News from the Continuum

By Sarah Owens and Michael Livingston

Revised 3 April 2019

MC Commissioner Colm Willis at State of County address 3/13/19

Marion County Commissioner Colm Willis, aka the new guy, led out his portion of the March 13 State of the County address talking about homelessness. 

"It's been hard for me to understand, how do we address homelessness, how do we help the people in our community who are living in our streets or in camps?", Willis said.  He knew the numbers.  He admitted they represent a lot of people.  He admitted there is a crisis.  He said he just doesn't buy the binary law enforcement vs. more resources arguments he's heard.  "They don't ring true", he said.
   
Willis spoke of his meeting with Marion County's LEAD Navigator, Josh Lair.  See "News from the Continuum." (14 November 2018.)
"We were walking in downtown Salem, and it was like I was walking with the Mayor of Salem.  Just about everybody on the street knew him, and they came up to us", he recalled.  "Josh has a very person-centered approach", Willis said.  As he counseled those who sought his advice, "He was tough when he needed to be, he was kind when he needed to be.  He was just very in touch with reality, for lack of another word, and I was just very impressed with that.  It really gave me a lot to think about."

Dick Hughes's version of Willis's remarks

Willis admits we doesn't have enough housing, especially "places for people to live if they do want to come off the streets."  He said one of the things the County is looking at is reconstituting the Marion and Polk Counties Continuum of Care, to allow for more effective planning and resource delivery at the local level.  See "ROCC: Leave or Remain" and "ROCC Fissures Continue to Grow." He said it was hard to focus on local needs in the current, 28-county continuum (which he did not name).  He said the County is also planning a housing initiative to look at increasing the County's supply of affordable housing.

The Mid Willamette Homeless Initiative Steering Committee has reportedly committed to issuing newsletters on a quarterly basis.  The Spring 2019 issue covers the "Community Homeless Connect 2019", the reformation effort, and an odd piece on finlit classes that admits they're not useful to people experiencing homelessness.

From "Financial Literacy Helps People Achieve Self Sufficiency"

Despite that admission, the steering committee remains attached to the belief that finlit education help people out of poverty.  This attachment is inconsistent with its supposed commitment to "proven strategies."  See Schneider, R. and Morduch, J. "Is Financial Unsteadiness the New Normal?" (25 July 2016, Shelterforce.) "The general evidence on financial literacy training bears out this observation—the most rigorous studies consistently fail to find much evidence that financial literacy training changes behavior, even when there is an effect on financial knowledge."

"Is Financial Unsteadiness the New Normal?"

World Financial Group (WFG), mentioned in the finlit piece, "is a network marketing company which sells financial products such as life insurance and mutual funds", according to this streetonomic review.  For the past year or so, WFG associate Hanna Morrell has been attending the Salem Keizer Collaborative and service integration team meetings, offering to teach basic financial concepts to low-level service providers at no charge.  Per Executive Director T. J. Putman, Family Promise recently hired Morrell as a full-time "financial case manager", paid for by a grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust.  Putman says the position involves some financial literacy training, but is devoted primarily to addressing "various behaviors, attitudes and habits."     

On March 28, the MWHI steering committee meets to give further consideration to re-forming the local CoC, and leaving the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care (the 28-county CoC that Willis referred to) (ROCC) in 2020.  In the mean time, as of March 26, ROCC has a new Project Coordinator.  

ROCC's new coordinator, Jessi Adams, at Weatherization Day at the Capitol in 2018 

Jessi Adams, who for the past seven years as been with Community Action of Oregon (CAO) in Washington County, replaces Jo Ann Zimmer, who's been ROCC's coordinator ever since ROCC and Salem and Marion and Polk Counties merged in 2011.  Adams will be supervised by CAPO.

Mayor Bennett might finally have some relief from the "water, water, and water" concerns that have been oppressing his administration over the past couple of years, if the Army Corps of Engineers can avoid emptying Detroit Lake.  See Urness, Z. and Poehler, B.  "Army Corps considering plan that wouldn't empty Detroit Lake in major fish project" (8 March 2019, Statesman Journal.)

Bennett could use a win, given the recent failure of the Salem River Crossing and sobering center projects.  He still has to two-way State Street and move UGM's Men's Mission four blocks north, out of downtown.  UGM could use some help as the board works to close a $2.9M gap in the capital campaign.  (There's a twofer deal on donations  through the end of May.)  UGM hopes to begin demolition at the new location at the end of September.  See Alexander, R. and Brynelson, T. "Union Gospel Mission hopeful for $1.5 million in donations for new building."  (8 March 2019, Salem Reporter.)

Local specialty courts remain under threat of closure from the Trump Administration, along with similar courts around the state.  See Associate Press story, "Veterans court may be collateral damage in immigration fight."  (17 March 2019, The Oregonian.)  Jimmy Jones, Community Action Agency Executive Director says the Veterans Treatment Court,  adult Drug Court, and Fostering Attachment Treatment Court are "particularly successful programs."

City Manager's Update 2-25-19

Finally, the City is no longer looking at Hillcrest as a possible shelter location, (see "Homeless Program Coordinator Calls it Quits", "News from the Continuum" (19 January 2019) and "News from the Continuum" (26 January 2019)).  Another bad idea discretely swept under the rug.

4/3/19 Update: added that Family Promise hired Hanna Morrell as a full time "financial case manager."