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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2017)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 Living from 7A Teter also believes that many of the domestic violence cases he sees at SOS are directly linked to the housing and employment issues. “They don’t know what’s going to happen from one moment to the next,” he said. “And they’re lashing out at each other because they’re stressed and scared.” But the abused stay in the abu- sive relationships because they can’t find a place to live. So they end up at SOS for help. In 2016, there were 267 clients receiving domestic violence advocacy services from SOS. When individuals do lose their homes, and end up living in a car, a whole host of other stresses enters their psyches. “You’ve got to sleep with one eye open,” Teter said. “You don’t know if you’re going to get robbed from another homeless person. You’re not getting the sleep that you need. And a major- ity of mental illnesses are caused by lack of sleep. They’re more likely to develop schizophrenia and dissociative disorders — all because they’re homeless and they aren’t getting the sleep they need. “So, we’re seeing this rise in mental illness.” It’s not only the working poor that are having difficulties. One of the hardest populations for SOS to assist are those on Social Security Income (SSI). “It’s not just the seniors, but we have a lot of disabled people try- ing to raise families on that,” Teter said. “That is a huge issue for us. You have this older population who can’t afford to stay where they’re at.” According to Teter, SOS is only now discovering the difficul- ties facing this population and the limitations for those reliant upon SSI, which is a federal income supplementation program funded by general tax revenues, which are collected to help aged, blind and disabled people who have lit- tle or no income. “Let’s say you have a couple that’s been living on SSI for 10 years,” Teter said. “Each person receives $733 a month. They’re living in the same household, so they have a combined income of $1,466 a month. But, there’s a rule that says a household cannot make more than $1,050 a month, so their SSI gets cut back and gar- nished for the 10 years they were overpaid. ... “So now this couple, who was trying to live on $1,466 a month, is trying to live on $733 a month — and their rent is $750.” Because getting full-time employment is not possible for these individuals without giving up their SSI, they are forced to find nontraditional means of securing an income. “They’re selling a lot of items,” Teter said. “Begging. Trying to find some way to make under-the- table income doing artwork or whatever else they can do.” Teter said some people will get donated items from SOS and turn around and sell it just to pay the rent. “We have free clothing here, so they’ll come get some and then have a little yard sale to pay the rent or their electric bill,” said Teter. The vast majority of individu- als in the Siuslaw region are just one step away from becoming homeless, Teter and Huenergardt believe. “This isn’t sustainable,” Teter said. While SOS is playing a part in helping to alleviate some of the stresses that the region is facing, Teter said the program does not purport to be a hand out, only a hand up. “Our agency is trying to encourage longevity instead of just, ‘Okay, we’re going to get you in there for a month and you’re off the street,’” Huenergardt said. “That’s not what we’re here for. We really do strive to make sure the self-suffi- ciency is there for success.” While SOS does provide resources to help clients with past due rent or utilities, it looks at how a client views a budget and what changes can be made to help prevent late notices from coming in. “We’re trying to do a wrap- around kind of assistance because the goal is to get them in a situa- tion where they don’t need us,” Teter said. “We’re not putting a bandage on a gushing wound. We want to help heal that wound a lit- tle bit.” And SOS has seen progress with its clients. “The good news is, we’ve seen a lot less applications for housing assistance,” Teter said. “I think a part of that is, people are staying in their homes longer. They’ve figured out how to make money to sustain themselves — like doing two or three jobs.” Teter is also seeing less people getting laid off