News from the Continuum

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

Salvation Army Majors Dan and Kim Williams

The Salvation Army of Marion and Polk Counties is preparing for another leadership change.  TSA Majors Dan and Kim Wiliams are reportedly headed back to California in June.  By our recollection, the Williamses arrived in Salem in the spring or summer of 2016.  No word yet on who will succeed them.

During their time here in Oregon, the Williamses were "all about kids", to the point that they were willing to break from TSA's temperance movement roots last year to participate in an invitation-only, $100-a-plate fundraising event at Zenith Vineyards to benefit their youth programs.  See "News from the Continuum" (16 May 2018).

The Williamses also may be remembered for closing TSA's transitional housing program about a year after they arrived, turning the Lighthouse Shelter into emergency overnight shelter, and raising the bar to admission to what some have called a "saints only" standard.  See "News from the Continuum" (19 August 2017).

The Williamses also may be remembered for "ditching" the plan to put a family shelter on Water Street and the unfulfilled promise to build the "William Booth Family Housing" project adjacent to the Kroc Center.  See "News from the Continuum" (6 October 2018).

What happens now to the Salem Keizer Collaboration, "launched" last October, remains to be seen.  See "TSA Launches Salem Keizer Collaboration."  As the project does not appear to have the approval of the national office (no reference to SKC on the local TSA website, and no reference to TSA on SKC banners, flyers, etc.), it might need to find a new home.

TJ Putman with Family Promise

Tuesday night, the City Council approved this year's Annual Action Plan, accepting the funding allocations recommended by the Urban Development Department, despite some mild pleading from TJ Putman on behalf of Salem Interfaith Housing Network, dba Family Promise.  See "Urban Development's 2019 Award Recs."  (For many years, his program has received federal funding to staff a case manager position, but not this year.)  His program, however, did receive $473,354 in HOME funds for tenant-based rental assistance, which amount staff said is intended to last several years.

Family Promise was awarded several hundred thousand dollars in HUD Continuum of Care Program grants in 2017 and 2018 to serve  chronically homeless families, but the program got off to a slow start because there are just not that many chronically homeless families.  If you think about what it means to be chronically homeless and what takes to keep a family together, this seems kind of obvious.  The Lane County chart below illustrates the reality.  

Chronically homeless families counted in Lane County in 2014, courtesy Lane County

As the City's HOME Program funding was under-subscribed by a couple hundred thousand, the City Council directed staff to put out a request for proposals.  Expect these funds to be spent on some small rehab/repair project.

The City Manager's May 15 "update" recognized Code Enforcement Officer Megan Gorham for taking a harm-reduction approach to her work (albeit without referring to it as such).

Unfortunately, some area business owners would prefer that the City address the problem of "car-camping" in the 400 block of Division Street by time-restricting the parking.  See here.

Finally, the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department has hired a new Homeless Services Section Manager: