A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/Rents-in-Clatsop-County.pdf.

Notes

• Housing & Urban Development (HUD) considers “affordable rent” to be within 30% of the renter’s gross income (before taxes). The 30% includes rent and all utilities (except for telephone).
• HUD considers an individual (or a family) to be “rent burdened” if rent is more than 50% of the gross income.
• HUD’s Fair Market Rent (FMR) is based on questionnaires sent yearly from the Census Bureau. FMR reflects what existing renters are currently paying. FMR does not represent currently advertised “For Rent” pricing.
• Four categories of renters were considered: All incomes are gross (before taxes) for 2022.
  • Full-time Minimum wage in Clatsop County: $13.50/hr ($2,340/month)
  • Social Security retirees: $1,676.53 average
  • Social Security Disability Insurance – SSDI: $1,364.41 average
  • Supplemental Security Income – SSI: $841 maximum (average $601)
• Of these four groups, only the full-time minimum wage rent burdened worker can afford a currently advertised  studio apartment (Nov 2022) in the county.
• Clatsop Community Actions maintains a list of affordable housing at https://ccaservices.org/housing/housing-list/. None of the complexes that have been contacted have a vacancy. One representative said they don’t maintain a waiting list because they haven’t had a vacancy in years. A personal friend was on the Gateway waiting list for five years before being accepted.
• Some landlords require showing proof of income that is three times the rent. In these situations even if the potential renters are willing to be rent burdened (50%) they would not qualify for the apartment.
• At least one retail property listing limits the maximum stay to 11½ months. It’s my understanding that Oregon law differentiates between one year and longer rentals. See ORS 90.427 Termination of tenancy without tenant cause at https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_90.427.
• If single individuals join together to rent a 2-bedroom apartment, some landlords require each individual to show proof of income that is three times the total rent.

Data Sources

Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Fair Market Rent for 2022: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html#2022.

Social Security

Retiree (average monthly): https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/.

SSDI (average monthly): https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/.

SSI (maximum monthly): https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-benefits-ussi.htm.

“The major difference is that SSI determination is based on age/disability and limited income and resources, whereas SSDI determination is based on disability and work credits.” See https://ncoa.org/article/ssi-vs-ssdi-what-are-these-benefits-how-they-differ.

Clatsop Community Action

Affordable Housing List: https://ccaservices.org/docs/housing/Affordable_Housing_List_04-16-2021.pdf.

Retail “For Rent” in Clatsop County (reviewed listings Nov 25-30, 2022)

Apartments.com: https://www.apartments.com/clatsop-county-or/.

Craig’s List: https://portland.craigslist.org/search/nco/apa#search=1~gallery~0~0.

Facebook’s Astoria (Oregon) Area Rental Resource Group (Aarg!): https://www.facebook.com/groups/426925654024995.

Cost of Utilities:

Electricity: https://www.electricitylocal.com/states/oregon/astoria/.

A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/Rents-Homelessness.pdf.

Notes

• The graph compares rent with rates of homelessness across the United States. The rate of homelessness in Clatsop County is easy to miss in the graph… follow the red arrow to the top of the page!
• The major points being made include:
  • Researchers have shown a 10% increase in rent is associated with a 13.6% increase in the rate of homeless.
  • Government assistance is available for only about 1/4 of those in need.
  • Oregon is going backwards in solving the problem of the lack of housing.
  • Government regulation significantly increases the cost of housing.

Data Sources

A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/ACE-Homelessness.pdf.

Notes

• We may be “created equally” but some of us grow up in toxic environments that can impact us for life.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are just that… traumatic events during childhood. Like having a family member die by suicide; having an alcoholic parent….
• Most of us have very few traumatic events during childhood.
• However, those that experience homelessness tend to have many traumatic events during childhood.
• Toxic stress from ACEs can actually effect our brains as we development. This can have a lasting impact on tools like decision-making and learning. This can impact our adult lives with things like struggling with depression, jobs, and managing life in general.
• What’s your ACE Score? Find out at https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/.

Data Sources

Center for Disease Control https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/

A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/Clatsop-PIT.pdf.

Notes

• Housing & Urban Development (HUD) requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) to do an annual Point in Time (PIT) count in early January.
• The PIT includes counting both unsheltered and sheltered (e.g. “couch surfing”) homeless individuals and families.
• Clatsop Community Action is responsible for the count in Clatsop County.
• Clatsop County is in HUD’s Rural Oregon Continuum of Care (that includes 26 Oregon counties).
• PIT data reported to the State of Oregon is at the county level.
• As of January 13, 2023 the most recent data published by the state is for the 2019 PIT count.
• Clatsop Count has, and has had for years, the highest reported rate of homelessness among counties in the State of Oregon.
• Among states, Oregon ranks number 4 in the rate of homelessness (number of homeless per 100,000 residents).
• “Clatsop County is ground zero for the housing crisis in the country” (Leslie Ford is a housing strategy and development advisor for Columbia Pacific Coordinated Care Organization and Project CareConnect). Seaside Signal, January 6, 2023.

Data Sources

Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Standards and Methodologies Training: https://www.hudexchange.info/trainings/courses/point-in-time-pit-count-standards-and-methodologies-training/.

Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/coc/coc-homeless-populations-and-subpopulations-reports/.

The State of Oregon

Oregon Housing and Community Services – Point-in-Time: https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/homelessness/Pages/index.aspx.

Misc.

More information on the PIT count: https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/research-pit/.

DON’T COUNT ON IT: How the HUD Point-in-Time Count Underestimates the Homelessness Crisis in America: https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/HUD-PIT-report2017.pdf.

State of Homelessness in 2022: Statistics, Analysis, & Trends: https://www.security.org/resources/homeless-statistics/.

A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/Housing-First-HUD.pdf.

Notes

• “Housing First” means radically different things to different people. As a result, the researched, evidence-based variant is called Pathway’s Housing First.
• Pathway’s Housing First includes several components… that must all be incorporated into the program.
  • Program philosophy and practice values emphasizing consumer choice;
  • Community based, mobile support services; and
  • Permanent scatter-site housing (multiple clients are not housed in one apartment complex or shelter).
• A major barrier to Pathway’s Housing First includes a lack of affordable housing.

Data Sources

A pdf of the above image is available at https://friendsoftheunsheltered.org/wp-content/uploads/Humanitarian-Crisis.pdf.

Notes

• The major point here is Oregon has been trying since at least 2008 to develop plans to end homelessness. They don’t work and are short lived. But we do know how to respond to humanitarian crisis (for example communities devastated by forest fires). In other words, perhaps we’re approaching this from the wrong perspective.

Data Sources