By Mary Owen
The Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency’s ARCHES Project wants to advocate for the homeless or those at risk of being homeless in the Santiam Canyon.
“For that, we need a snapshot of what the homeless population looks like,” said Ken Houghton, with MWVCAA. “Once we know how many, we can advocate for services – alcohol and drug prevention, mental health providers, medical help and more – to return to the Canyon.”
MWVCAA will hold a 24-hour count beginning at midnight on Jan. 24 and ending at midnight on Jan. 25.
“For the last several years, no count has been done,” said Jimmy Jones, with MWVCAA. “The area is not represented in any of the data we give to HUD and the state, and more and more services are being cut. These counts are crucial to getting accurate information to use in our funding process.”
The organization needs volunteers to help with the count, which entails having homeless persons and families being willing to come to the meeting.
“A lot of individuals are leery of being counted,” Houghton said. “We want them to know we aren’t going to take any personal information or full names. There is no way any information they provide will lead us back to them.”
To attract the homeless, the count will be done at a warming center in Mill City.
“We’re hoping for donations of hygiene supplies and baked goods to give out,” he said. “Right now, we need a church or another place to step forward and open their doors.”
Houghton said rough estimates of the homeless population in the Santiam Canyon range from about 200 to as high as 800. Some 15 percent of the population in Mill City is living under the poverty line, he added.
“Many of the homeless are living in abandoned houses or buildings,” Houghton said. “With a more accurate count, we could potentially get more resources to house more people in Marion County.”
According to an ARCHES report, thousands of individuals in Marion and Polk counties experience homelessness each year. The majority are individuals for whom life has dealt a crushing blow: serious illness, abuse, addiction, inability to work, collapse of a family, and ultimately the loss of a place to live.
The Homeless Count serves to: increase understanding of homelessness; provide information needed to plan and identify resources and services; and provide accurate homeless statistics for federal funding.
“These counts are crucial to get accurate information for the funding process,” Jones said.
Figures gathered from the count will be included in the agency’s statewide report to be distributed to HUD and the Oregon Legislature.
The ARCHES Project serves as a center designed to provide referral and services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and those at risk of becoming homeless.
Last year, more than 70 community volunteers conducted interviews with people who were homeless, with no permanent residence in Marion and Polk counties. The interviews were conducted on the street, in parks, under bridges, in camps, and at area homeless service organizations; 192 individuals, in 153 households, participated in the survey. The majority were singles adults in the 40-49 age group.
Representatives from ARCHES, Marion County and the Canyon Crisis Center will be at a Homeless Needs Forum Jan. 4, 6 p.m. at Liberty Fellowship in Mill City, off Highway 22 next to Circle K and Rivers Edge Restaurant. Interested individuals can sign up to volunteer on the count at the meeting.
For information, call 503-399-9080.
