Jessica Becker, executive director of Albany Helping Hands, in her office on Sunday, Aug.18, 2024.
For a reason shrouded in the mist of long ago, the City of Albany owns three lots in the same block as the Albany Helping Hands homeless shelter. The shelter has an idea of how the lots could serve a useful purpose, and it’s not to house people in ragtag tents.
Two of the properties, at 817 Jackson St. and 503 Ninth Avenue S.E., the city designated as homeless camping sites a year ago. Now, because of trouble at the sites, the city is telling people staying there they have to leave by the end of this month.
The third city-owned lot, at 519 Ninth Ave. S.E., is vacant.
Of the 11 tax lots in the block bounded by Pacific Boulevard, Ninth Avenue and Jackson Street, the one at the east end is occupied by the Helping Hands shelter. Five others have houses owned by the shelter, each occupied by several shelter clients.
Two others are occupied by privately owned homes.
On Aug. 7, Helping Hands Executive Director Jessica Becker spoke to the city council briefly about a “request” involving the three city-owned lots. To learn more, I visited with her Sunday.
After working as Helping Hands’ communications director, Becker became the shelter’s executive director when Don Sparks retired at the end of July.
She told me the shelter’s board would like to obtain the three city-owned lots with hopes of building apartments there, along Jackson and Ninth. The plans have not been refined, and nothing has been designed.
But this probably would be a multi-story project on the lots now held by the city and the properties the shelter already owns.
The idea is to build decent living quarters for two purposes: Provide transitional housing where homeless people could get a new start, and expand the supply of subsidized housing so that more people could get help before they actually become homeless and have to live on the street.
When she spoke to the council, Becker had only three minutes under “business from the public.”
There was no action requested or taken. Councilwoman Marilyn Smith said she looked forward to hearing more about the shelter’s proposal when the council resumes its meeting schedule in September after a six-week break (hh)
The orange X’s mark the city-owned lots that Helping Hands would like to obtain as part of project for permanent housing. Two two on the left mark where the city set up Marvin’s Garden.
Nothing to stop them from trashing whatever is put on the properties as well as the surrounding area.
Put them in the Waterfront areas, for all to see.
If this proposal is accepted, you can bet the city will find a way for us to pay for it (as well as maintenance and repairs).
Quit supporting people who either don’t want the support, aren’t mentally well enough to understand, or too drugged up to try to better themselves.
“aren’t mentally well enough to understand” so we just let the mentaly ill just suffer?
you do know that doing this is part of what got us to this homeless mess
I really hope you know that you have just profiled any one and every one In that category as not wanting help you realize that not all of them are that way and further more with a comment like that or not trying to find out the situation or what is holding them back just makes the problem worse off must be nice to sit back in your self centered ways and not give a damn but let me say this it can just as well be you out there as well I’m trying to get back out there I am not on drugs just remember everyone has a downfall you should be ashamed let’s push them down even farther
this must be some sort of a joke. new apts, for homeless people. safe bet not one person in marvins garden qualifies for something like this. prove me wrong helping hands, prove me wrong.
Thank you, Jessica Becker, Exec. Director of Helping Hands, for trying to help homeless people. Don’t pay any attention to the mean-spirted men who comment on Hasso’s blog and have no empathy for the human race at all, unless it is their own family or friends in trouble.
Isn’t there some dept. at City Hall who is in charge of land owned by the City of Albany that you can talk to and by-pass that “little club” called The City Council? Ask to talk to the City Manager. He makes big bucks and runs everything at the City. He has all the power.
This is off subject, but I drove by Waverly Lake and I think the lake needs two more fountains and a whole bunch more aerators. Oh, I forgot for a second….the city spent all the tax money on having the urban renewal district, CARA, and spending 22.5 million, with more to be spent bringing it up to 25 million, on Water Street and the now-ugly-as-all-get-out Monteith Park!
You want it? YOU pay for it. Don’t put the burden on the rest of us. Same goes for our council members (CARA) and their stupid, money wasting, pet projects.
The community gets to make these choices by electing public officials, who then make decisions on how public funds will be spent. If you dislike the actions of public officials, you can run for public office in the next election. Best of Luck!
O-SNAP
Glad someone is trying to help homeless people instead of constant nagging with no substance. Thanks!
AlbanyHUTS.org is attempting to create some substance, but finds more roadblocks from the city than from the un-sheltered. We’re still willing to try to make a positive
humanitarian difference for Albany. Stay tuned.
Creating Housing Coalition in Albany, as well as the five well managed housing in Eugene are the role models in housing those needing assistance – families included. The key here is purchasing the property from the City to get it out of their hands.
