Vega Pederson maintains Housing First still the answer
County chair insists only more housing will solve the homeless crisis
The Housing First model may be rapidly losing traction with local some nonprofits, but Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson remains resolute that expanding housing supply is the best route to reduce homelessness.
At a KATU town hall meeting on Nov. 7, Pederson said, “Homelessness is a housing issue … and creation of housing is key.
“This is just a crisis that’s going to get worse, so we absolutely have to be focusing on housing.”
When Pederson says “we,” she doesn’t mean the jurisdiction she leads. Portland officials are the ones needing to step up, she said.
“We don’t build housing,” she said of county government. “Working with the mayor, working with the city council on how we can drive housing production is key.”
The county’s role is to “respond with homeless services,” she said.
Two days before the televised town hall, the Homeless Solutions Coalition heard presentations by Central City Concern and former County Councilor Sharon Meieran asserting that putting homeless people with chronic substance abuse or mental health problems into independent living is unsustainable, leading to destruction of housing units, behavior problems that overwhelm other residents and staff, and financial losses for the landlord.
One thing both sides of the debate agree on is the expectation that financial limits will tighten as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive order in July to halt federal funding of Housing First programs.
There are at least four separate kinds of housing shortages, she is confusing and integrating those separate topics. Yes we need lots more housing, but it’s worth digging deeper to see what needs to be done.
The first is ordinary housing for those who can afford to pay full cost.
The second is housing for those who cannot afford a full “market-based” rent..and this will increasingly be a larger number of us as many are retiring who have worked near minimum wage jobs, their social security earnings will not be enough to cover rent. We will need a lot more subsidies of housing whether this is in public housing projects or vouchers for privately owned housing.
The third is the highly supportive types of housing and staffing for transitional sober housing.
The fourth is the even more specialized housing for the mentally ill who are able to have their condition stabilized and able to be integrated into the community with good support.