in winter months, as some employers are beginning to understand the costs of con- stantly hiring and rehiring employees. However, that’s still not the norm. And, despite all the positives Teter sees in the drop of applica- tions, he has found that in some cases, it is because people are simply leaving town. The work that SOS does has an impact, Teter said, but he doesn’t believe it will fix the overall prob- lem — which will require broader changes within the fundamental economic makeup of the Siuslaw region. Still, Teter and Huenergardt see hope in how the City of Florence is moving forward on the issue. “I think we’ve got a city gov- ernment right now that’s sensitive to the issue,” said Teter. “In talk- ing with Mayor Joe Henry and Florence City Manager Erin Reynolds, they understand why we’re in this predicament. They understand what needs to hap- pen.” “It’s impressive to me, too, that they care enough to give it a sec- ond look,” Huenergardt said. “Because, honestly, they could just leave it to the business own- ers and the economy of the city. They’ve actually taken a very positive role in saying ‘Hey, let’s see what we can do about this.’” Some of the city’s plans include building more housing and bringing in better jobs with higher wages. Though the city is working to make this happen, the results are not guaranteed. And if they hap- pen, the process will take time — in part because, as Teter has dis- covered, some in the community don’t fully understand the depth of the crisis at hand. Teter said, “I was talking with a person who said, ‘Well, we built some new houses in town. There’s a whole bunch by the golf courses over there.’ That’s true, but some- one has to be making $50,000 to $60,000 a year to afford them,” he said. “Most of the people who need housing are working part-time jobs. Do you know anybody working like that who earns that much money?” See LIVING 9A Florence Foursquare Church Christm as Baza ar Saturday, November 18, 9 am to 3 pm Handcraft ed quilts, bags, aprons, gift baskets, gift drawings and more! Florence Foursquare Church 1641 Highway 101 (next to A&W's) Nov. 17, 18 and 19 Candles • Jewelry • Rag Rugs Tuesday 11/7 Dixie Buss Donna Riggs Florence Florence Dunes Café Safeway/Florence Wednesday 11/8 Jim Gabriel Dixie Buss Florence Florence Safeway/Florence RiteAid /Florence Thursday 11/9 Tia Menser Bea Vanderpool Florence Florence International C-Food Market Clawson’s Wheelhouse Friday 11/10 Brenda McDaniel Lavada Elston Florence Florence Safeway/Florence Safeway/Florence Saturday 11/11 Roger Rice Lonita Dalziel Florence Florence Safeway/Florence Florence Liquor Agency Sunday 11/12 Peggy McHale Walt Livingston Florence Florence Florence Liquor Agency Safeway/Florence Monday 11/13 Karrie Lowry Ellen Nielson Cottage Grove Florence Florence Liquor Agency Safeway/Florence Look for FREE items placed throughout the bazaar. PORT HOLE PUBLISHING 179 Laurel Street, Suite D FLORENCE 17th ANNUAL ‘TREE OF GIVING’ Begins Monday, Nov. 27th LET US PUBLISH YOUR BOOK Stop by for a coff ee or hot chocolate and cookies. Select an ornament from the tree representing gift requests for specifi c necessities by a high school student in our community. Return gift s to us by Dec. 13, to be distributed before Christmas break. PORT HOLE BOOKS 77567 Hwy. 101 • GARDINER ccb#55030 1780 Kingwood St. • 541-997-8526 NEW-USED-RARE! WE HAVE IT ALL! Best-Selling Author, Ellen Traylor, Owner/Publisher 541-999-5725 Sotheby’s, eBay Master Dealer and Appraiser for Discovery.com portholebooks.com • portholepublications.com DONATE NOW! Maximize your donation by donating to Cars for a Cause by Dec. 31st. We accept cars, trucks, RVs, boats & motorcycles CALL NOW! Looking for a unique gift this holiday season? Gift Certificates for the Florence Events Center To purchase – simply drop by the box office Monday to Friday between 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM 715 Quince St * Florence, OR * 541-997-1994 Gift Certificates are good for redeption for any ticketed show at the FEC for one year from purchase. •Helps those in need in Lane County • Charitable donation •We do all the paperwork St. Vincent de Paul 2315 Hwy. 101 • Florence • 541-997-8460 Always the perfect gift! Christmas Gift List Toys • Books Clothing Houseware Furniture Gift Certifi cates St. Vincent DePaul’s 2315 Hwy 101 541-997-8460 Open Daily
