A common misconception is that chronic homelessness is mainly associated with large cities. In fact, chronic homelessness occurs in both urban and rural areas. In Oregon, 10-year planning efforts are underway in both Multnomah County which includes the state's largest city, Portland, with a city/county population nearing 700,000 and Lincoln County with a population under 50,000. Both communities were represented by their elected officials at this week's Oregon Leadership Summit on Ending Chronic Homelessness sponsored by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Portland Mayor Tom Potter (pictured above right) and Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall (pictured above left) spoke about their desire to end homelessness in their communities, their commitment to the 10-year planning process, and the need for close cooperation among city, county, state, and federal officials. Below are excerpts from their remarks.

From Portland Mayor Tom Potter:

"We can end homelessness. It requires political will, community will, social will, and business will. And the business community has stepped up to the plate. My commitment, and my ask of you, is to work together. We can't do it alone. When we get resources, we have to use them to secure results, to house people. It is our responsibility as political leaders to ensure stable housing for those exiting military service, treatment, and prison. We are standing together here in Oregon."

From Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall:

"Last year one of our homeless advocacy groups conducted a survey of the homeless in Lincoln County. One of the more significant findings was that on a proportional basis, there are as many chronically homeless in our county as in Portland.

. . . The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness urged us to pursue a 10-year plan. There were a lot of reasons for taking this step but one fact stood out: the shift to a "housing first" approach, which is at the core of these plans, has produced an 85% success rate, vs. 15 % for conventional ways of dealing with the problem. I find this approach so promising because it makes the best sense from an economic perspective-providing people with housing really is less costly than arresting them and putting them in jail or treating them in the emergency room-and it's also the most humane approach. It gives people the best chance to achieve stable and productive lives.

. . . We decided that if we had a plan that clearly defined our needs, and presented specific solutions, we would be in a stronger position to leverage existing resources. We also saw encouraging developments at the state level especially the Governor's recent move to appoint a state interagency council. There's a lot of interest in working together toward solutions.

. . . The solutions to our shelter problems won't be simple, quick, or cheap. But as John Kennedy said so memorably, "Let us begin." For the sake of our collective economic well-being, let us begin. For the sake of our children, let us begin. For the sake of our future, let us begin."