August 1, 2006

Homelessness Is Not a Choice

by Sherry Harbert

Homelessness is not merely a lack of housing. Homelessness is likened more to a disaster that reaches to the depths of despair and human dignity. It becomes an ongoing assault on opportunity and hope. And, homelessness is quietly becoming the greatest betrayal of the most vulnerable in every region of the U.S.

Unlike the outpouring of money and supplies for natural disasters, the slow buildup and ongoing task of addressing homelessness in the U.S. is rarely given priority. There are no captivating scenes of destruction, only a permeating  judgment that those who end up homeless chose it.

Jamie McDermott, a homeless man in Portland and vendor for Street Roots, a local newspaper published by and for the homeless, says the attitudes toward the homeless is the hardest part of his plight. “It’s tough out here. I see so much prejudice against the homeless,” he said standing outside the Portland Saturday Market. “I make about $30 a day when I’m vending. That gives me money for food, maybe a movie now and then and a chance to wash my clothes. It doesn’t give me the money for rent.”

McDermott, also a veteran, said he sees a percentage of people who are homeless because of mental disabilities, but most would not choose to be on the streets. He said there is help through various agencies, which he credits to those in Portland. “Portland is more friendly than most cities,” he said, but concedes that there is a prevalent attitude that those who are homeless don’t want to work.

Those attitudes help affirm government policies that foster workforce reforms. After 10 years of welfare reform, the policy has been hailed as a success by Republicans and the media. The drop in welfare rolls across the country looks indeed like a success, but it hides the effects that have placed many people into the working poor where housing has become more of a luxury. Congress’ recent vote to raise the federal minimum wage sounds encouraging, but will do little to help the millions of low-income workers until it goes into effect in 2009. But the $310 billion in tax cuts tied to the legislation, Bloomberg reports “largely by reducing a levy on multimillion-dollar estates,” will face more opposition in the Senate when Congress resumes its work in September.

Oregon is not without its legislative support for increasing the minimum wage and other funding to counter poverty. In 2005, Representative David Wu helped push a vote for increasing the federal minimum wage to Oregon’s level, only to be defeated by the Republican majority. This year’s swing in the House to approve the measure would most likely not have survived without the included tax cuts.

Living wages are an important factor in homelessness because they have not kept in pace with rising costs in housing, energy and consumer products, even in Oregon where the minimum wage is at the level proposed by the House. The Oregon Food Bank found that higher housing costs have directly affected Oregon’s high hunger rate. The OFB and other agencies have been aggressively working to counter that rate for six years since Oregon topped as the highest hunger rate in the nation. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture still ranked Oregon in the top 25 percent of states with the highest hunger rate in 2005 The OFB isn’t the only agency that finds a direct connection between housing costs and hunger.

More families must agonize over which basic needs get paid and which don’t. It has become one of the hidden consequences of welfare reform and other economic policies. It’s affect can be seen in the change of homeless demographics since 2000. In a report prepared for Oregon Housing and Community Services in Salem found the new trend in homelessness was an increase in families. It the majority of homeless changes from that of unemployed males to that of working families. That drastic change has overwhelmed many agencies working with the homeless and poor.

Washington County, Oregon’s wealthiest county per capita, also has the highest housing costs, according to Community Action, based in Hillsboro. As an outcome of the U.S. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, Community Action has been monitoring and advocating for the poor and other vulnerable populations. It finds poverty levels increasing in the county, along with costs. In a ten-year study, Community Action called the increase in poverty rate alarming. Between 1990-2002, the county’s population grew 51 percent, while the rate of poverty grew by a whooping 119 percent. Poverty among children grew 246 percent.

Washington County hides much of its poverty. Much of the county has seen a huge boom in new housing. New construction can be found in every area of the county and is quickly snatched up by homeowners, but the prices for those new homes are far out of reach of the working poor in the county. According to Community Action, 35 percent of renters in Washington County spend a disproportionate amount of income on housing and that puts them at greater risk for homelessness.

Community Action states that almost 70 percent of people living in poverty are employed in Washington County, but low wages prevent most families from escaping poverty. All three counties in Portland’s metro area (Washington, Multnomah and Clackamas) have seen steady increases in homelessness since 2000, with government programs, nonprofit agencies and churches struggling to meet the demand.

The Multnomah County Health Department issued a Homeless Inventory in March as part of the county’s 10-year plan to end homelessness. It finds chronic health issues can develop into a crisis for the homeless. According to the county’s findings, the greatest gaps in medical care for the homeless include medications, respite beds, dental care, mental health services and specialty care.

While most people think nothing of calling to make medical appointments, Multnomah County has found that a simple call can become a barrier to care for the homeless. In addition to calling, most homeless must shop around for available clinics and endure long waits. Even when homeless families can receive health coverage for their children and get an appointment, the county finds getting them to a medical facility creates its own problems. Many cannot afford bringing the entire family with them on multiple buses to get to the clinic. And, a missed appointment puts them on waiting lists that can last over a month.

What each entity working with the homeless face is a complex array of factors that cannot be fixed with simple solutions. Even estimating the true numbers of homelessness is difficult. The inevitable transient nature of homelessness makes it nearly impossible to fix a number for any particular area. In 2005, the Forest Grove United Church of Christ sent out volunteers to find which parks in Washington county housed the homeless. Their findings were sobering.

Pat Rogers, manager of the Community Action Family Center in Hillsboro, detailed the staggering needs of the community during the “Put a Face on Homelessness” forum at Pacific University in May. “We can’t even guess how much homelessness there is. Though the state has tried to count, only the actual numbers of those who receive services is taken,” he said. “Every wooded area in the county is active with homeless.”

There are government, religious and nonprofit organizations and agencies to help. The City of Portland included Bridges to Housing in its Federal Legislative Priorities, announced this past February. The city hopes to get federal funding to serve high-need homeless families.

One of the ways Washington County is hoping to address the dire needs for funding to meet homelessness crisis is through a campaign “Bridging the Gap” through the end of August. The campaign is seeking donations through an interfaith alliance to just cover this year’s operating costs for the four shelters in the county. But, that will only be one immediate response

The series will continue with the next step for the homeless issue in Washington County and what homelessness means from a global perspective

© 2006, Foreign Interest