I was on the list for about 4 years. Once I got in to housing, it was about 4 months till I got a job and less than a year till I moved out of the HAP housing. its a good program, just not enough of it.
If you read the WRAP report "Without Housing", http://www.wraphome.org/wh/index.php , you will see that the missing link in our system is the HUD budget. In 78 there was like 83 billion dollars for affordable housing in the U.S. by 1983 that had dropped to 13 billion and it has not been over 30 billion since... All the while our population grows.
thanks
Patrick

It's a great program, but shouldn't we be encouraging people to use it as a non-permanent solution, like Patrick did? If families like the Heasleys are encouraged to stay in low-income housing for seven years, of course the demand will grow exponentially.

TWSS,
I would like to say, my case was a bit of a "golden child". I had a friend who could get me a an entry level job right away and I was already vollunteering at the place I knew I wanted to work at long term (and was learning skills to get me that job as at a awesome rate!). if it takes someone a few years to get things moving in the right direction, well, that cant be helped sometimes. there are many reasons why someone would need to be in subsidized housing longer than me, including rental history, job history, medical conditions, etc.
thanks
Patrick

I'm happy things worked out so well for you, and I understand that there are a myriad of different life situations that can lead people to stay in subsidized housing for longer than others. Hey, my mom and I probably would have stayed in our Section 8 apartment for years longer than we did if she hadn't married my stepfather.

What concerns me is the lack to desire to move on. I'm glad that the Heasleys are happy and housed, but they don't seem interested in moving on, maybe even buying their own home somewhere, and opening up their rental unit to others who are struggling. Staying in a low-income rental shouldn't be the goal, it should be a leg up to the next phase. Otherwise, we'll never have enough housing for people who need it.

BTW, I'm a big fan of your work with SotR.

The lack of affordable housing in Portland is a growing problem for those needing a place to live -- ironically, the new expensive high rise apartments are at 50% capacity yet the city continues to allow them to build new ones to sit empty and many of these new buildings can't even find tenants for their ground level commercial units. I've sat in on conversations with quite a few people trying to transition from homelessness to working and housed, and the lack of affordable housing in the city prevents this. I've met many a homeless Portlander who works a 40 hour job, but they either cannot find a vacant unit to rent OR the available unit is managed by an out of state company with rental standards set so high that few Portlanders would qualify to rent from the management company. It is time the city reigned in these out of state property management agencies and required a ratio of low income housing to be built for every high end rental property unit built.

I know the Heasleys', as they are neighbors of mine. Their family dynamic consists of individuals whom do not have the work skills to get a job any better than at subway. They are hard working and do much for the children of the apartments. I am living here and am not able to work due to my child's and my own medical conditions. I WANT to work yet I am told (by welfare) to just concentrate on the medical. I have put my own schooling and career on hold since my son has a genetic condition which causes him to become very sick and need hospital stay. I am simply writing because many people here have not become complacent. Many assume that the reason why people stay for years is because they are lazy or desire no more than to stay regardless of the demand of housing. Yet the same people can not comprehend what it is to not have enough money for food but a roof over your head; it's a mixed blessing. People do not want to be poor; they have it thrust upon them from generation to generation. I on the other hand want to break that mold. Yet here I am seemingly looking just like all the other welfare recipients. All I am saying is that before a comment is made please be a little more aware of the topic and that of the minds of those be spoken of before it is made...Thank you