Behind the News: 'It's wasting a whole lot of potential' (interview with Arline LaMear) - December 26, 2020
Last Updated on January 22, 2021
Behind the News: ‘It’s wasting a whole lot of potential’ – December 26, 2020
Arline LaMear has learned the gears of government often turn slowly.
The former librarian ran for mayor in 2014 on the promise of a new Astoria Library. As mayor, she created a homelessness solutions task force in 2017 to confront the growing number of people living on the streets.
The idea for a new library has evolved into a renovation project that has stalled during the coronavirus pandemic. The homeless task force has struggled to find policy footing.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Letter: Shelter space (letter by Troy Haskell) - December 26, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
Letter: Shelter space (letter by Troy Haskell) – December 26, 2020
Open letter to Gov. Kate Brown: I know you have more on your platter than you could imagine, but your people need you.
As a recently retired veteran and general contractor, I know Oregon has some of the strictest building codes in the country. Some of these codes make it impossible to make small, temporary housing for our growing population of homeless. One example is the minimal space per person restriction.
Being an engineer in Mosul, Iraq, I assisted in assembling modulated temporary sleeping quarters that were placed on elevated platforms. Astoria, and most towns in this state, have a few miles of unused train track.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Project Homeless Connect canceled over virus - December 11, 2020
Last Updated on January 22, 2021
Project Homeless Connect canceled over virus – December 11, 2020
Clatsop Community Action has canceled the 11th annual Project Homeless Connect over the coronavirus.
Every January, the event brings together over 40 nonprofit, government and faith-based agencies on the North Coast to offer services to the homeless.
“With heavy heart, CCA has decided to cancel Project Homeless Connect 2021 due to COVID,” Viviana Matthews, the agency’s executive director, said in an email to community partners this month.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Astoria Warming Center prepares for 'COVID season' - November 2, 2020
Last Updated on January 22, 2021
Astoria Warming Center prepares for ‘COVID season’ – November 2, 2020
The Astoria Warming Center had barely shut its doors at the end of the season in March when board members began planning for a “COVID season” in November.
Now they will begin operations on Nov. 15 with a new executive director — Clatsop County Commissioner Kathleen Sullivan — paid staff instead of volunteers, a slight dip in the number of people they can host per night and a roster of new safety protocols.
The warming center is one of the few emergency shelter options on the North Coast and the only low-barrier option for people who are homeless.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Man found dead behind Costco identified - October 31, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
Man found dead behind Costco identified – October 31, 2020
A dead body found on Oct. 3 at homeless camps behind Costco in Warrenton has been identified as Michael Anthony Konecny, a 32-year-old Astoria man who was reported missing since early August.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Homeless man arrested after alleged assault in Astoria - October 30, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
Homeless man arrested after alleged assault in Astoria – October 30, 2020
A homeless man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly assaulting an elderly woman in Astoria.
Police say Daniel Joel Phillips, 32, was near the Garden of Surging Waves when he asked a woman walking to the Astoria Senior Center for money. When she did not answer and continued walking, Phillips allegedly struck the woman with a shovel.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Authorities investigating death behind Costco - October 5, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
Authorities investigating death behind Costco – October 5, 2020
Authorities are investigating a dead body that was found Saturday at homeless camps behind Costco in Warrenton.
The identity of the person has not been publicly released.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
Emergency shelter secures funds for virus outreach - July 29, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
Emergency shelter secures funds for virus outreach – July 29, 2020
The Astoria Warming Center is receiving help from the state to provide coronavirus-related education and resources to Clatsop County’s homeless population.
The warming center was one of more than 170 community-based organizations across the state to receive a grant from the federal CARES Act funding package funneled through the Oregon Health Authority. The grants are intended to help organizations address health inequities in their communities with resources directed at underserved groups, such as people of color, people with disabilities and the homeless.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
New mental health center opens in Astoria - June 24, 2020
Last Updated on January 2, 2021
New mental health center opens in Astoria – June 24, 2020
A new organization led by an advocate for the homeless hopes to fill a gap in addressing mental illness in Astoria.
