This banner of the Creating Housing Coalition caught my eye Nov. 12 at North Albany Road and Hickory Street.
As happens every few months, there was talk about the homeless before the Albany City Council this week. Someone from the public, a board member of Creating Housing Coalition, brought it up.
The coalition has been working for more than three years on a concrete if partial solution to the problem of people unable to afford a place to live. Organized as a nonprofit, the group wants to build a community of about two dozen tiny houses. The idea is modeled after similar ventures elsewhere, such as Emerald Village in Eugene.
When I talked to the coalition in the summer of 2019, they had begun raising money and had hopes of finding a site and starting construction in 2021. That didn’t happen, obviously. Last year they made a bid but then dropped an attempt to buy a 2-acre park the city was selling.
Then the coalition tried to buy 3 acres at 2398 Marion St. S.E. Greater Albany Public Schools was selling the land as surplus property not needed for its new school bus garage and grounds.
The coalition, together with Habitat for Humanity, offered to pay up to $705,000 for the vacant land, but it was outbid. One “Robes St. Juste,” represented by Colleen M. Brodsky of Albany, bid up to $850,000. The high bidder was Corvallis-based Spies Real Estate Group LLC, and the school board sold the property to the firm for $900,000.
(Paul Spies, the CEO, said in his offer that his firm already owned 4.8 acres to the north of the GAPS property and intended to develop 160 units of “desperately needed housing” on the combined parcels.)
So, where is the coalition in its quest to find a site for its proposed Hub City Village of tiny houses?
“We don’t have any word yet,” coalition Vice President Carol Davies told me on Wednesday, “but we may have an announcement soon.”
It was Davies who spoke to the council Wednesday night, not about Hub City Village but another tangible thing the group is doing in connection with the homeless.
With the help of the Albany police and others, the coalition this month launched what it calls an “emergency street outreach program.” The idea is to find “unhoused” people in need of help with clothing, food, or social services.
An early success was a coat drive by members of the police department that yielded 90 coats in a week.
Carol Davies’ talk to the council led to a general discussion about trash at homeless camps and the need for dumpsters and maybe outhouses.
Some of homeless camps they were talking about are in Millersburg and outside Albany’s jurisdiction. And considering that unauthorized camping on public property is illegal, Councilwoman Bessie Johnson wondered why the council was talking about providing services to illegal camps. (To get the whole discussion, find the Jan. 26 council meeting on YouTube.)
According to the coalition, 243 people were counted as homeless in Albany (last year, presumably; a new count is now under way), of whom 131 had been homeless for more than a year. Whether any of them would qualify for housing in Hub City Village is an open question. It would be nice to get it built and see. (hh)
Didn’t Albany adopted a “10-year plan to end homelessness” about 15 years ago?
If I recall, the “plan” clearly stated that many of the homeless people in Albany presented with mental illness and drug/alcohol issues.
And the problem has just gotten worse. So history tells us that linear-style housing solutions like Hub City are not effective.
The deinstitutionalization approach adopted back in the 60’s & 70’s appears to be a contributing factor to today’s problem.
Is it time to re-consider structured care and involuntary commitment to a professional treatment facility for folks living on the street?
This doesn’t mean a return to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” asylums.
It does mean adding modern mental facilities that are more clinically effective than 10-year virtue-signaling government “plans” that do nothing.
Don’t get too excited in thinking you found fault with a city supported plan, Gordon! You will be pleased to know the Linn County plan, the City of Albany supported, was not a plan to “end” homelessness. It was a ten year homeless housing plan. Those of us on the committee knew “ending” homelessness was not a reality, because someone living in a home today could be homeless the following day. Plus, ever since I was a little kid in Albany, I remember seeing individuals who were homeless.
“Is it time to re-consider structured care and involuntary commitment to a professional treatment facility for folks living on the street?”
Yes, I agree. Some folks will never be able to safely care for themselves in the world.
You’re also right that a new approach is needed. But the rub is that it means it will cost more money to do it right. And most folks stop right there because they don’t want to pay for it.
This Ward III resident is happy to see that Councilwoman Bessie Johnson is as filled with compassion as ever.
