For decades, cities have spent untold sums of money trying to prevent people from possessing and consuming drugs. With Oregon potentially poised to legalize marijuana, the state’s largest city is already taking steps to benefit financially from pot being ...
12 Aug 2014 - Jake Thomas
It’s been four months and John Munro still doesn’t know where his money is or when he’ll see it. Munro entrusted a $130,000 inheritance to Safety Net of Oregon, a now shuttered Portland nonprofit that was tasked with administering the federal disability a ...
7 Aug 2014 - Jake Thomas
Congressman Earl Blumenauer has the veneer of a seasoned Beltway politician, trademark bowtie aside. But to his core, he’s a true Portlander. Much has been written about his enthusiasm and support of cycling, mass transit and civic engagement. But on a de ...
2 Jul 2014 - Jake Thomas
It could have happened in any town in any state. The checks were supposed to be deposited and used to pay for rent, utilities, food and other necessities for a disabled individual. The official report found otherwise. In 2012, an investigator from Columbi ...
8 May 2014 - Jake Thomas
On the desk in Juliet Follansbee’s downtown Portland office is a thick book of Oregon laws. It contains only a few sentences that grant the state agency she operates tremendous power over the lives of hundreds of Oregonians. In May, Follansbee was made in ...
12 Apr 2014 - Jake Thomas
The walls at Safety Net of Oregon, a nonprofit that once helped disabled people manage their federal benefits, are usually covered with collages and fake flowers. But now the plaster walls are bare except for a sign stating that there will be no tolerance ...
10 Apr 2014 - Jake Thomas
U.S. Judge Marco Hernandez ruled on March 26 that the Social Security Administration (SSA) improperly handled the clients of a nonprofit organization that is shutting down amidst a federal investigation. Earlier this month, Safety Net of Oregon was served ...
26 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas
Leone has a roof over his head, medical care and some money in his pocket. Having all this makes him “jealous of himself.” That’s because things weren’t always so gravy for Leone, who doesn’t want his full name used for this article. “When you hear voices ...
24 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas
Disability Rights Oregon and the Oregon Law Center have filed a class action lawsuit against the Social Security Administration, alleging that its handling of a troubled nonprofit organization is illegal and imperils the financial stability of hundreds of ...
24 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas
Multnomah County Chair Marissa Madrigal has sharply criticized the Social Security Administration's handling of a troubled nonprofit organization that manages the federal disability benefits of 1,000 individuals who may soon find themselves without a ...
15 Mar 2014 - Jake Thomas