Curt Gray on Helping Veterans in Skamania County: 'Housing is First'
Skamania County Housing Department Coordinator Curt Gray, right and his father on a trip to Yankee Stadium.
From Washington Gorge Action Programs:
Housing is the first priority for the stability of vulnerable populations
By Tammy Kaufman
Stevenson, WA (January 19, 2022) - Housing is first. That is the motto of Curt Gray, Skamania County Housing Department Coordinator for Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP).
Housing is the fundamental element to success for someone struggling with poverty, Gray says. Other factors are essential to consider, he says. Still, it all comes down to having the safety and security of having a roof overhead so that a person can focus on a path to independence.
Gray first volunteered with WAGAP in 2016 in support of Programs for Peaceful Living, which provides domestic violence prevention, sexual assault prevention, and crime victim services in Klickitat County. He had previously been a part of a Big Brothers mentorship program focused on linking positive role models with youth. His training was on raising boys to become good men with healthy attitudes.
He became more familiar with WAGAP’s role as a Community Action Agency. He saw how the programs under its umbrella all work together to support people to break the cycle of poverty. Gray was motivated to join WAGAP’s team and applied for a position in early 2019 in the housing department.
“I see a lot of inequity in our society,” Gray said. “It is a human imperative that if you can help someone, you should do it.”
Curt Gray getting underway during his stint in the Navy.
Growing up, Gray had always wanted to be a doctor. But when he was in college, he was drafted into military service for the Vietnam war. That put his dreams on hold. His father helped him find a path into the Navy, where he served a six-year enlistment on a nuclear submarine. When he returned, his focus was on saving lives and not taking them.
He returned to school and followed a path in nuclear cardiology, where he learned cardiac-related imaging and diagnosis. He helped hospitals set up machines for X-rays, CT, and MRI scans. He worked with many veterans during his 30 years in medicine, and he learned how important it was to treat a person holistically for the best outcome.
He has taken these lessons and applied them to his work with the housing department at WAGAP by using a case management approach. He wants his team to avoid working in a silo and think about the client’s overall needs and not just their housing situation.
When someone is referred to his team for emergency, transitional, or permanent housing, that is just the beginning. His team helps them with their housing needs. It also links them with other WAGAP programs or other local agencies for additional services to improve their lives.
Housing instability often goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity. A referral to the WAGAP Food Bank Network is usually a priority for Gray’s team. Another important referral is to a Community Health Worker (CHW) of the Pathways Health Connect program. CHWs assist clients in navigating health care, social services, and other systems to improve a client’s situation.
Sometimes these programs are run by WAGAP and sometimes by other local agencies. His department regularly works with other professionals in Skamania County from the Health Department, Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, the Homeless Housing Council, and the Emergency Management System. Over time, Gray said they have all been coming together to serve this vulnerable population as a team.
“We are building bridges and actively working together to meet the needs of the people we serve,” Gray said. He promotes his housing first philosophy to get people in a safe and secure location and then help them deal with the other things going on in their lives through this network of community partners.
He knows the network of services is essential to positively impact clients’ lives. Clients who have been in and out of homeless shelters and jails but persevere inspire Gray. Some have mental health challenges or other disabilities, yet they have been able to succeed and become independent.
“We become their bigger family,” Gray said. He finds satisfaction in seeing them have a safe place to call home and reach a level of stability. Gray is happy when they feel comfortable returning and asking for advice on their next steps. “The work we do is gratifying,” he said.
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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.
