Do you know these

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE HOUSELESS?

According to Kathy Skidmore, Executive Officer of Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, “It’s easy to draw conclusions about the houseless based on what we see. But houselessness is more complicated. As a casual observer, it’s impossible to see the whole picture—especially when so many houseless people are hidden. We’re also unlikely to see or understand the full impact of houselessness on those experiencing it.”

The volunteers, advocates, and outreach providers serving the houseless say they regularly encounter damaging misconceptions about our houseless neighbors.

These misconceptions hurt our community in two ways: they deny the very real problems contributing to houselessness, and they thwart our ability to come together and agree on a course of action.

Here are some of the common misconceptions about people experiencing houselessness:  

“They’re not trying hard enough.” False.

Many houseless people are working. But they face barriers to get ahead.   

Many houseless people are working. This work tends to be seasonal (such as for agricultural operations). Many houseless work for trade as a way to secure temporary housing. 

But they face substantial barriers to more traditional employment. They may lack transportation. They may have lost their documentation. If they lack access to laundry and shower facilities—or are unable to afford professional clothes—they may not present well in an interview.

Many are also trying very hard to get back into stable housing. But cost is a huge barrier, given our area’s high rental rates and the prohibitive “first month, last month and deposit” requirement. Houseless people can also find it more difficult to provide basic information like a current address and references to landlords.  

“They aren’t from here.” False.

The majority of our houseless neighbors have lived here for years. 

The claim that our growing houseless population relocated here or that houseless people have been shipped here by other cities is not true, according to scores of volunteers and outreach providers serving the 900+ houseless people in our community. The 2021 Point-in-Time count confirmed, “most experiencing homelessness in Central Oregon have lived here for more than three years.” Before becoming houseless, 84% of individuals said their last stable housing had been in Oregon.  

“They’re not our responsibility.” False.

Houselessness is an unfortunate result of past and current public policies and has become a full-blown humanitarian crisis.  

The roots of our current crisis stretch back to the 1980s, when funding for HUD and other social programs were gutted. “Houselessness used to increase during hard economic times,” explains Colleen Sinsky of FUSE. “Today it’s much different. Houselessness is on the rise even though the economy has been booming.”

The current crisis reflects decades of indifference towards affordable housing and wage inequality. According to Sinsky, "The housing market in Deschutes County doesn't reflect the needs and income levels of the people who live here." Policymakers at the local, state, and national levels are still working to address our region’s escalating cost of housing and medical care. As a country, more needs to be done to address the decades-long trend of growing income inequality. Locally, “It comes down to political will, which is directly influenced by public support,” says Lynne McConnell. “The solution is within reach. We just have to provide the funding.” 

There has been a noticeable shift in how our community—and other cities—are talking about houselessness. “These are people,” says Eliza Wilson of J BarJ Youth Services. “They are displaced and they are suffering. And let’s not forget: there are hundreds of children involved. This has definitely reached the scale of a humanitarian crisis.”

Keep Reading:

What We’ve Learned About Houselessness>

The Plan to Address Houselessness>