Beacon Clubhouse, funded through the Clatsop County branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and based out of the First Baptist Church on Seventh Street, plans to offer community and peer-led resources outside of a clinical setting.
Read the entire article here in The Astorian.
A house for homeless in Astoria: Turning talk to action - June 1, 2020
“One nonprofit’s desire to provide housing to the homeless in Astoria has moved from dream to reality. Friends of the Unsheltered, which grew out of discussions about how to address homelessness, now has a three-bedroom house on Bond Street to offer. The nonprofit will work with Clatsop Community Action to match people enrolled in the social service agency’s housing programs with rooms available in what they are calling Friends House.”
Our View: A lack of urgency on homelessness - March 3, 2020
“No one expected the task force Astoria created in 2017 would solve homelessness. Our small town does not hold the secret to a problem overwhelming cities across the West. Housing, drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness are some of the many factors behind a surge of people living on the streets. Mayor Arline LaMear’s idea was to build on the conversations on homelessness that led to portable restrooms near the Astoria Riverwalk to discourage people from urinating and defecating in public.”
6 dead in Washington state from coronavirus [plan to protect homeless] - March 2, 2020
“SEATTLE — Six people have now died from coronavirus in Washington state, health officials said Monday as local leaders said they would purchase a hotel to use as a hospital and provide housing for vulnerable homeless people amid outbreak fears.”
Homeless shelter planned for Wapato Jail - February 27, 2020
“PORTLAND — On a recent Saturday afternoon, Alan Evans strolled through the hallways of northeast Portland’s Wapato Jail singing Freddy Fender’s 1974 hit ‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls.’ Around him, 300 or so curious Portlanders roamed freely through the never-used jail, pressing their faces against the glass panes of the facility’s visitation rooms and meandering through the industrial freezer. All had come to hear Evans’ plan to convert the facility into a massive homeless shelter.”
For Astoria's homeless task force, few concrete solutions - February 14, 2020
“Two years after its formation, a task force intended to confront homelessness in Astoria has found few concrete solutions. The task force endorsed a Helping Hands reentry facility in Uniontown and advised police on a sweep of camps in the woods. But other ideas, including a fine forgiveness program, have been left sitting on the back burner for months, simmering in subcommittee discussions. Now a homeless services coordinator might be named to gather data and address gaps across Clatsop County.”
Another year means more growth at the Astoria Warming Center - February 14, 2020 [2-Minute Video]
Ever wanted to see inside the Astoria Warming Center? Here’s your chance! The Astorian produced a great 2-minute video. This will entice you to volunteer. Send an email to astoriawarmingcenter@gmail.com for questions or to sign up as a volunteer.
Bill would give cities lifeline on homelessness - February 13, 2020
“Cities struggling with homelessness are expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries under legislation sponsored by state House Speaker Tina Kotek. But not every city official fully supports the idea, with worries that it could limit local governments’ control over where homeless shelters are built. House Bill 4001, one of Kotek’s legislative priorities, is designed to help boost the number of homeless shelters in Oregon by this fall.”
Warrenton approves Chelsea Gardens neighborhood - February 12, 2020
The good news is Warrenton approved a measured plan to increase its housing stock. However, the article ends with “The City Commission… struck Cronin’s language defining transitional housing ‘provided as a social service to homeless such as a shelter, warming center or dormitory.’ Mayor Henry Balensifer said he isn’t opposed to transitional housing, but worried about setting a precedent allowing it before the city has developed standards to regulate such development.”
Writer's Notebook: Rural America on a tightrope - February 11, 2020
“The authors assert America has failed its children. But they also point to solutions. The authors note having high-quality early childhood programs, universal high school graduation, universal health care, ending homelessness for children and giving a monthly child allowance as ways to help abate our current state of chaos.’”
