News from the Continuum

Revised: January 2019

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

Since early 2017, Union Gospel Mission has been running what they call a "Search and Rescue Team" operation.  The UGM team has a van but does not have any females on the team, and so they cannot safely transport females in need.  Sometimes they ask Salem Housing Authority staff to ride along.  The team is also young and relatively inexperienced.  Their names are Jonathan and Vince.

Jonathan and Vince go out to Polk County and "up the canyon" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they restock the van and visit the camps and whatnot in the city.  They ask people what they need, provide what resources they can and offer services through UGM's programs.  While untrained, they're both over 6'4" and familiar with the needs and circumstances of the households they're wanting to help.

Last week at the Citizens Budget Committee meeting, Councilor Andersen moved onto the "Wish List" the $65,000 Homeless Initiatives Coordinator position, citing the need for "intergovernmental cooperation."  Councilor Hoy asked staff for additional information.  On May 8, the Keizer budget committee declined to include Mayor Clark's request for $5,000 for the position in the Keizer budget.

Salem's May 6 Strategic Plan work session

The Citizens Budget Committee did, however, move HRAP to the "Wish List" last week; it will be discussed and, if all goes well, voted in to next year's budget at their meeting on May 15.

As it is now, the proposed program budget is for one year, which means HRAP, as currently conceived, is in the nature of a pilot.

The program has a good chance of success.  All the research points to permanent supportive housing as the most effective approach in dealing with a chronically homeless population.  Without PSH, that population is only going to grow.  For about a third of what it costs a community to maintain residents in the streets and wooded areas, it is possible to leverage existing resources to provide them the housing and services they need.

At the Council's Strategic Plan work session yesterday, the specific recommendations of the Affordable Housing, Social Services and Homelessness work group (below) were reduced to an "overarching" goal statement that combined the affordable housing goals with the social services and homelessness goals.  The result:

"Adequate housing supply and security of housing for those in need, regardless of economic situation or status, with maximized access, resources and services for the homeless."

Ugh.  Why not just say, "End homelessness", and be done with it? 

SS/HLness Goals & Recs at 3