killed the very next month
(August 2006). He was the first Navy
SEAL killed during the war in Iraq. His
story is shared in the book, “Ameri-
can Sniper” by Chris Kyle, the movie
“American Sniper” with Bradley Coo-
per, and in one of his teammates books,
“The Last Punisher” by Kevin Lacz.
———
Jack James writes to highlight some
of the veterans in this county, and as a
form of education to the general pub-
lic and reminder of the service, sacri-
fice, and sometimes fun of duty in the
U.S. Military Services. Wallowa County
has approximately 7,000 residents with
more than 1,000 veterans. They are
your friends, neighbors, workers and
co-workers.
Making democracy work for all
OTHER
VIEWS
Scott Smith
hat makes a democracy differ-
ent is that it is a government
run by the people, giving each
person a say in how they feel through
their vote.
Being a part of a democracy was
decided by previous governing lead-
ers and is often referred to as the best
form of government and sets the United
States apart from other governments.
The elements of a democracy consist
of citizen rule, free elections, majority
rules with individual rights, limitations
on lawmakers and citizen participation.
A democracy is built on the freedom to
assemble, the opportunity to speak on
information about changes to the gov-
ernment being proposed, equality and
the right to vote.
It is important to remember and know
W
what the person running for office is
representing and that a vote for that per-
son’s views represents and aligns with
yours as they will be representing your
feelings and thoughts during their work
in office. You should be focused on
the policies and programs, not on the
person(s).
The person you choose to vote for is
the one who aligns closest to your per-
sonal beliefs on how and what should
be done at the governing level. We are
given that choice by our individual
vote and others having the same values
to govern our national, state and local
governments.
We can build our children’s under-
standing of how the government works
within our family. Having family meet-
ings and allowing the family to discuss
and vote on activities or meals for the
family is one way. Give each a chance to
speak and express their thoughts. Then
take a vote.
Often when you vote the vote doesn’t
go their way. This is part of democracy
and the expectation is that you partici-
pate and accept the outcome of the vote.
This is where the learning takes place
and teaches your child the proper way
of dealing with a loss and accepting
the loss. This helps our children build
self-esteem and gives them the tools to
deal with difficult situations in life.
As much as we wish we could always
be winners that isn’t always the case in
real life. But learning how to deal with
loss and defeat at a younger age will
build lifelong empathy and understand-
ing and will help make our world a bet-
ter place to live in.
As part of our democracy, major-
ity rules. This is often difficult when the
majority only wins by a few votes and
there are strong feelings on both sides.
This is why elections are held every few
years depending on the position which
provides the opportunity for the defeated
side to build a stronger case and recruit
more people to align with their side
to become the victor in the next elec-
tion. Until the next election, both sides
are expected to work together for the
good of the office and the people they
represent.
———
Scott Smith is a 40-plus year Uma-
tilla County educator and serves on the
Decoding Dyslexia Oregon board as its
parent/teacher liaison.