Everyday People: Couple keeps it simple, sweet - February 10, 2020
“Amid all the niche gourmet food carts at 11th and Duane streets, Sally and Eric Irvine are Keeping it Sweet and Simple. The husband-and-wife owners of the new eatery, housed in Samuel Bruhn’s short-lived Half Pint Donuts cart between Pizutti’s Woodfired Pizza and Coffee OR Waffle, are targeting the more economical breakfast and lunch fare.”
They would enjoy having a covered area for customers but….
“In the rainy season, carts focus on staying afloat and drawing in locals. Like some of their neighbors, the Irvines hope property owner Michael Bruhn will install a covered area for customers. He has resisted over fears the homeless will camp out there. ‘My point of view is, they’re hanging out whether we give them a covered area or not,’ Sally Irvine said. ‘So if they wanted to get into any of our stuff or be bad people, they’re going to do it whether there’s a covered area or not … It would sure help us business-wise.’”
Everyday People: Seaside woman creates new life - February 3, 2020
“Melissa Faber moved to Seaside in 2016 for a fresh start. After spending years in and out of jail, she was ready to create a life of sobriety, but things got worse before they got better. Faber moved in with a friend and stopped using drugs, but spiraled again, spending the next year and a half using drugs and living homeless.”
Legislators could tackle guns, wildfires and homelessness - January 31, 2020
“Legislators will roll up their sleeves for some speedy politicking in February, tackling some of Oregon’s thorniest problems. When they gather for the monthlong legislative session, legislators want to improve the state’s care for people with mental illness and the ability to fight increasingly destructive wildfires. They want to protect the state’s air quality by decreasing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Also high on the ‘to-do’ list is moving thousands of homeless people off the street and into housing.”
Homeless count part of Project Homeless Connect - January 23, 2020
“Clatsop County will soon get an updated count on homelessness. Clatsop Community Action will host the 10th annual Project Homeless Connect on Tuesday at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. Over 40 other nonprofit, governmental and faith-based agencies throughout the North Coast will also offer services. ‘I think it’s a way of instilling hope in people who are experiencing homelessness who are already feeling very, very hopeless with the situation that they’re in,” said Susan Prettyman, Clatsop Community Action’s housing manager.’”
Some rural areas prefer tougher approach to homelessness - January 23, 2020
“Chilly winds and hail don’t bother Buckshot Cunningham, who lived outside without a shelter for years until he came across a tiny house village in southern Oregon. ‘This is my umbrella,’ he says as he shrugs on the hood of his coat, walking into a late January winter storm. Hope Village is run by Rogue Retreat, a nonprofit serving low-income people in Medford. It’s a collection of about a dozen small cottages with a communal kitchen, dining area and bathrooms….”
Kotek proposes $40 million to fight homelessness - January 21, 2020
“The Oregon Legislature could be poised to make its most significant investment to relieve the effects of a statewide homelessness crisis as House Speaker Tina Kotek prepares a bill that would allocate $40 million to create new shelters. She wants the Legislature to pass a bill that would declare a homelessness state of emergency that would allow local governments to bypass zoning restrictions when siting shelters and other critically needed space for homeless people to escape the elements. She also wants the state to provide money to create and operate such places.”
Our View: RV living a sign of the times - January 16, 2020
“With the North Coast’s affordable housing crisis in full swing, it is hard to defend Clatsop County’s rule about recreational vehicle living. The rule restricts people from living in their campers, trailers and other recreational vehicles to no more than 30 days out of a 90-day period. Simple question: Where are they going to spend the other two-thirds of the time? In November, the Oregon Law Center contacted the county asking it to loosen up its rules, which have been on the books since the early 1980s.”
County code limiting RVs draws criticism: Some people are living in vehicles - January 8, 2020
“A Clatsop County ordinance has drawn criticism over concerns that it exacerbates the housing crisis. The code limits people to living in their campers, trailers and other recreational vehicles no more than 30 days out of a 90-day period.
Several RVs find free parking on side streets on the North Coast. A similar code exists in counties throughout the state. But with the lack of affordable housing in Clatsop County, the code raises the question: If people can’t live in their RVs, then where do they go?”