The Golden ARCHES Project - Part 3

Revised: January 2019

 

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

When the Mid Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) initially applied to the Oregon Housing Department (OHCS) for Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) and State Homeless Assistance Program (SHAP) funds for the 2015-2017 biennium, they had to include a "work plan", and show how they "provided a meaningful opportunity for participation in the work plan by the local or regional continuum of care, local service providers, advocates, clients, businesses, churches, citizens, governments and other interested stakeholders."  See OAR 813-046-050, OAR 813-240-041.

Funny, then that we can find no one outside MWVCAA who knew about, much less participated in formulating MWVCAAs work plans.  For certain, the community wasn't asked about the decision to close the ARCHES day shelter in June, or reallocate such a large proportion of MWVCAA's housing and homeless assistance funds to the purchase of a building.  But that, apparently, is just fine with OHCS.

Below are MWVCAA's EHA budgets in March 2017, before they decided to buy a building and in June 2017 after they decided to buy.  As you can see, by the time of the closing in late June, the total EHA-NEW allocation had increased by about $30K.  You can also see that the building purchase required substantial sacrifices in all other program areas.          

Back in October 2016, when the Housing Stability Council (HSC) approved OHCS's proposal to allow the new EHA and SHAP funding to be used for acquisition, OHCS told the Council that OHCS would report back on how things went.  In in preparing for that report, on August 28, OCHS staff emailed Jimmy Jones, asking him to "Please read the following description for accuracy and let me know if I've stated anything incorrectly...Renovations to enhance service provisions are underway and should be completed by November 2017."  OHCS also wanted to know "the days/hours of shelter operation and the anticipated number of persons assisted daily and annually, if possible."

ARCHES is <2,500 feet west of OHCS

Jones didn't tell OHCS that renovations were not under way, or that the shelter was not in operation, both of which were true.   

ARCHES is less than 2,500 feet from OHCS;  less than a ten-minute walk.

The August 30 report to the Housing Stability Council falsely stated that MWVCAA had submitted an acquisition application, and falsely stated that the ARCHES day shelter had "doubled its daily capacity by 100%" [sic].  It gave the false impression the day shelter was in operation and omitted any mention of the gross irregularities that occurred in the purchase transaction.

The only hint that OHCS's approval process needed improvement were two cryptic "Next Steps" inserted, without discussion or explanation, at the very end of the report.

Aug 30 Report to HSC from Ass't Dir. Claire Seguin and Homeless Programs Analyst Vicki Massey

We attended the Council's September 8 meeting to observe how the August 30 report was presented and received.  We requested an administrative review decision on the purchase.  On September 21, the Director of OHCS informed us that she "could confirm MWVCAA did have OHCS approval prior to acquiring" the Commercial Street property.  We accepted that statement at face value -- until we got the response to our public records request, showing that it was not true.  We asked for a meeting, and were told one would be scheduled.  No one ever contacted us to schedule a meeting.  

So, that is the story of the Golden ARCHES Project.  Our notes on the public records received in this matter pasted below, in chronological order.  Anyone who'd like to have an electronic copy of the records themselves, just drop us a line.  We'll be glad to share.