- September 2, 2021
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Sara McMakin discussed her experience with homelessness Monday in an interview at the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center.
Sara McMakin rides a bike everywhere, including on this visit to the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center for an interview.
Sara McMakin said she tries to be helpful within the homeless community but that having to move so often is “tiring and discouraging.”
Sara McMakin, like many members of the homeless community, receives her mail at the drop-in center in Corvallis.
Sara McMakin rides back toward her campsite after a trip to downtown Corvallis for an interview.
The Corvallis City Council meets Thursday with the Benton County Board of Commissioners in a 4 p.m. work session on homelessness.
This will be the fourth meeting the two groups have held to discuss the challenge and the recommendations of the Benton County Home, Opportunity, Planning and Equity Advisory Board.
The board, which replaced two previous bodies that worked on county homeless challenges, spent from December 2019 until April of this year gathering data and hammering out a series of recommendations for city and county officials to put into effect.
The key piece of the puzzle, the recommendation that has drawn the most fire and discussion is a simple one. It reads: “Provide organizational capacity to facilitate and coordinate providers in establishing a 24/7/365 sheltering system for all populations with onsite resources at shelter locations to transition people out of homelessness.”
Translation: Enough shelter space for everyone who needs it.
With the beginning of the pandemic last March the city of Corvallis chose not to enforce illegal camping rules. An attempt at setting up a managed camping facility at the men’s shelter on Southeast Chapman Place failed because of insurance issues. Micro shelters started popping up at the shelter and at Corvallis-area churches.
A state grant helped Corvallis Housing First buy the Corvallis Budget Inn on Highway 99W, and the group is planning to remodel the property into 45 to 50 apartments and studios for the homeless.
Still, it doesn’t seem to be enough. The waiting list for micro shelters and other “transitional housing” hovers around 100 names. In May, the city of Corvallis and the Oregon Department of Transportation began posting and cleaning up campsites because of trash and other livability concerns. Pioneer Park. The skatepark. Near the BMX track. On ODOT property near the bypass. Crystal Lake. The Orleans and Berg natural areas across the Willamette River.
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And people with nowhere to go are once again told to go somewhere else.
“It’s a vicious circle,” said Sara McMakin, a 38-year-old Corvallis resident who currently lives at an undisclosed campsite. McMakin agreed to an on-the-record interview with the Gazette-Times about her experiences.
“I had to move three times in 24 hours a month or so ago,” she said. McMakin does not own a car, so she was forced to load up her stuff in a trailer behind her bicycles. How many loads its takes depends on the move, she said.
“But I total understand both sides of this,” she said. “The sweeps are necessary in a way. They are also unfair. People look at us like we’re scavengers or a raccoon.”
McMakin, who has only worked “odd jobs” in recent years after stints as a certified nursing aide and in beauty salon work, said that campers would present much differently if they had a greater sense of security.
“If we had a place to go where we could stay for awhile people would put their heart and soul into (their campsite),” McMakin said. “But if you get moved around all the time … why even try. It’s so discouraging and frustrating.”
McMakin said she has put a lot of time and energy into her “beautiful campsites. There is a lot of joy in that. But then it gets all torn down. And it tears us down as well. And you stop trying.
“And where are we supposed to go to the bathroom?”
McMakin was asked about the challenges of winter camping. The change of seasons has been on the minds of Corvallis Councilors such as Ward 2’s Charles Maughan, who has urged his city and county colleagues to act with more urgency.
“It’s miserable,” said McMakin of winter camping. “There is no way to stay clean. And once you’re cold, you’re cold. And your clothes are wet. Then your tent falls in and you need new bedding. And you put the old bedding out to dry and it becomes a garbage pile and the rats get into it and then Parks & Rec comes by to bulldoze it.”
Using a firepit to dry wet clothing last October led to a fire which rousted McMakin from her tent near the skatepark.
“A friend of mine pulled me out of the fire. I’ve always been strong and able-bodied and can handle a lot of things. But I couldn’t get out of that stupid tent.”
McMakin wound up with burns on her legs that she said required skin grafts.
McMakin had positive things to say about Corvallis-area resources that assist the homeless. She gets her mail at the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center and she raved about the “amazing” meal service provided by Stone Soup.
She also praised both Parks & Rec and the Corvallis Police Department for their fairness. During one move in which she had far more gear than her bike trailer could accommodate Parks & Rec loaned her a dumpster in which to store items.
McMakin also said that people in Corvallis are compassionate, a trait she said that runs through the homeless population as well.
“They are very generous. A lot of people who are homeless will give you the shirt off their back quicker than other people.”
Aleita Hass-Holcombe, the longtime volunteer coordinator at the drop-in center, said McMakin is known in her community for being a helpful person.
“I feel like I do a lot out here,” McMakin said. “I help as many people as I can. If somebody needs something for their camp I’ll try to get it for them. I told all the girls that they can come to me for advice. I help them clean up their campsites and I love to hear their stories.”
McMakin, like many in the homeless community, has been vaccinated because of strong outreach by the Benton County Health Department. She received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson version because no second appointment would be required.
When asked about transitional housing options such as micro shelters or the Budget Inn, McMakin said “she has been giving it a lot of thought. I feel like there are people who need it more than me. I know that sounds odd.
“I’ve always kind of wanted to stay not tied to anything. You can get stuck in something no matter who you are. I’m a positive person. I’m not always optimistic about my fate. I want to smile more than I frown, but I’m not always taking the right steps in the situation I am in.”
Contact reporter James Day at jim.day@lee.net or 541-812-6116. Follow at Twitter.com/jameshday or gazettetimes.com/blogs/jim-day.
Who: Sara McMakin
Age: 38
Hometown: Seaside
Residence: Corvallis, at an undisclosed camping site
Family: 2 children who live with grandparents
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City of Corvallis and Benton County officials met for 130 minutes Tuesday in a virtual work session on homelessness.
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Sara McMakin discussed her experience with homelessness Monday in an interview at the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center.
Sara McMakin rides a bike everywhere, including on this visit to the Corvallis Daytime Drop-In Center for an interview.
Sara McMakin said she tries to be helpful within the homeless community but that having to move so often is “tiring and discouraging.”
Sara McMakin, like many members of the homeless community, receives her mail at the drop-in center in Corvallis.
Sara McMakin rides back toward her campsite after a trip to downtown Corvallis for an interview.
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