Commissioners creating housing options, support



Oregon’s homeless rate is the highest in the nation on a per capita basis, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Lincoln County is addressing homelessness through its 10-year plan called “At Home in Lincoln County,” co-authored by Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall and Tom Hatley from Community Services Consortium.

About 20 community members gathered at the First Presbyterian Church in Newport on Thursday, Sept. 24, to hear a progress report about the second year of the county’s 10-year plan.

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is one option to address chronic homelessness.

“The whole concept is, instead of having permanent housing as a kind of reward at the end of a long struggle out of homelessness, you get people housed first,” Hall said. “They don’t have the opportunity to slip through the cracks, moving from emergency shelter to transitional housing to permanent housing. And also, they’ve found again and again that the stability that this brings to peoples lives makes them much better prepared to deal with whatever kind of issues led them to homelessness in the first place.”

Hatley discussed the need for PSH in Lincoln County, the opening of Tern House in Newport nine months ago, and the future opening of Pelican Place.

Funds to purchase and renovate the two apartment buildings came from a bond established by the Oregon State Legislature. The $16 million bond, backed by lottery dollars, is designated to create at least 150 units of Permanent Supportive Housing statewide. Community Services Consortium applied for and received funds to purchase Tern House in 2008.

Tern House is a six-unit apartment building with one-bedroom apartments to serve as transitional or permanent housing for people who are homeless. Occupancy has remained full since its opening. Pelican Place is set to open in early 2010 and has 12 apartments, two of which are two-bedroom units suitable for families.

Additional efforts to address homelessness in Lincoln County include the third annual Project Homeless Connect, which is set for Oct. 9 at the Church of the Nazarene in Newport. The event is a gathering of about 40 agencies that assist homeless individuals and families in need of medical, housing or legal assistance. Health screenings, free haircuts and immunizations will be available, as well as the Medical Teams International Dental Van. Central organizers of the event are Lincoln County Commission on Children and Families, Lincoln County Food Share and Samaritan Health Services.

A committee is working toward developing a Family Resource Center in Newport that would be open as a daytime service center for families. The facility would have showers, laundry and storage facilities and provide service referrals. Within the next year, the committee will develop a business plan, funding possibilities and a potential site.

More information about the plan is available at www.homelessinlincolncounty.com



Monique Cohen is a reporter with the News-Times. Contact her at 265-8571 ext. 217 or mcohen@newportnewstimes.com.



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