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John Branam: Strong Values, Bold Leadership

[photo: American flag on wall]

Homelessness

Portland has embarked on an important and noble effort to counter homelessness. Ambitiously called the “Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness,” the City, along with Multnomah County, hope to find permanent housing for the 2000 men and women who are currently and chronically homeless. Commissioner Erik Sten has taken the lead on this noble endeavor. Erik’s departure from council will be a great loss. But, as a member of city council, I plan to pick up where he leaves off and to continue to support and expand these efforts. Keeping Portland affordable and livable is one of the key reasons I’m running for office and it will be one of my main objectives in office.

The “Housing First” model envisioned by the current plan is the correct path to help homeless men, women and families regain stable shelter. This model, as the name suggests, emphasizes finding homes (not just overnight shelters).

But it is also important to recognize that there are as many reasons for homelessness as there are people who are homeless. There is not simply one solution that will fix the problem and it is not as simple as placing people in housing. And, as such, as a city council member I will both support Housing First initiatives and will push for a wide-reaching and diverse programs.

[photo: smiling homeless man]

For example, understanding that mental health and drug issues can contribute to homelessness, I plan to address these root causes with strong and innovative programs. I have spoken about affordable housing in other context and believe that it is important to emphasis that housing opportunities rest at the center of many efforts to provide stability and strength for individuals, families and our communities. Individuals dealing with health, mental or drug issues need strong infrastructure in their lives in order to have a fighting chance to deal with these issues. Stable housing may not seem directly related to such issues, but I think that it is critical that these individuals can have stability in their lives. And, this is where city council can play an integral role.

Second, I would like to examine a city program to sponsor health care for working class families. San Francisco recently launched an ambitious program (which has passed muster in the federal courts) that will offer health care insurance to 100,000 residents. This could provide a blueprint for discussions here. If individuals had more access to personal mental and health services it would provide much-needed assistance. This would be a big step towards helping alleviate pressures on the county’s services. At the very least, I want to start a conversation on this topic.

Also, I will cultivate public-private partnerships with leading non-profits so that we can do together what the City of Portland (and Multnomah County) cannot do alone. Our city is fortunate to have dozens of strong non-profits. Organizations like REACH and Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare can provide critical services. I both want to draw these non-profits into more direct conversations with City Council and want City Hall to take a more active in supporting them. As one small example, as a city commissioner, I pledge to set the example by spending at least one day each month volunteering for a local organization. We need to foster a strong community and a steady commitment to volunteerism. Such volunteerism not only helps citizens better understand their communities—and sometimes their community’s most needy—but also can help alleviate financial pressures for those non-profits.

How we treat our most needy is a clear and important indication about the worth and compassion of a city.

Read more of John's thoughts on these and other issues.

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