Agenda Packet 5-13-19 Joint Work Session

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TABLE 6: PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION WITH A DISABILITY, U.S. CENSUS Geographic Area Percent of Persons with a Disability Under Age 65 Lane County 12.17% United States 8.6% State of Oregon 10.3% Marion County, OR 11.1% Multnomah County, OR 10.0% Portland, OR 11.6% For the most part, Lane County officials cannot alter these demographic variables of age, disability, and poverty. However, these characteristics are likely associated with a greater need for affordable housing, as well as a higher risk for eviction and homelessness. 2. GREATER DEMAND DOES NOT TRANSLATE TO MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING Like many communities across the country, pressure on the rental market has been increasing, resulting in low vacancy rates; the current Lane County rental vacancy rate is 2.9 percent. There is limited new production in the county. Unfortunately, even the combination of high demand and low vacancy rates has not organically resulted in increases in rental housing generally, and affordably priced housing specifically. The U.S. Census indicates that there were only 842 building permits issued in Lane County in 2017, compared to 1,346 in Marion County and over 7,000 in Multnomah County. Interviews with staff indicate that there is a lack of incentive, as well as capacity, for new rental development. We also note that an estimated 90 percent of the county is federally-owned land. 3. HIGH NUMBER OF NEWLY HOMELESS The number of new people experiencing homelessness in Lane County has increased steadily in recent years.13 On average, Lane County sees about 130 newly homeless people entering the homeless and crisis response system each month. There is no reliable data available as to where newly homeless people live prior to becoming known to the Lane County crisis system. It is likely that some people entering homelessness for the first time are long-term Lane County residents or people with ties to Lane County, and some are from “other communities” and found their way to Lane County. It is important to note that Lane County is not the only entity experiencing increasing homelessness, including unsheltered homelessness. The 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR)14 found that the number of people experiencing homelessness is increasing in all states on the West Coast. In California, the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased by 13.7 percent, in Washington State it has increased by 1.4 percent, and in Oregon it has increased by 5.4 percent. Staff indicated that elected officials and others feel pressure from the Martin v. Boise case. In this Boise, Idaho case, the court found that “as long as there is no option of sleeping indoors, the government cannot criminalize indigent homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property, on the false premise that they had a choice in this matter.”15 TAC encourages the county to fully implement the range of recommendations below in order to begin to decrease this very visible population and minimize any potential pressure to criminalize homelessness in the county. 13 2017 System Performance Measure 5.2. 14 2017 AHAR. 15 https://www.nlchp.org/Martin%20vs.%20Boise%202018.pdf. EXTERNAL CHALLENGES IN LANE COUNTY PAGE 11 May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1