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Homeless Resources Fair provides connections for those struggling

Baker City Herald - 1/31/2023

Jan. 27—Brent Bailey says he's "lived a pretty good life so far," but the U.S. Navy veteran is struggling to find a permanent place to live.

Bailey, who has lived most of his life in Baker City, said he has been staying in motels or "couch surfing" at friends' homes while he tries to navigate the paperwork involved with his disability from a work injury and federal housing assistance.

Bailey was among a few homeless residents who attended a two-hour resource fair on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the Baker City Senior Center.

Officials from multiple agencies, including the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority, New Directions Northwest and the Baker County Health Department, were on hand to answer questions and to explain aid programs available.

Bailey said he has been homeless for nearly five years.

He suffered a work injury in August 2016 and ended up having spinal fusion surgery. He received a disability designation in February 2022 and a housing voucher, but it expired.

"If you can't work, you can't provide for your family and you're basically worthless to America," Bailey said.

He said homeless individuals are often the subject of stereotyping.

"I'm living proof that you can pull yourself out of it, all you gotta do is keep your head up and keep going forward," he said. "Hopefully I get my (housing voucher) back and things get better."

Aundrea and Joe Street attended Wednesday's event with their dog, Shadow. Their home burned down years ago and they have been on their own.

Their family has had health and other problems that had slowly led to their situation.

"We can't catch up on everything and trying to make it work for us to where we have a place to live and it really sucks," Aundrea said.

They learned about Wednesday's event and decided to attend to learn about available services that could help them.

Aundrea was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, but has been in remission for about a year.

"I beat it," she said. "I told them I would. I got my hair back, that's all I care about."

A nationwide effort

Joe Hayes, director of Community Connection of Baker County, which hosted Wednesday's event, said similar fairs took place that day in counties across America.

"This is for homeless people to come and find out what resources are available to them in the community as well as trying to get connected to those resources," Hayes said.

Wednesday's events also serve as a way for counties to estimate the number of homeless residents.

Hayes said Community Connection checks with local motels to find out how many people staying in rooms are homeless.

"We're just hoping to get a better number of who's actually homeless here in Baker, because Baker's along the highway so it's hard to tell who's actually here from Baker," said Sip Belavic, self sufficiency coordinator with Community Connection.

Hayes said he knows of four military veterans who are living in local motels now.

He pointed out that not all homeless residents attend the event, either because they're not ready to ask for help or they're not aware that it was scheduled.

Housing assistance

Officials from the Northeast Oregon Housing Authority (NEOHA) provided information on two programs they offer.

The NEOHA covers Grant, Wallowa, Union, and Baker counties. They oversee the Section 8 voucher program and the owned and managed program.

Section 8 offers vouchers that residents can use to pay for housing that's not owned by NEOHA.

The owned and managed properties are owned by NEOHA in the counties they cover.

Each of their properties have different waiting lists.

The Northeast Oregon Network (NEON) also attended Wednesday's event. According to their website, NEON is a 501(c)3 nonprofit health collaborative in Baker, Grant, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, and Wallowa counties.

NEON launched in 2004 from a small group of individuals who recognized the value of community collaboration in ensuring the health of residents.

"Our mission is to create a healthier Eastern Oregon. We do this by reducing barriers for both residents and the regional systems that support their health. Our vision is that all people in rural communities are healthy, happy, and thriving," according to the website.

NEON is also working to help veterans use their dental benefits.

People who wish for a consultation can contact Teresa Aguilera, Outreach and Enrollment Specialist at 541-910-0036.

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