By Nicole Montesano • Staff Writer • 

Mayors ask Legislature to fund programs on homelessness

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Comments

Lizzy

McMinnville already got funding and gave it to ycap for a navigation center where people can get showers, wash clothes and store belongings, and maybe rest. However, Ycap has put off doing so until Sept of NEXT year (even tho they say they have been working on this for 10 years). There are very few options for drug and alcohol inpatient treatment. Detoxing and then going back out on the street is ludicrous. Until users are able to stop using they are not good risks for regular housing.

NativeOregonian

Our biggest problem is drug use. When are we going to start battling that?

BigfootLives

Quite the input from Beth Wytoski and a week before the election, maybe that should be counted as an in kind campaign contribution from the NR.

The easier we make it to be homeless in Mac, the more homeless show up for the services. That is not my opinion, it’s the history.

Mayor Remy says “That list (of efforts) is so long I could not sum it up in one sentence,” I would like the NR to ask the city what they have done to reduce homelessness that has worked, not what they have tried. The cities idea of reducing is to increase services, make it easier to gain services, and this has clearly not worked by the NR own admission - "McMinnville has been at the forefront of the massive increase in homeless residents."

Here is a secret the city or the NR isn't saying: there is no state money, it’s our money just taken out of a different pocket.


There is currently a construction project out to bid from the city seeking a general contractor for construction of a low barrier homeless shelter estimated to cost 1.5 million dollars. Low barrier means that you do not have to be clean or sober, you can show up high or drunk, or both. Do you think that will make it easier to be an addicted homeless person and attract more homeless people or reduce McMinnville's homeless problem?

Also, that 1.5 Million would have went a long way to paying off the city's budget problems, but that's Ok, my elderly, disabled neighbors can pitch in, they get that fat SS check every month.

It has never been more clear that this city needs new leadership at mayor and city council. Just like MANY cities across Oregon.

Lizzy

Bigfoot lives: there is no list. Ask for what money was spent and when. The Motel 6 project is it. And that was not funded with state or local tax dollars, it was paid for by a foundation and Providence. You can't put sick people out on the street. There are temporary shelters, yes. However, as you note, not much help with drug treatment.

BigfootLives

Lizzie, what the city has done has only made it worse. I would like to hear of a success, how did we get there, how many transitioned off homeless and what was the total.

If the city moves 10 people off homelessness and it draws in 20 new to the town homeless to get in line for the program, that’s a failure. This is not easy, but it comes down to making it hard for people to be homeless in.McMinnville. That is the only thing that will work.

Mac Runner

To answer Bigfoot’s question - Unlike Portland, the city put restrictions on overnight camping and banned permanent,camping. The city council increased funding to police to enable them to store personal effects when they break up camps, as the state law requires. They worked with Ron Noble to bring Project Turnkey here and get it funded, That has a 75% success rate in transitioning people to permanent housing. Working with Rep Noble, they also got the low barrier shelter that Bigfoot doesn’t want. He’s misguided in his view, though. In addition to providing wraparound services, having a low barrier shelter enables the city to take the hardest cases off of the street, since they now have a place for people to go. They also passed UGB expansions that will allow more housing to be built which should bring down the cost of housing in the city. Turnkey was funded with state, city and private dollars via YCAP and Providence was a recipient of funds and an administrator.

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