By Israel Bayer, Staff Writer
The city is faced with having to ensure that basic serves
for the safety net continue at a time of great need. The city faces a $25
million dollar budget gap. The feds continue to cut services for the elderly
and people experiencing poverty.
The services that are on the chopping block at the city are
many —ranging from winter shelter and men’s shelter to rent assistance. That’s
not all; the list goes on and on with important services that provide a
critical role in holding together an already vulnerable system — needle
exchange, information and referral programs, etc., etc.
The question that always comes back to our group from local
officials and bureaucrats is, “What would you prioritize and what would you cut
if you had a choice?”
Is shelter more important than rent assistance? Does
minority home ownership matter more than outreach workers for the mentally ill?
Would you cut the Rose City Resource Guide or foreclosure programs?
We believe none of these important programs should be cut,
period. The city should work towards saving nearly $2 million dollars in life
saving services for our community. Since the recession, we’ve seen a rise in
poverty on an overwhelming scale. We’ve watched while local, state and federal
budgets have decreased funds for these programs year after year. Scores of
people have died on our streets, literally. An already vulnerable system hangs
in the balance.
It’s during times like these that new and creative ways of
thinking about creating resources emerge. Local businesses, the faith based
community and non profits find new and innovative ways of delivering services
and information.
Elected officials have the opportunity to lead and to
support the larger community at a time when more and more people have a growing
mistrust of how government plays a role in the everyday lives of its citizens.
We know that providing resources for these programs will not
only save the taxpayers money and avoid costly system failures down the road,
but that it also the right thing to do.
We need Street Roots readers more than ever to make their
voices heard. We are launching a campaign in partnership with a wide range of
service providers and local citizens to help ensure that basic services are
funded. The campaign is called We Are the Safety Net.
You will find ways to get involved through Street Roots and
social media and by visiting www.wearethesafetynet.org.
We hope you will take the time to contact city officials to
voice your concern. We’re hoping your will talk to your family and friends and
find creative ways to support the We Are The Safety Net through social media.
We’re hoping you will let your voices be heard.
This article appears in 2013-03-15.