As Oregon governor candidates spar over homelessness, local advocates say long-term solutions needed
Register-GuardAug 28, 2018
Other local homeless advocates or formerly homeless community members said they were unaware of the gubernatorial candidates' policy proposals. But they stressed access to housing and mental health services as the largest barriers to ending homelessness in
"The problem is, it's going to require a substantial amount of money," said
Republican challenger
Gov.
Yet both proposals would almost certainly fail to meet Buehler's audacious goal of ending homelessness in
"You've still got to get somebody to approve of these numbers. We can't even agree to cut back on the kicker" tax rebate to raise funds for homeless services, McDonald said, referring to the state program that sends tax revenue back to residents when actual revenue comes in more than 2 percent higher than estimates.
"Anytime somebody says they're going to end homelessness with whatever plan, I get a little skeptical," he said. "Do I appreciate the effort and focus on the issue? Yes. But they're not going to end homelessness with that kind of money."
Other advocates say the candidates' plans bring attention to the issue, but they need to prioritize funds for housing, substance abuse and mental health counseling. Any solution would require a large public investment, they said.
Through ShelterCare, McGehee accessed counseling and medication to address his bipolar disorder. He eventually got a job, access to food stamps and was placed on the Section 8 housing wait list. He's been in a home for years. Many people in the long-term homeless community lack the skills to find the best care for themselves, so nonprofits such as ShelterCare play a key role in addressing homelessness, he said.
"Things got a lot better with ShelterCare," McGehee, 61, said. "I got a therapist. I had meds before, but I got better meds. There was some trial and error until I found the right medication. The same goes for a therapist; it's not always a good fit. You've got to advocate for yourself."
His case shows how intertwined housing and mental health issues are, ShelterCare Executive Director
With real estate values rising across much of
"Anything that can help add to the array of housing makes low-end housing more affordable, so that's really important," Ban said. "And most of the people we work with to get into housing have long histories of homelessness, and require intense support to be successful in that transition."
Yet more than 15,000 people reported being homeless at least once in 2017, according to government agencies and local nonprofits that report to the county's client and homeless management information system.
Substantially lowering those numbers would take large investments in low-income housing construction and emergency rental assistance, said
"A lot of people are living paycheck-to-paycheck. It doesn't take much for people to get tipped over the edge and be in crisis," Mulhern said. Catholic Community Services provides emergency rental assistance to qualified applicants, and connects them with a rental housing counselor who can help clients with housing searches and offer guidance with applications.
But the state needs to make sure programs give equal support to long-term homeless and also recently homeless people and families with vehicles and work histories, he said. Getting off the street or out of a car and into shelter becomes harder and often far more expensive the longer someone is homeless.
"Things fall apart pretty quick," Mulhern said. "A family can hold (themselves) together living in a car for a few weeks or even months. They just can't do that for years on end. A family is going to kind of fall apart."
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