Hasso Hering writes:
“Councilwoman Bessie Johnson wondered why the council was talking about providing services to illegal camps.”
Empathy and sympathy like Johnson’s demonstrates how Albany’s 3rd Ward is leading the way where affinity and compassion is concerned. Thank you, Councilperson Johnson. With your stewardship, the Third Ward will blessedly never have to witness the Homeless in our neighborhoods. Ignorance is bliss and with your shepherding we, the residents of Albany’s Ward III, can all be as blissful as is humanly possible.
Do you have an answer to Bessie’s question that does not promote more homelessness?
No, but my instincts tell me neither does Councilperson Johnson, or you for that matter. I do know that a little compassion and empathy will get you closer to a solution than will an outright blanket denial that the problem of homelessness even exists.
^^^ This! ^^^
They should take over the old mega foods building.
My take. You “loving” members of the community just take a homeless to their place and FEED, CLOTHE, and provide them a “house space”. Problem solved!
This Commenter must live in the 3rd Ward. Run for office. Councilperson Johnson won’t be up on the Council dais forever.
Anyone who wants something as modeled in Eugene needs their head examined.
Enabling is not the way…
Some tough love will be needed.
Any politicians out there really want to tackle this??
Tax paying citizens are really wanting answers and not lip service.
PS: if ya don’t want ants, don’t leave the sugar sprinkled on the counter.
I have lived by the Willamette River for over 50 years and have met many of the homeless people that live along the river. Yes they aren’t supposed to camp down there but they do. I have had some good and some not so good experiences with the people that live there. Many receive disability checks for up to $700.00 but can’t get housing for that. Many have mental problems which can sometimes be dangerous to people being in their space. My neighbors were walking on the trail a few years back and a man came at them with a machete. He was mentally ill. I have helped some over the years but am careful who they are and some have helped me. We have had people living there that have helped my neighbors with projects in their yards. I had an experience one day when I was walking my big dogs and when I let them go down to the water and I stayed on the trail a man on a bike started coming at me growling until my dogs came back and he left. I have had a woman steal stuff off my back porch and when I saw my stuff down there when she was gone I took it back. Some of the people down there are hiding from police because of warrants and have records and can’t pass background checks. There are lots of reasons people are homeless and some like the camping life and won’t change. No matter what you do some people will always prefer to live outside. I could tell you lots more stories but not now.
Hasso and others who are reading “HH_today” may help advance my idea as I haven’t heard anyone else suggest it before. My idea will not eliminate homelessness, but it might alleviate the numbers. In cultures where multi-generations live together, there is less homelessness. Family members take care of each other. We don’t need a few large organizations to “help.” We need many small groups or individuals who are willing to take in one or two people as family members to treat them as human beings and to temporarily help them through whatever situation they are in currently so that they will be able to care for themselves on their own. Take baby steps–not try to solve the big picture all at one time.
Miami passed an “adopt-a-homeless” resolution last Oct.
This type of creativity may help solve Albany’s homeless problem.
Daily essentials such as a roof, food, water, bathroom, and electricity would be covered by the adopter at no cost to the city.
And if the adopter’s abode doesn’t have enough space a tent on the front yard or on the sidewalk of an apartment should be allowed.
What is not to like about this idea?
http://miamifl.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=2729&MediaPosition=&ID=10951&CssClass=
If you look at old city directories you will see many rooming houses where people lived and rented a room and were fed in Albany. Maybe this is something we should bring back. Actually at one time the Monteith House was a rooming house when it faced Washington. Remember old western movies where when people were passing through town they rented a room from someone renting rooms and furnished at least some of the meals. Many of the homeless people have some income just not enough to rent a whole house or apartment.
Substance abuse is regarded by many as both a cause and effect of homelessness. Research has shown that some forms of provided health counseling and minimal housing are necessary to mitigate either or both. Ending homelessness in Albany is no more a reality than ending substance abuse in Albany. The elephant in the room is whether or not sobriety is a requirement to receive publicly or privately provided housing. I agree with the writer that it is indeed an open question whether any of the estimated 131 homeless in Albany would qualify for housing in Hub City Village.