News from the Continuum

Cornerstone Apartments on Portland Road

This week was National Community Development Week, and this year's theme was "Celebrating the Impact of the CDBG and HOME Programs."

That would have translated locally to celebrating CDBG- and HOME-funded projects and programs like Cornerstone, the low-income housing development on Portland Road, and the renovation of Jason Lee Manor, Yaquina Hall and Southfair for low-income families and individuals, had there been a celebration.   But, there wasn't.

No need to feel bad about it.  National Weeks of "X" are intended to bring attention to neglected causes.  This one was supposed to demonstrate to lawmakers that CDBG and HOME Programs have a positive impact on communities and should not be eliminated, as some in Washington, D.C., have proposed.  

According to recently published meeting minutes, another CFO resigned from the Mid Willamette Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) in January.  The announcement came just after MWVCAA completed the install of a new payroll system.  An audit report issued last June had found "material weaknesses" and "significant deficiencies" in internal controls.  The resignation was related to MWVCAA's continued overspending and inability to reconcile its accounts on a monthly basis.  

Also in January, the MWVCAA Board authorized CEO Jon Reeves to promise (covenant) to use the new ARCHES office building (615 Commercial Street), now, and for 20 years hence,  as "a shelter or transitional housing", as required by the rules governing the use of Emergency Housing Assistance and State Homeless Assistance Program funds, which were used for the down payment last June 2017.

Presumably, someone at OHCS  realized the board hadn't properly authorized Reeves to execute the agreement he executed last August and was supposed to have have executed last June (see image at right).

What does Reeves's promise to use the office building as a shelter mean in practical terms?  Nothing, really.  The building has never actually been used as a shelter, can't be used as a shelter until renovations are completed and the City gives the okay.  (The shelter opened mid-July, 2018.) 

Services currently available at the ARCHES Day Center

MWVCAA continues, however, to rake in the dough.  In addition to the $300K in CDBG funds that the City Council will be providing toward renovating the first floor, the Oregon legislature has promised another $400,000 "to help finance the establishment of a Sobering Center in part of our Commercial Street offices."  Notice it's "our Commercial Street offices", not "our homeless shelter" (see here at 12).  MWVCAA reports they "also anticipate another $500,000 for that project in the near future."  The report does not state where that additional $500,000 will come from.

MWVCAA also will be receiving $50,000 in "shelter funding" from the state general fund, in addition to $200,000 for their youth shelter project (see image at right).  

In addition to those funds, WVCH,

(the local CCO), gave MWVCAA/The ARCHES Project $65,000 to hire a Director of Co-Location Services and Grant Management (position filled internally) to "reduce the health care costs for the homeless in Marion County through the adoption of a co-location model under a project lead."
(See preliminary report here.)  So far, in addition to OHA-OHOP (a housing program for people with AIDS) and Easter Seals (one or both of which were at the old ARCHES location on Madison Street), they have added the Oregon Law Center (by appointment) (see here at 12).

There is almost no information available online about the resource center, or its co-located agencies' services/hours (see, e.g., here).  Polk County takes a much different approach.  

Finally, organizers are reporting that a record (?) number of guests (501) attended the March 27, 2018, "Homeless Connect" down at Salem First Baptist Church, across from Marion Square Park.  Check out all 115 photos and find other details at MWVCAA's FB page.