News from the Continuum

Revised: January 2019

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

WVCH, the local CCO, is quietly letting providers know who's receiving 2017 "Transformation Grants."   Marion County says they were awarded $83,000 for its Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which was piloted in Seattle and Dallas, Oregon.

Polk County Service Integration, Santiam Service Integration, and Salem Health will each receive $15,000 for their teams.
 
The Mid Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) expects to receive around $65,000 to hire a Director of Co-Location Services and Grant Management.  This position "will be responsible for managing the co-location services with partner agencies" (Easter Seals and Oregon Health Authority) and "writing for more grants to support this work."  Yes, it looks like the WVCH grant will pay for a grant writer.  Guess we can always hope the person MWVCAA hires is homeless.

The MWVCAA board recently approved hiring Jerry Stevens (Linked In profile says he is, or was, a "Lead Guide" for the Salem Leadership Foundation) and ProFund Fundraising Solutions to help them raise unrestricted funds through something called a "golf marathon."  See last page here.  

Salem Housing Authority most recently reported having 31 individuals enrolled in HRAP and "receiving intensive case management."  They say eleven have been permanently housed.  The remaining 20 are "in various stages of the intake process and waiting for a housing unit to become available."  (As are nine veterans with VASH vouchers -- separate program.)  SHA reports that "many" of the HRAP participants are "actively engaged in receiving services."  SHA still intends to meet its goal of housing 100 by the end of the fiscal year (June 30).  For perspective on those numbers, consider the Seattle program for getting chronically homeless into housing.

SHA also reported recognizing the need for additional case management support for HRAP (the City funding budgeted for .75 FTE) consistent with a 1:15 caseload, based on their research and experience.  They reportedly intend to apply for grants to help fund that additional staff for HRAP.

Sobering Ctr in TX - Courtesy Houston Chronicle

The architecture firm that agreed to help MWVCAA redesign the space in the new ARCHES building,   AC&Co, reportedly has completed the initial drawings, and they include a sobering center.  See here at page 20.  MWVCAA says the drawings are now being "moved forward to partners for consideration."  

The sobering center "partners" are believed to be the City of Salem, Marion County, Salem Hospital, and probably Bridgeway.  The local CCO, WVCH, should be in the conversation, but apparently hasn't shown any interest, as of yet.  

A major sticking point for the existing sobering center "partners" is reportedly the scope of services that should be offered.  The County reportedly wants a much bigger program -- one that includes treatment options, not just referrals.  This disagreement may have contributed to the significant delay in re-opening the ARCHES day shelter.  MWVCAA is still pretending that the day shelter is open.

from the CRP Director's October Report to the BOD

All MC Homeless

OHCS has a new, interactive, PITC "dashboard" that compares by county the numbers from 2015 and 2017 (years that HUD mandates a count of unsheltered homeless). 

Mayor Bennett told KMUZ's Willamette Wakeup this week that he's had only one person ("a lawyer") express interest in serving on the "task force" that the City Council asked him in September to form to address "quality of life issues" downtown (i.e., the issues that gave rise to the City's failed attempt to pass a "sit/lie ordinance").  He seemed not to be all that keen to form a "task force", especially if there wasn't more interest being shown by the business community.  For now, he said, businesses and individuals with "quality of life" issues should contact their neighborhood associations.

Although it's not being discussed publicly, we've heard that the City is working to reconcile its strategic plan goals for affordable housing, homelessness and social service coordination, adopted at the October 23 City Council meeting, with the City's apparent, but maybe not firm, commitment to invest $45,000 in a Homeless Program Coordinator at the MWV Council of Governments.   The concern, obviously, is to avoid having the scope of work of the COG position overlap with work already being done, or intended to be done, by City staff.  The COG position, which was considered to be more dead than alive over the summer, wasn't discussed during the meetings of the work group on affordable housing, social services and homelessness.