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Service providers urge low-barrier outreach and sanctioned-site options
Summary
Providers from Clatsop Community Action, Clatsop Behavioral Health, Helping Hands Reentry and The Harbor told council that fines and tickets fail for many people who are unsheltered and urged models like Seaside's Stepping Stones, contingency management and trauma-informed outreach.
Multiple service providers told council that citation-based enforcement does not address root causes and that low-barrier, relationship-based programs facilitate engagement. Susan Perdeman Hartel of The Harbor said, "Issuing a citation to somebody who's experiencing homelessness makes no sense," and urged a compassion-based enforcement approach paired with outreach to explain available services.
Kenny Hansen and Jerome Stegmans from Clatsop Community Action described Stepping Stones in Seaside as a 25-site sanctioned community with daily outreach, site rules, and a case-management pathway into shelter and housing; they said the model increased engagement and that some people who initially refused services eventually accepted them. Clatsop Behavioral Health noted contingency management and the long time it takes some people to engage in treatment.
