Winter keeps Houseless Collaborative partners busy
From Washington Gorge Action Program:
By Tamara Kaufman
Mid-Columbia River Gorge January 31, 2024 — With winter in full force, partners throughout the region have been pooling resources together to help houseless community members cope with potentially life-threatening conditions. To keep this and other efforts going, Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative is extending an open invitation for individuals and organizations to learn more about its members’ work over the past year and their plans for 2024 at its next quarterly meeting from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. on February 13 via Zoom.
Since its formation in 2022, the Collaborative has been working hard with its nearly 40 members to reduce houselessness in the Gorge by expanding housing capacity and ensuring supportive services are available in culturally affirming ways that uphold human dignity. Warming shelters are just one tool used to support those in need.
Efforts throughout the region are led by Community Action Agencies in Oregon and Washington. Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) serves Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties, and Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) serves Skamania and Klickitat counties. Together with the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority, which serves all of the counties throughout the region, the trio brings experience, actively funded programs, and a tremendous network to the table.
They are joined by numerous partners from the counties, cities, housing programs, native organizations, Latino and farmworker-serving organizations, healthcare/mental health teams, libraries and education districts, law enforcement, churches, and regional organizations to combat the lack of inventory for the lowest-income populations and to offer more high-quality services to the Gorge’s houseless.
“This unique collaboration is already having huge impacts across our region,” said Leslie Naramore, executive director of WAGAP. “We know that the issue of houselessness is not an issue that any one person can solve. It takes all hands on deck, and we welcome people who want to get involved to reach out.”
The effort is tangible. In 2023, MCCAC opened The Annex in The Dalles. This new transitional shelter has 54 rooms divided across two buildings and joins WAGAP in offering space specifically set up for families.
Shelter is just the first goal of the Collaborative: services, housing, and advocacy are the other three.
A broad range of partners support services that address immediate and long-term needs for the houseless. Rental assistance and programs that keep people in their homes help provide stability for those on the edge. Job training, access to affordable childcare, transportation, physical and mental healthcare services, and access to information in easy-to-digest language are all important needs that partner organizations provide.
By 2027, the group plans to expand availability in the five-county region by adding 262 affordable housing units and refurbishing existing units to extend their lifespan. Projects for new units are planned or underway in The Dalles, Hood River, and Carson. In Cascade Locks and White Salmon, rehabilitation projects are in the pipeline.
Recently, Nch’i Wana Housing celebrated the opening of 45 new units owned by the Yakama Nation Housing Authority. Wishram Heights is a low-income housing tax credit development for households at or below 50 percent of the average mean income (AMI). 23 units are reserved for houseless applicants.
“At Nch’i Wana Housing, our mission is to empower the Nch’i Wana Pum (People of the Big River) by expanding their social, cultural, housing, and economic opportunities in the Native communities along the Columbia River,” said Debra Whitefoot, executive director. “Working with groups such as the Houseless Collaborative helps us meet that goal.”
The network of people and organizations supports each other by sharing information and advocating for one another. The Collaborative believes in advocacy for policies that support the preservation of affordable properties and the thoughtful development of new projects, as well as programs and services that improve the lives of the houseless community.
The Collaborative also encourages the grassroots development of community action, getting people from different backgrounds engaged in local and state government and policy decision-making. Educating elected officials, community leaders, and the public about the need for more affordable and accessible housing is fundamental to its goals.
“We welcome people from all walks of life to participate in the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative, including community partners and those with lived experience being houseless,” said Kelli Horvath, director of the Office of housing stabilization at MCCAC “Attending our listening session is a great way for new folks to learn more about the Collaborative, understand the progress we’ve made on our strategic plan goals thus far, and get more involved in our work to reduce houselessness in the Mid-Columbia region.”
For questions, information, and a link to participate in the February 13 quarterly update for the Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative, email Sarah Kellems at skellems@mccac.com. Learn more about the group’s mission and goals and view its five-year strategic plan at http://www.midcolumbiahouselesscollaborative.org/.
###
The Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative includes over 40 organizations from across Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Skamania, and Klickitat Counties. The Collaborative is dedicated to improving coordinated efforts to prevent and end houselessness in the Mid-Columbia region. Learn more at www.midcolumbiahouselesscollaborative.org.
