Friday, June 10, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com • A3
County, city leaders discuss housing at work session
By NICOLE BALES
and ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Housing, micro hous-
ing and services for the
homeless.
The joint work session
at the Clatsop County Fair-
grounds in May was the fi rst
time the governing boards
gathered together since
before the coronavirus pan-
demic. The boards agreed to
schedule quarterly regional
housing meetings to con-
tinue the discussion.
“I want to point out,
while the county is made up
of distinct cities, unincor-
porated communities, rural
areas, employment oppor-
tunities and housing needs
do not stop at these juris-
dictional boundaries,” said
Jeff Adams, Cannon Beach’s
community
development
director, who proposed the
quarterly meetings.
“Our workforce, our
lives, are regional. They’ve
been regional for as long as
we know, but more so now,”
he continued. “So we’ve got
to use our regional collabo-
ration to build that capacity
for the future.”
Adams noted that little
action has been taken since
Clatsop County’s 2019 hous-
ing study, which also called
for a regional approach.
“If we’re going to move
this forward as a group,
we’ve got to fi nd that
regional organization that
can take this project on and
move it forward,” Adams
said.
He said he reached out to
Park district: Changes set for September
Continued from Page A1
Park district revenue is
generated from property
taxes, timber taxes, dona-
tions and grants, program
fees and facility rentals.
The district’s permanent tax
rate is 0.9280 per $1,000 of
assessed value, generating
about $1.89 million in tax
resources to be collected.
The average district resi-
dent pays $21.95 monthly in
taxes to the park district.
In 2021, district resi-
dents accounted for 71.5%
of the total from program
revenues, passes, and other
sales income. Nonresidents
accounted for the other
28.5%.
“Our district residents are
really providing the bulk,”
Archibald said. “Without our
permanent tax rate and our
district residents support-
ing us, the district wouldn’t
be what it is and we would
have a hard time maintaining
operations for very long.”
The district proposal sug-
gests keeping in-district res-
ident rates intact. The non-
resident rate would increase
from 50% to 75% higher
than the in-district costs. An
annual family swim pass, for
example, would be $525 for
a district resident, a cost that
would remain the same. Out-
of-district residents would
see the fee rise from $780 to
about $920.
Open swim single rates
would increase from $3.25
for out-of-district residents
to $4.
The board could also con-
sider eliminating out-of-dis-
trict punch passes or open
swims.
The district’s boundar-
ies follow that of the Sea-
side School District, exclud-
ing the incorporated areas
of Gearhart and Cannon
Beach, who have to date
rejected joining the recre-
ation district.
“I would say I think
there’s an opportunity there,”
Archibald said. “But it has to
be dealt with the right strat-
egy and with care and rela-
tionships. And I think what
we need to do as a district
is to position ourselves to
being a really attractive rec-
reation hub.
Archibald said he expects
one more meeting before
bringing this proposal up
in the public meeting for
approval and adoption.
Enactment of the fee
changes are proposed for
September.
“Even though the amount
may or may not turn out to
be hundreds of thousands of
dollars, this is a big deal to us
and to our patrons and to our
community,” he said.
Homeless camp: ‘Not
everybody here is a drug addict’
Continued from Page A1
seeking its shutdown.
With a homeless camp-
ing ordinance that took
eff ect in late May and a new
site open for RVs and tents,
the city now has enforce-
ment authority. Overnight
campers and RVs received
hand-delivered notices 45
days and 30 days out and
a 72-hour notice late last
week, Ham said.
The homeless ordi-
nance prohibits overnight
camping at most locations
throughout the city, includ-
ing public parks, residential
areas and city streets.
The City Council passed
the ordinance in the hopes
of responding to the grow-
ing numbers of home-
less and federal and state
court rulings and laws that
require cities to off er alter-
natives for people without
adequate shelter.
Campers must apply for
an overnight camping per-
mit, which enables camp-
ing from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
for three weeks, at which
time the permit can be
renewed.
Whether the new ordi-
nance will provide options
for the neediest remains to
be seen, Seamus McVey,
R.J. Marx
Chuck and Traci have a
working RV but no way to
move it from its location
at the 10th Avenue and
Necanicum Drive lot.
a homeless advocate and
member of the Seaside
Homeless Task Force, said.
“Most of the RVs in here
are not insurable and that
one factor alone will pre-
vent them from even being
able to utilize the park once
it is opened,” he said.
McVey said the new
Mill Ponds camping area
fails to meet requirements
for shelter specifi ed in state
and federal court decisions.
Dale McDowell, the
city’s public works direc-
tor, said belongings or vehi-
cles left behind at the Neca-
nicum lot will be held for
30 days before disposal.
The city’s overnight
camping area off Alder Mill
Avenue opened last Sat-
urday night, he said, with
about 10 tent campers.
Facilities include run-
ning
water,
portable
restrooms and garbage
collection. Gates open at
about 7:30 p.m. and camp-
ers leave the lot by 8 a.m.
Once everyone has moved
out, police close the gates
for the day.
Patricia Tewalt, who
has lived in the Necani-
cum lot for a year, said she
has found housing. But she
worries what will happen to
others, including a disabled
neighbor.
“Not everybody here is a
drug addict,” she said. “Not
everybody here is crazy.
Everybody has a diff erent
story, but nobody wants
to hear it. Everybody just
wants to judge the people
that are here.”
the Columbia River Estuary
Study Taskforce, an organi-
zation specializing in envi-
ronmental planning and hab-
itat restoration for fi sh and
wildlife.
Adams said the organiza-
tion could take the lead, not-
ing that housing authorities
typically fi ll that role.
