By Jes Larson, Contributing Columnist
In Oregon we can all agree that our communities are strong
and healthy when our most vulnerable residents are protected. But there is an
important link missing in our state’s system of safety and protection. That’s
why Oregon advocates are working hard to restore funding for General
Assistance.
When an Oregonian becomes disabled and applies for Social
Security disability benefits, they soon learn that the application process
averages about a year and sometimes takes up to three. No longer able to work,
individuals with disabilities will quickly use up their savings to afford
medical costs, rent and other living expenses during this extended waiting
period. For Oregonians without savings or other resources, becoming disabled
often means facing homelessness and medical crises alone, without our
protection.
Until 2005, General Assistance (GA), a temporary state
disability insurance program, protected Oregonians with disabilities. This
minimal stipend afforded only basic necessities like rent, utilities and a bus
pass. Furthermore, GA provided a connection to health care and support to
quickly secure federal disability benefits. But GA has not been funded since
2005. It’s time to fund GA and protect our most vulnerable residents.
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, a group of Northwest Pilot Project
clients and staff traveled to Salem for a hearing on GA before the House Human
Services and Housing Committee. Ron testified how he had become permanently
disabled when he fell two stories on a construction worksite. He used his
workers’ compensation benefits to pay off his modular home and pay rent forward
for one year while he waited for his Social Security benefits. But after two
years of waiting, his resources were completely exhausted. Behind on the rent,
Ron had to walk away from his home. He moved into his truck with his dog Angel.
They camped on Mount Hood for six months. In the winter, he became sick with
pneumonia and spent lots of time at emergency rooms trying to get better.
Finally, he got housing, then he got health care and after more than three
years, he was approved for his Social Security disability benefits. Ron asked
the legislative committee for help to prevent this from happening to other
folks, people he had met along the way who have disabilities, are still camping
outside and are trying to get by with no income.
Unfortunately, Ron’s story is not unique in Oregon. Many
individuals with disabilities are waiting too long for their benefits. Without
income or resources, people are losing their homes and belongings. They lose
touch with their family members and natural supports. They seek urgent medical
care in ERs because they don’t have a doctor or can’t afford simple
prescriptions. They wait in long shelter lines and are often forced to sleep
outside. Without GA, our expensive and overextended emergency services (hospitals,
shelters and even county jails) are forced to respond to needs they can’t meet.
GA is a smart program. Most of the costs are reimbursed with
federal dollars. Like the other 31 states that provide GA, Oregon can recoup
100 percent of the stipend when each individual gets approved for their Social
Security benefit. More importantly, when we protect our neighbors with
disabilities, our communities thrive. Landlords get their rent checks, local
businesses keep their customers, neighbors stay connected, and our health care
systems can work.
Carolyn also testified in support of GA. After a disabling
spinal injury, she spent five months in the hospital recovering. Her savings
and resources were soon exhausted there and she moved into a fifth-wheel
trailer to reduce her living expenses. She explained how scared she was when
she ultimately had to sell the trailer and found herself sleeping outside at a
bus shelter in her wheelchair.
“Everything kept getting worse,” she recalled. Thankfully,
Carolyn’s Social Security benefits were recently approved. “You can’t even
imagine what $710 (the SSI amount) means after you’ve lived with nothing for so
long. This month I’m going to pay my rent for the first time in over a year and
a half.”
Social Security disability benefits are often the only
lifeline keeping people with disabilities safe, healthy and in housing. But too
many Oregonians are waiting too long for their federal benefits and have no
other lifeline to call on. It’s time to restore GA in Oregon. It’s time to
protect the dignity and safety of our neighbors with disabilities.
If you agree, we’d appreciate your help. In February, the
House Human Services Committee voted unanimously to support HB 2712, a bill to
establish an advisory committee to consider and recommend funding restoration
for GA in 2014. We hope the bill is as successful at its next stop, the Joint
Ways and Means Committee. Please contact your state representatives and ask
them to support HB 2712. Together we can protect our most vulnerable neighbors
with disabilities.
Jes Larson is a housing specialist at Northwest Pilot
Project and a Steering Committee member of the General Assistance Coalition. Go
to nwpilotproject.org and “What’s New” for more information about HB 2712 and
how to contact your representatives. Follow Jes on Twitter @Jes_Larson.