Jessica Gomez on Homelessness #GovernorGoals
Homelessness in Oregon continues unabated, despite big investments. I propose a comprehensive plan that addresses all facets of homelessness and housing insecurity.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is a part of our #GovernorGoals series. Learn more about it here. Send your goals on one of the selected topics to theway@or360.org for potential publication.
A Comprehensive Plan for Eliminating Homelessness
Mental illness, addiction, poverty, and the lowest home vacancy rate in the country have created a humanitarian crisis in Oregon’s hometowns. Our state’s largest city reels from a reputation in a death spiral and demoralization of its business community as city leaders fail to act. Multiple government agencies and non-profits have failed to stem the growth of homeless, despite considerable financial resources and time spent wringing of hands. Without a comprehensive strategy, throwing more money at a multi-tiered problem will solve nothing. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
The unsheltered homeless population on the streets is the most visible evidence of our failure to take coordinated action. I’ve been there. As a teenager, too young to work after my family fell apart, I panhandled, couch surfed, lived out of a car, and spent much of my time in city parks. My homeless community comprised mostly of teenagers and young adults escaping traumatic or abusive family situations. Thankfully, my grandmother saved me from that dangerous situation and brought me back to the East Coast where she and others gave me the opportunity to succeed. In contrast to my experience, many of the unsheltered homeless living in communities we see today are comprised of adults with long histories of mental health and addiction issues and no clear path to recovery. The closure of behavior health hospitals in our state and the lack of in-patient recovery centers have exacerbated this problem.
What will I do as Governor to eliminate homelessness? Here are the key elements of my comprehensive plan to eliminate unsheltered homelessness and reduce the level of housing insecurity in our state:
Adopt an Assisted Living Model for the Unsheltered Homeless.
The assisted living model for care of the elderly can work equally well for the unsheltered homeless. Adapted to address the root causes of systemic homelessness, this work would take place in community living complexes that are divided by level of care.
For example, those with severe mental health or addiction issues could receive medical treatment in a closed portion of the living complex until they have been stabilized and begin responding positively to rehabilitation. Residents who are stable but require ongoing assistance from behavioral health and medical professionals would be supported in a community-like setting. Residents who still need occasional support but can hold a job, would work toward becoming self-sufficient, and eventually transition to an independent living model. Residents of these facilities would be allowed to remain there indefinitely if that is what they choose.
According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, it costs about $40,000 per year to allow a homeless person to live on the streets. With 15,876 homeless individuals in Oregon in 2021, the estimated cost is $635M. The assisted living model would provide shelter, mental health, addiction, and career services for approximately the same cost, and significantly reduce the burdon on law enforcement, hospital emergency rooms, and other community services.
Having a supportive system to accommodate those in need will ensure our parks and city streets can return to their intended purpose, and allow businesses to operate without interference. Once this support system is in place, we will no longer allow individuals to live unsheltered in our communities.
Establish a Housing Taskforce.
Over the years, lack of affordable housing has caused many Oregonians to become “housing insecure.” Oregon’s governor Tom McCall had a famous quote about visitors coming to our state: “Come again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't move here to live.” He was concerned about uncontrolled population growth in the state leading to a depletion of our natural resources. Senate Bill 100 protected our state from uncontrolled urban growth, but it did not address inevitable population growth.
The net result of this unfavorable land supply versus demand balance caused housing prices to increase at a much faster rate than wages, especially in our urban areas. Increased property taxes, fees, and regulations have compounded the problem. Oregon must establish a Housing Taskforce that reports directly to the Governor. This taskforce will perform a comprehensive review of our housing supply and make actionable recommendations in the areas of policy to develop a market-based strategy that makes housing more plentiful, more affordable, and prevents those in economic distress from becoming unsheltered.
Empower Oregonians To Build a Better Future.
Empowered Oregonians can build a financially secure future for themselves and their families. Social safety net programs are designed with good intentions—to keep families that are near or below the poverty line from falling through the cracks. However, with increases in employment income, public assistance dollars drop off faster than they can be replaced. For many, the only way to remain housed is to either remain unemployed or find a job where they can earn an amount small enough to continue qualifying for benefits. This well-known conundrum is referred to as the Benefits Cliff.
By implementing a Public Assistance Offset (PAO) Program encouraging employment, we could offset the cost of various public assistance programs for people who are employed. Each employee would be eligible to sign-up for the benefits they would like to receive. Each benefit requires an employee contribution that will go back into the fund that provides the benefits. The contribution amount will be based on the salary of the employee and the number of dependents. The employee may withdraw from a benefit whenever they choose. This program is designed to ensure that wage growth and career building are always a net positive for Oregon families.
Homelessness in Oregon continues unabated, despite big investments. Taxpayer-funded affordable housing projects are costly and don’t address the root causes of unsheltered homelessness. I propose a comprehensive plan that addresses all facets of homelessness and housing insecurity.
Under my leadership as Governor, we will finally make significant progress in transitioning our unsheltered from the streets to recovery, improve livability in our communities, and create an environment where all Oregonians are empowered to build better lives for themselves and their families.
Jessica Gomez is Founder/CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices and serves on the OIT Board of Trustees, Oregon Healthcare & Oregon Business Development committees. She is running for governor.
Related pieces
photo credit: "File:SW 3rd Avenue Homeless Portland Oregon (17718679020).jpg" by Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon is licensed under CC BY 2.0
I like the way you think Jessica and I appreciate your viewpoint especially knowing you "lived" that life for some time. I would support your plan for those folks that need the help. What do you say we do with the "criminal" component of those people preying on the homeless and the others in the neighborhoods? Thanks