Susan Prettyman, the
social services program
manager at Clatsop Commu-
nity Action, also presented
to the group.
Prettyman said the non-
profi t’s long-term goal is to
see micro shelter villages
in Astoria, Warrenton and
Seaside. These units would
serve as transitional hous-
ing for people having trou-
ble securing permanent
homes.
Ideally, Clatsop Commu-
nity Action would hire full-
time on-site managers, Pret-
tyman said. Social services
providers could work with
people where they live, pro-
viding mental health care,
domestic violence counsel-
ing and other support.
Clatsop
Community
Action estimates micro
shelters could cost between
$12,000 and $15,000 a unit.
The nonprofi t said it would
manage the villages and
secure funding if jurisdic-
tions can provide the land.
In April, the county put
up 15 surplus properties
for child care, low-income
housing and social services.
By the May 13 deadline,
the county had received
proposals from Clatsop
Community Action, Clat-
sop Care Health District
and Seaside.
Rural veterans are at
higher risk for suicide
By ABBEY McDONALD
The Astorian
Each seat at American
Legion Post 99 had several
take-home items: a resource
packet, a blue stress ball and
a fi rearm safety lock with
suicide prevention hotlines
printed on either side.
Together With Veterans
held its fi rst regional com-
munity event last month,
bringing together service
groups, veterans and fam-
ily members from Clatsop,
Columbia, Tillamook, Lin-
coln and Washington coun-
ties to discuss suicide pre-
vention with a public health
perspective
“We want to promote
connectedness, because that
is one of the most important
things when it comes to pre-
venting things like suicide,”
said Donna-Marie Drucker,
the president of the Oregon
Firearm Safety Coalition.
“Having that sense of
community, that sense of
belonging, that sense that
we have something bigger
than ourselves and to serve.
All the things that veterans
really talk about and often
miss when they leave the
service,” she said.
Together With Veterans, a
community created program
run through U.S. Depart-
ment of Veterans Aff airs,
is the fi rst of its kind in the
state, Drucker said. They
selected this region of Ore-
gon for the proximity to
Portland and the high rates
of veterans in rural areas
with access to fi rearms.
Rural veterans have a
20% increased risk of death
by suicide, due to contrib-
uting factors such as isola-
tion, fi rearm access and lim-
ited access to mental health
services.
In 2020, Oregon had the
13th highest rate of sui-
cide in the country, 18.3 per
100,000 of population, with
833 deaths, according to the
federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Sui-
cide rates on the North Coast
are typically higher than the
state average.
“There’s amazing people
doing really amazing work
out here, but you’re not
close to a VA, there’s not a
vet center out here, and we
feel like this is an area where
we can actually make some
changes,” Drucker said.
Around 30 attendees
at the American Legion,
including homeless liaisons,
veterans services offi cers,
case managers and clinical
teams, were asked to dis-
cuss the strengths and weak-
nesses of services for veter-
ans in the community. The
majority of attendees were
veterans.
During
discussion,
one theme stood out:
accessibility.
“Right now, for a veteran
to get into the North Coast
Clinic at Camp Rilea, it’s a
three-month wait,” said Josh
Davis, the veterans services
offi cer for Clatsop County,
where around 4,000 veter-
ans live.
‘WE WANT
TO PROMOTE
CONNECTEDNESS,
BECAUSE THAT IS
ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT
THINGS WHEN
IT COMES TO
PREVENTING
THINGS LIKE
SUICIDE.’
Donna-Marie Drucker, the
president of the Oregon
Firearm Safety Coalition
“It’s everything from the
VA not paying practitioners
enough to come to work for
the VA, to low availability
of housing for profession-
als coming to work way out
here. It’s a lot,” he said.
For those needing ser-
vices, getting there is a chal-
lenge. During the discussion,
the word “transportation”
elicited groans from a table
in the back.
The Sunset Empire
Transportation District has a
van service in place to drive
veterans to local health care
appointments. Sometimes it
takes them as far as Portland.
Jason Jones, the transit
district’s mobility manager,
said the majority of veterans
live off of the fi xed-route bus
system and can’t aff ord to
repeatedly call taxis.
The veterans transport
service has one volunteer,
and is struggling to fi nd
more.
“There’s a lot of need out
there in this community,”
Jones said. “We need to get
to medical appointments.
This seminar has a lot to deal
with what ails our commu-
nity of veterans out there:
mental health. We want to
make sure that if there’s
someone in crisis, that we
can be available to them to
take them where they need
to go.”
Attendees also discussed
a lack of internet access or
understanding of technology,
especially for the elderly.
They said services often
require email addresses.
Further marginalization
can increase suicide risk.
Jones said homeless vet-
erans, veterans of color,
LGBTQ veterans and those
who have been incarcerated
need additional support and
resources.
Together With Veterans
is receiving $100,000 over
three years from the VA,
and is working on an action
plan for the funding, which
will incorporate suggestions
from the event.
“We are being creative as
to how the funding is used,”
Davis said. “The sugges-
tions from the SWOT event
will help us determine the
community’s readiness to
tackle rural veteran suicide
prevention.”
Davis said he was pleased
with the turnout. He hopes
it will start a longer con-
versation about suicide
prevention.
“I would like to see folks
who are part of our commu-
nity take an interest in how
we can make it a priority.
If you look at the long-term
plans of the county com-
mission, or long-term plans
of the city, or long-term
plans of Clatsop Behav-
ioral Health or any number
of agencies that would assist
veterans or families in cri-
sis, suicide prevention is not
even on their radar,” he said.
“So what are we, as a
community, going to do to
make it a priority and have it
be in front of us?”
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