By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
Twelve organizations in Lincoln County that provide a range of services to the homeless have received a total of $856,179 from the state to help fund operations this winter and into 2024.
The money is another slice of the more than $200 million allocated by the 2023 Legislature for homelessness.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tina Kotek announced that 26 rural counties – including Lincoln County – would receive a total of $26 million to get people off the street, out of their cars and away from other precarious situations by housing them either temporarily in shelters or permanently in homes.
The money was designated by the Legislature in House Bill 5019, which was part of $200 million allocated to fight homelessness. Tuesday’s allocation is expected to pay for 100 new shelter beds and get 450 households into stable living situations by June 2025.
The counties applied for the money by submitting plans showing what they would do with the funds.
For this round, the governor’s office received requests from the 26 rural counties for $37 million – more than the state has to spend. The pot of $26 million was divvied up based on the applications and a formula developed by the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department.
That was the case for Lincoln County.
The Housing Authority of Lincoln County acted as the local coordinator for the applications, getting requests totaling $1.21 million from 11 organizations stretching from Yachats to Lincoln City that provide a range of housing services to the homeless.
It also had requests totaling up to $3.87 million from five organizations who operate or want to operate some sort of emergency shelter.
That included a combined request from the Housing Authority and Lincoln County for $1.14 million to $1.93 million to help purchase buildings in Newport and Lincoln City for the county’s first emergency winter shelter program. That request was not funded.
The total request from Lincoln County was just over $5 million.
Just one of the five shelter requests – Helping Hands Hope Center in Lincoln City received an allocation — $193,954. Helping Hands is a Portland-based homeless relief organization with operations in Portland and Clatsop, Tillamook, Yamhill and Lincoln counties. It is setting up a 70-bed shelter in Lincoln City.
Eleven applications for housing or from organizations that help with housing services were approved – but for half of the $1.21 million requested. These were:
- Yachats Community Presbyterian Church “Don’s Place”, $60,888 of $111,722 requested.
- Centro de Ayuda, Newport: $21,800 of $40,000 requested;
- Coastal Support Services, Lincoln City: $71,984 of $132,000 requested;
- Community Services Consortium, Newport: $109,188 of $200,000 requested;
- Family Promise of Lincoln County, Lincoln City: $46,325 of $85,000 requested;
- Agape Respite Center, $57,247;
- My Sisters’ Place, Newport: $75,310 of $138,184 requested;
- Northwest Coastal Housing, Lincoln City: $68,125 of $125,000 requested;
- ReConnections Counseling, Newport, $103,005 of $189,000 requested;
- Samaritan House, Newport, $24,372 of $44,720 requested; and
- St. Stephen Episcopal Church, Newport and St. Luke by the Sea Episcopal Church, Waldport: $23,980 of $44,000 requested.
Housing Authority coordination
The Housing Authority of Lincoln County coordinated the applications once the county was notified it had two weeks to put together an application to the state.
Although the timeline was sort, the agency’s executive director, Karen Rockwell, said the state’s requirements for this funding were more flexible and allowed churches and for-profit organizations to be included.
“I’m excited that we were ready to work together as a community and turn this request around in such a short time,” she said.
That’s because most of the groups are already involved with a winter shelter program that Lincoln County is setting up beginning in October, and a longer-term $1 million effort funded by the state to set up a permanent navigation center.
The latest state allocations will require the local organizations to find transitional housing for 17 people. Rockwell said they should be able to get 20 people into housing – but with a more ambitious local goal to help them for 2-3 years.
“If we move 20 people from homeless to housing within six months and then help them stay there for several years, I would consider that a success,” she said. “We’ll be looking for people who can sustain their living situation.”
But Rockwell was disappointed that only one of the five shelter requests was funded. She said that Lincoln County was the third-lowest of the 16 counties or regions to get awards and that coastal counties were getting the least overall.
“It’s concerning to me that we’re not getting the same level of respect and support that others areas are,” she told YachatsNews, especially when it comes to standing up shelters.”
But the money should still make a big difference this winter and beyond, she said.
“This is an influx of money that will help stand up programs for 11 organizations,” Rockwell said. “I’m so grateful we have these funds and they will help us make a big difference.”
Other counties
Here’s what the other 25 rural counties are getting:
- Baker, Grant, Union and Wallowa counties: $1.2 million to rehouse at least 33 households;
- Benton County: $2.4 million to add at least 50 shelter beds and rehouse at least 31 households;
- Clatsop County: $3.8 million to add at least 80 shelter beds and rehouse at least 33 households;
- Columbia County: $867,453 to rehouse at least 20 households
- Coos County: $1.9 million to add at least eight shelter beds and rehouse at least 32 households;
- Curry County: $594,000 to rehouse at least 14 households;
- Douglas County: $1.4 million to rehouse at least 34 households;
- Gilliam, Morrow, Umatilla and Wheeler counties: $2.1 million to add at least 25 shelter beds and rehouse at least 40 households;
- Harney and Malheur counties: $1.3 million to rehouse at least 34 households;
- Hood River, Sherman and Wasco and counties: $1.9 million to add at least 34 shelter beds and rehouse at least 29 households;
- Josephine County: $2 million to add at least 16 shelter beds and rehouse at least 31 households;
- Klamath and Lake counties: $1.4 million to rehouse at least 38 households;
- Linn County: $1.9 million to add at least 30 shelter beds and rehouse at least 32 households;
- Tillamook County: $769,404 to add at least 20 shelter beds and rehouse at least 12 households; and
- Yamhill County: $1.3 million to add at least 14 shelter beds and rehouse at least 21 households.
- The Oregon Capital Chronicle contributed to this report.