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.