News from the Continuum

Revised: January 2019

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

House Bill 2402 became effective last week. The bill sets up a $50,000 fund in the Oregon Health Authority that the Center for Health Statistics can tap when social service organizations request a birth certificate on behalf of an Oregon-born homeless person.

An Oregon ID still costs.

The Center for Health Statistics says:  Brian Nieubuurt, Legislative Coordinator for Health Care Programs, is the current lead to implement the bill. He can be reached by email at Brian.Nieubuurt@state.or.us or phone at 503-269-5970. He is gathering a list of interested parties [providers] at this time.

Week before last, Westcare celebrated the long-awaited opening of its home for veterans on Center Street.  Dignitaries in attendance included ODVA Director Cameron Smith, Rep. Paul Evans, Sen. Pete Courtney, Marion County DA Walt Beglau and Planning Commissioner Sheronne Blasi (go Navy).

Program eligibility requirements:  being homeless, an honorable or general discharge, 30 days clean/sober, criminal background check, income or working toward with a % going to rent/savings and self-care capable.  Also, take all prescribed meds, attend house meetings, maybe counseling and live cooperatively.  Basically, a person needs to be functioning at a fairly high level to get into/stay in the program, which is probably why there's only a handful of folks participating. 

Westcare Veterans Home on Center St (behind the CCS Bldg)

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Westcare Veterans Home is a transitional housing facility, not a shelter.  St. Francis Shelter (also a transitional housing facility, not a shelter) has comparable expectations of its families.  The Salem Interfaith Hospitality Network (since 2018 called Family Promise), which offers eligible families overnight accommodation inside church/temple facilities, hosted by church/temple members, and The Salvation Army Lighthouse Shelter, which until recently offered a transitional housing program, but now offers only emergency overnight shelter, require their adult guests to pass a criminal background check and be clean/sober.  There is also Grace House, transitional housing for single women (mostly  recovering and reentering from prison), the Center for Hope and Safety's shelter for victims of domestic violence (medium to low needs) and the Union Gospel Mission (Men's Mission and Simonka Place).

UGM Men's Mission on Commercial St, circa 1950s

All this is a long way of saying that Salem continues to rely on UGM to offer adults immediate shelter and care to those not eligible for other programs.  But, even UGM has limits.  Used to be, if they couldn't help you, your choice was the streets or the woods.  Then, we got HRAP.  HRAP isn't a shelter, but it does take those with high needs.

The facilities at the Men's Mission are really old, and, for several years now, UGM's been looking to build a new facility a few blocks north, where its store and admin offices are located.  But, some are saying the City can't support two capital campaigns and that UGM must give way again, this time to the Salem YMCA Family Center, because Sen. Pete Courtney's $12M "gift" came with time limits.  The deteriorating condition of the Men's Mission gives UGM no choice but to proceed as planned.

In Salem, when there's a choice between serving families and serving high-needs homeless individuals, the choice has always been families.  Not surprising.  The Kroc Center's a much easier sell than the Lighthouse Shelter.  So much so, that, within a few years, there won't even be a Lighthouse Shelter.   When that happens, Salem will be even more beholden to UGM.

North Salem SIT, coordinated by Salem Health's Skye Hibbard

Center 50+ moved the North Salem SIT to a larger space for its second meeting, and every seat was occupied.  Tiffany Ottis of Congregations Helping People, Jason Ramos, Social Services Director for The Salvation Army, and Jennifer Stark from Northwest Human Services Information Hotline gave a brief overview of emergency resources other than housing (e.g., rent/utility payments, IDs, prescriptions, transportation, food boxes) they make available and explained a bit about how they cooperate to minimize the number of doors folks in need have to knock on.  Among the notable personages attending the meeting was Denyc Boles of Salem Health, who's on the WVCH (Marion and Polk County's CCO) board.  Elected to state House in 2018.