SALEM, Ore. – When communities put the right programs and policies in place, they can spark progress for families. This week, a two-day conference in Salem examines what Oregon could be doing to make the biggest impact.
The Oregon nonprofit group Neighborhood Partnerships calls it a RE:conference – a chance to rethink and rebuild strategies for affordable rent and home ownership, small-business creation and financial stability.
One speaker is Thomas Shapiro, director of the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University's Heller School of Social Policy. He says income inequality now threatens the nation's values and its ability to move forward, but he describes his message as hopeful.
"There's a whole lot that states can do,” he says. “It's always a question of people understanding where their current policies are taking them, and then the will to bend that arc and have it go in a much more democratic and fairer direction."
Policies include how states handle estate taxes, the minimum wage and whether they have an Earned Income Tax Credit, he explains.
And since Oregon is known for its high housing costs, the conference will focus on strengthening programs to make home ownership more accessible and encourage development of affordable housing.
Shapiro blames what he calls toxic inequality for many families' inability to get ahead. He says it's a combination of historically high wealth inequality and policies from the last century that don't fit the country's changing demographics.
"Demographics are not destiny,” he maintains. “But our institutions and policymakers are simply not prepared for this kind of transition. We can see it in our schools, we can see it in the workforce, we can see it in policy."
The RE:conference starts Wed., Oct. 29, at the Salem Convention Center. Day one of the two-day conference is about housing opportunity. Day two focuses on financial health, from credit building and retirement savings to reaching out to people who don't use traditional banking services.
The event also is a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Neighborhood Partnerships.
get more stories like this via email
Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared toward improving the state's homelessness prevention and mental-health systems.
Cox said homelessness and housing were among his top priorities heading into 2024. He asked the Legislature for about $128 million in his budget to address the issue. While Cox wasn't granted the full amount, he said he's pleased with the more than $81 million to be used to alleviate homelessness in Utah.
"It was a grueling session, it was a difficult one," he said, "but we ended up in a great place."
One of the bills, House Bill 394, now requires the state's Homeless Network Steering Committee to create a funding appropriation formula to ensure these funds are being distributed statewide.
Senate Bill 26 will make changes to Utah's behavioral-health licensing provisions. It's intended to remove barriers for people entering the profession and increase the number of mental-health providers.
Cox called the passage of a total of nine bills a "historic achievement."
State Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, is a co-sponsor of House Bill 298, changing the state's current Homelessness Council to the Utah Homeless Services Board. It specifies a goal of having more people exiting homelessness than entering it. Clancy said the law also creates standards for programs to track their progress on reducing homelessness, drug abuse and camping.
"We're looking at accountability metrics," he said, "and making sure that as people flow through our system, that we measure success based on how many people can move on to self sufficiency."
Clancy said he realizes that a mother fleeing domestic violence with children will need a much different intervention than an individual living on the streets. He contended that Utah will now have better policies in place to help connect people to more tailored services.
get more stories like this via email
As New York housing advocates demand state lawmakers pass a bill to keep landlords from evicting renters without "good cause," a new report cautioned them about getting what they wish for.
The New York University report found good cause eviction can create long-term challenges for tenants and landlords, including discouraging maintenance investments in new and existing housing, increasing costs to resolve disputes and landlords screening tenants more rigorously.
Vicki Been, Furman Center faculty director at New York University, said alternatives could help improve landlord-tenant relations.
"One would be expanded access to legal counsel," Been pointed out. "What we know is when tenants have counsel, they're much better able to raise the kinds of issues that might be causing them to withhold rent; maintenance issues, other kinds of problems."
She added tenants are much more likely to go to housing court and fight for themselves rather than give up quickly. Other alternatives include exemptions for different kinds of buildings and increasing the range of rents deemed unreasonable, to prevent sharp increases. Several New York towns have declared housing emergencies due to high rent prices, part of what is driving statewide eviction increases.
Good cause eviction's financial effects stem from landlords being required to prove in housing court their reasons for not renewing a renter's lease. It means housing court cases could run beyond the average 133 days to settle. Been noted the protections do not help people looking for apartments and could affect housing availability.
"It doesn't add anything to the supply," Been pointed out. "Indeed, it may limit the supply, in the sense that tenants who enjoy these protections may stay in a bigger apartment, even once their kids are grown, or those kinds of things."
She added housing reforms like good cause eviction must be paired with other regulatory changes.
Not all New Yorkers agree with how they want state government to handle this. A Marist Poll found some people want rental assistance vouchers prioritized, while almost one-quarter said they want more funding for new rental housing development.
get more stories like this via email
This month marks the 25th anniversary of the Renaissance Children's Center, which serves low-income families and those experiencing homelessness with infants and children up to the time they enter kindergarten.
Susan Dunn, director of the center, said many kids who have spent time in the 6,600 square-foot facility in Lakewood have lived in transitional housing, in cars, or have camped out with their parents as they work to get back on their feet.
"The children are coming here while the parents are looking for work, and going to school, and just rebuilding their lives. And it's a safe place for the children to be and learn and grow," she explained.
Launched in 2005 and operated by the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the center has eight naturally-lit classrooms and two outdoor play areas. Kids get breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack prepared onsite by a professional chef. Children have space to direct their own learning experience. And a social-skills curriculum helps prepare kids to succeed in school and beyond, by building emotional competence and strengthening their ability to play and solve problems with others.
The center's staff is trained in trauma-informed education, and mental health services are available for children and parents. Dunn said most of the trauma kids experience stem from living in poverty. Many have been separated from their parents because of behavioral-health issues or incarceration, and adds that consistency is key to their recovery.
"They know when meals are served. Everybody sits down at the table and eats together, so there's that community. And then our classrooms are very home-like. It doesn't look like a schoolroom as much as it looks like a living room and a home," Dunn continued.
The center's woodsy outdoor spaces serve as a natural-learning classroom, which promotes math, science, literacy and other skills. Dunn said children get to connect to nature and experience new ways of learning.
"A lot of the kids, they don't really have a big backyard, and so our playgrounds are their big backyard. They get to use their muscles and their skills to climb and check out bugs and rocks and all kinds of things like that," she said.
Disclosure: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless contributes to our fund for reporting on Budget Policy & Priorities, Health Issues, Housing/Homelessness, Poverty Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest,
click here.
get more stories like this via email