Dear Mayor Mays and City Councilors:
I am a partner in the law firm of Toole Carter Tissot & Coats. I write in support of the Oregon Motor Motel’s use as transitional housing. My husband and I moved to The Dalles in 2009 from Vancouver, Washington where we both worked as indigent criminal defense attorneys. We were disgusted by the way our houseless clients were treated by the City of Vancouver. The city had criminalized houselessness as unlawful camping. This meant that if there were people sleeping outside of the shelter, which was full, our clients were arrested and held until arraignment or longer for unlawful camping. This “policy” did nothing to improve our client’s situation or to assist them with finding housing. I had some clients who would purposely get arrested so they would have warm shelter and food. Further, this act of criminalization came with financial penalties that if left unpaid would result in suspension of driving privileges. Hence, if the client was living in a vehicle and were caught moving it to avoid detection they would be charged with driving while suspended. These clients were unable to pay the fines, fees, and money to reinstitute their license. They were unable to crawl out of the oppressive debts related to their houselessness. While The Dalles has not used these tactics to “control” the houseless population I fear that voting against transitional housing will further hinder houseless people’s ability to obtain and maintain housing. It’s illustrative of what not to do.
In the summer of 2022, during one weekend we had a female staying on the front porch of our business. It was incredibly hot. She had a hospital bracelet on, was dehydrated and exhibited mental health issues. We tried for several hours to find a place for her stay and a way to obtain support for her. I practiced criminal defense in The Dalles until 2019 and have experience trying to work with Mid-Columbia Center for Living and DHS to find mental health and housing services for clients. Even with that prior experience, it took me several hours to locate someone to call on her behalf. The person I spoke with via 411 was in Eugene or Salem and was using the internet to refer us to places. We ended up booking her a room at The Dalles Inn because the people at the Oregon Motor Motel refused to rent to her/us. I am grateful to The Dalles Inn and appreciate that they rented a room for a night.
I understand the concerns of other business owners. However, doing nothing and failing to provide transitional housing will accomplish nothing. What is the alternative?
In my opinion, MCCAC has put mechanisms in place to address the community concerns. Property managers will live on site to ensure smooth daily operations, and clients will be able to access culturally responsive case management, Oregon Health Plan enrollment, food stamps enrollment, healthcare, behavioral healthcare, respite medical care, jail diversion programming, employment resources, and rapid rehousing resources. There is literally no other place in The Dalles that has all these services in one location. Typically, to access these services, if available, you must physically go to each agency separately! This project marries all the following agencies in one serviceable location:
Oregon Human Development Corporation (OHDC)
Mid-Columbia Center for Living (CFL)
Columbia Gorge Health Council
Bridges to Health
The Next Door Inc
Nch’i Wana Housing
One Community Health
Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital
Mid-Columbia Medical Center (MCMC)
Mid-Columbia Housing Authority
This is a monumental task and project that I respectfully implore you to support. It is my understanding that it was funded by the Oregon Community Foundation and the Oregon State Legislature. Safety and possible disorder issues will be dealt with by Project Turnkey Navigation Center Annex. This motel will be staffed 24 hours a day with site managers living on location. The MCCAC staff will conduct regular unit inspections and inspect areas around its site to ensure the neighborhood is well taken care of and a security guard will be on site during overnight hours. In addition, MCCAC will monitor its site utilizing full site video surveillance.
As public officials your duty is to listen to your constituents’ opinions. While other community members may not agree or support my position it is imperative that the city support this idea. This plan is deliberate and addresses all the community concerns. Please support transitional housing!
-Shannon Tissot, Attorney (she/her)
