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Supportive Housing Services Tax

Revision as of 22:24, 2 March 2020 by imported>Tmccormick

[abbreviation: SHSBM]

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A measure on the May 19, 2020 ballot for Oregon Metro, the regional government body of the Portland,_Oregon area, to raise approximately $250M/year for "supportive homeless services" aimed at addressing and preventing homelessness.

On May 25, 2020, the Metro Council unanimously approved  ORDINANCE NO. 20-1442, to refer a Supportive Housing Services Ballot Measure to voters on the May 19 ballot. 

 

Descriptions from Metro Ordinance and Resolution

Exhibit A to Ordinance No. 20-1442: Supportive Housing Services Overview:

"SECTION 4. Services and Priorities
Supportive Housing Services Revenue will fund Supportive Housing Services, including: street outreach services; transition and placement services; in-reach, basic survival support, and mental health services; interventions and addiction services (crisis and recovery); physical health services; interventions for people with physical impairments and disabilities; short and long-term rent assistance; eviction prevention; financial literacy, employment, job training and retention education; peer support services; workplace supports; benefits, navigation and attainment (veteran benefits, SSI, SSDI, other benefits); landlord tenant education and legal services; fair housing advocacy; shelter services; bridge/transitional housing placement; discharge interventions; permanent supportive housing services; affordable housing and rental assistance and other supportive services. Supportive Housing Services Revenue and Supportive Housing Services will first address the unmet needs of people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing long-term or frequent episodes of homelessness. Supportive Housing Services Revenue and Supportive Housing Services will be prioritized in a manner that provides equitable access to people of color and other historically marginalized communities."

SECTION 6. Local Implementation Plans. [...]
5. Local implementation plans must include the following: [...] 
c. A review of current system investments or capacity serving priority populations, an analysis of the nature and extent of gaps in services to meet the needs of the priority population, broken down by service type, household types, and demographic groups. d. A description of the planned investments that includes: (1) the types of services, and how they remedy the service gap analysis; (2) the scale of the investments proposed; (3) the outcomes anticipated; and (4) the service delivery models that will be used in each area of service." [...]

i. A commitment that funding will be allocated as follows: (a) 75 percent for people who have extremely low incomes and one or more disabling conditions, who are experiencing long-term or frequent episodes of literal homelessness or are at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness; and (b) 25 percent for people who are experiencing homelessness or face/have substantial risk of homelessness.

SECTION 16. Accountability of Funds; Audits 1. Each county or local government receiving funds must make an annual report to the Metro Council and the oversight committee on how funds from the taxes have been spent and how those expenditures have affected established homelessness metrics.

 

Metro Oregon, Planning and Development Department. "Memo: Potential Regional Supportive Housing Services Program Implementation." February 18th, 2020.  https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6782218/Metro-Supportive-Housing-Memo.pdf. 

Despite these federal and local investments in supportive housing and additional state and local investments to end homelessness, the need far exceeds our local capacity to provide sufficient supportive housing for people experiencing prolonged homelessness. The Point In Time Counts conducted in three metro area counties found as many as 5711 people experiencing homelessness, and 2362 people experiencing ‘chronic homelessness’ as defined by a disabling condition and repeated episodes of homelessness or a year or longer of continued homelessness.

 

Housing assistance

 

Multnomah County. "The quiet and relentless work of preventing homelessness." 
March 14, 2019. https://multco.us/multnomah-county/news/quiet-and-relentless-work-preventing-homelessness. 
  Discusses rent-assistance programs in Multnomah County, including administration of Federal rent vouchers (done mostly by Home Forward agency, the former Portland Housing Authority), a county-level voucher pilot program for seniors funded by Meyer Trust, and other assistance programs. 

Jolin, Mark, et al. "Rental Assistance Briefing." Presented to Multnomah County Board of Commissioners, March 12, 2019. https://multnomah.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1856&meta_id=133071. 
Marc Jolin, director of Joint Office of Homeless Services
Peggy Samolinski, director of the County’s Youth and Family Services Division; 
Laura Golino de Lovato, director of Northwest Pilot Project, 
Ian Slingerland, director of homelessness initiatives for Home Forward.
 

 

Effects on rent levels

 

Effectiveness - short and long term: 

Piña, Gabriel & Maureen Pirog (2018). "The Impact of Homeless Prevention on Residential Instability: Evidence From the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program." Housing Policy Debate:

ABSTRACT
Millions of individuals and families in the United States do not have access to stable housing. Recent policies in the United States and the rest of the developed world emphasize programs intended to prevent homelessness through temporary financial assistance. This article explores the impact of the largest homelessness prevention program in U.S. history, the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), on residential instability, using a national sample of families with children enrolled in school. The identification strategy exploits variations on the location of HPRP providers. Using data on the ratio of K–12 students experiencing homelessness in school districts, we find that HPRP is associated with reductions in the percentage of homeless students for districts closer to an HPRP provider. However, the impacts of HPRP fade out when program benefits end, bringing into question whether homeless prevention can help families achieve self-sufficiency in the long run.

 

 

References

Thomas, Jake, and Leslie Pugmire Hole, and Jennifer Dowling. "Tribune Special Report: Homelessness crisis, from Salem to Portland to Clackamas County." Portland Tribune. February 14, 2020. https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/452076-368538-tribune-special-report-homelessness-crisis-from-salem-to-portland-to-clackamas-county. Archived copy. 

 

 


 

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