I love this idea! So many people in these comments aren’t satisfied with anything either way from what I have seen. I am loving the changes to the waterfront and I really appreciate these ideas to get homeless people off the street and get them the support they need.
Such a shame to see people dismissing folks who are unsheltered like they are not real people who need real support. You folks seem to forget that you are much closer to ending up on the street with the people you dismiss than you are to retiring in comfort.
Grow some empathy and remind yourselves that we all share this little blue marble together, and the least we can do is help the least fortunate of us. There are numerous studies and examples around the nation and the world showing that housing people is the most effective way to reduce homelessness – WHO KNEW.
Very tired of the same old blow-hards commenting on this blog from the comfort of their homes or offices who have the gall to judge others they have never taken the time to talk to or get to know. Do better. I live right by the Dave Clark trail and run into unsheltered folks with my dog all the time. I’ve had no trouble, many good conversations, and my dog gets all the pets she could want.
Put your hot air into something useful next time, like getting out on the street with these folks, before you comment such ignorance again.
Hear, Hear!! Good to read your comment, “Empathetic in Albany.” Thank you.
thank you! you are much kinder in your comment than i would be…
I would sincerely like to thank you for standing up for us I myself have been trying to get out of this homeless shelter for 3 years I am on SSI and it is hard to find a place to rent with what I get and SSI is not much help either because they make it to where if you try to work they will take your social security and Then you right back at square one
The problem lies in the location. People that are homeless need to be were they can be part of the community not hidden under the overpass. If everyone sees the activities and how people can be a productive if given the opportunity, they would be more supportive of helping the homeless. Bad behavior has always been a problem in that location since the shelter was opened up and anyone living there will be subject to the wrong people that keep them in the gutter. Apartments would cause the wrong element to accumulate there. Single homes and the commercial businesses there were enough to keep the area positive. Every area in Albany can be successful if the city would consider the dynamics of each area and have realistic expectations of their goals. The city is so stubborn trying to shove square ideas into round holes. They have lost a lot of money, resources and time being so determined in doing things the hard way. Please give everyone a break and start doing projects that don’t involve hurting the majority of businesses and people of the community.
I don’t know about this, first, they will want it at a subsidized price, then they will want help subsidizing the building of it. Be skeptical, be skeptical, be skeptical.
I can’t understand putting “love of the changes at Monteith Park and Water Street” above helping the homeless. Albany or no other city has the money (CARA and urban renewal be damned!) to spend 22.5 million plus on cementing over a park and installing fancy bricks on Water Street AND also helping the homeless in any effective way! So, Albany blew it!!
all these crazy ideas to help the homeless are silly! a laughing matter! how many people in marvins garden qualify for this stuff? not a dang one of your ideas to solve the homeless problem in albany will be available for people on drugs and or alcohol.
Then, Maybe, just Maybe the folks who are on Drugs and Alcohol should decide to change their ways…………. My uncle, who lived on the streets of Portland on and off for 8 years told me “you can not change a drunk, you can only help them up when they decide to change.” He decided to change, maybe the folks on drugs and Alcohol should make that decision…. then and only then can they be helped, now we are just helping them to stay addicted.
so what i am hearing you say is that we need a robust safty net for when a homeless addict decides they want to change?
we have nothing like that now
Because, most everything we have gives people stuff without responsibility being addressed, these are the folks that do not go to helping hands because at Helping Hands they actually have rules that must be abided with.
just when i thought i have heard it all…. humans addicted to alcohol are going to stop drinking for a new apt? the tweekers will stop tweeking for a new apt? are you serious?
The good people of Albany have given until it hurts. No longer do we have a safe and healthy community. The mayor, city manager and city council have trashed Albany. They don’t drive, work or live by the “slum” they have created. Why can’t they find a solution that doesn’t damage the people that work and live here? “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”, ‘Don’t shit in your own backyard’ means a positive situation or a giving person in your life, don’t trash a good thing, take advantage of or ruin a relationship. If you have a you should be careful to protect it/them. When you abuse the situation, person or relationship and deliberately commit an act that you know is potentially harmful or injurious to the situation or person that is good to you, you run the risk of ruining it. Any act that you know would hurt the one with whom you are affiliated and potentially ruin the relationship forever if they found out. The hospitable one (the house with the yard or security) is fouled or injured by your actions (shit upon) which ultimately poisons the soil (the growth medium, sustaining qualities that nurture). Conscious or willful sabotage through selfish actions that generally involves planning and premeditation but can be impulsive. An ultimate act of betrayal through a degree of separation that taints or destroys a good thing or relationship. We want to help the homeless but not at the expense of hurting others. The homeless need to be reabsorbed by the community, not piled up like human trash by money grubbing slum lord nonprofits seeking funding.