{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bonamici.house.gov/media/press-releases/what-theyre-saying-bonamici-introduces-bill-expand-project-turnkey-nationwide", "WHAT THEY\u2019RE SAYING: Bonamici Introduces Bill to Expand Project Turnkey Nationwide", "2024-05-15", "2024", "2024-05", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Suzanne Bonamici", "B001278", "bonamici.house.gov", "bonamici", "https://bonamici.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC [05/15/24] \u2013 Local and national advocates for affordable housing are praising Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici\u2019s Project Turnkey Act.\n\nThe legislation models Oregon\u2019s successful Project Turnkey Program to provide flexible housing assistance that can quickly convert unused buildings into affordable housing and emergency shelters, enhance services for people experiencing homelessness, and address the nationwide housing crisis. A fact sheet on the Project Turnkey Act can be found here.\n\n\u201cIn Oregon, Project Turnkey has already transformed lives by providing safe, affordable housing for families and individuals,\u201d said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. \u201cThis program is a smart way to quickly and economically increase access to housing that provides the stability people need, along with support programs to put them on the path to long-term success. I\u2019m grateful for the many Oregonians who have shared stories about how Project Turnkey has helped them, and I introduced this legislation to expand the program so it can benefit even more people in Oregon and across the country.\u201d\n\nStories and praise from Oregon Project Turnkey residents and advocates:\n\nClatsop Community Action\n\nNadia\n\n\u201cI have my little one-and-a-half-year-old boy with me. I came from a domestic violence shelter, which had a strict time limit\u2014it wasn't enough time to get everything together for me,\u201d said Nadia. \u201cI've been here [at the Columbia Inn \u2013 Project Turnkey property] [for several] months, and that gave me time to find a job to get an apartment. It was a safe, stable place for my son.\n\n\u201cOn Easter, the shelter set up a bunch of activities for children. There were kids outside with art supplies ... drawing on the sidewalk. My little guy\u2019s been able to make friends and it was just the biggest blessing in the world.\n\n\u201cI don't know what I would do without [this place]. I pray that it stays available for people. It's amazing what people can accomplish when they have some structure, and a safe, stable place to come home to. Knowing that I am safe, and that people have my back is making a huge difference in my life.\n\n\u201cAs a single mother, handling a lot of paperwork can be tough. But having help, having people who will go through complicated applications with you to make sure everything's correct, makes all the difference. That's how I found a place. It'll be the first time I have my own apartment, not with my (abusive) ex-partner. My son will have his own space. And that is huge. He's a toddler now, starting to walk, so having more space for him to run around freely is important. Getting the apartment was possible thanks to you guys, and that means everything to us.\u201d\n\nDorla\n\n\u201cI found myself homeless. I went to stay with someone who I thought was taking me in because she cared about me. But that wasn't the case,\u201d said Dorla. \u201cShe thought I had money, and I could help her out. She said she really needed me, but she needed my money--not that I have any.\n\n\u201cA Sheriff came and rescued me from that place and brought me here. Sheriff Nate, I don't know his last name, but what an Angel. What an Angel sent from heaven. He was so kind. He got my stuff for me and brought me here. He delivered me here, and it was like meeting a band of angels. I couldn't believe it. I felt so wanted, accepted and I actually felt loved. Delivered into the arms of the Lord's Angels. Everyone has been so wonderful. It's meant the world to me,\n\n\u201cIt's really meant the difference between life and death, because when I came, I was so despondent, so sick and so upset over the situation that caused me to have to come here, I really didn't want to live\u2026 I'll be 87 years old next month. I'm at the end of my life, and the Lord has a use for me! I couldn't be more grateful for how I was received here.\n\n\u201cYou see that so many needs are met. Simple things, like having a place to set up my computer. My computer is a lifeline for me because I am vision impaired and hearing impaired and I don't get around very well. The computer is my way of communicating with the world. And I am so appreciative of being here and I'm so appreciative of folks that that set up this program that decided to buy up properties that could be used to support people who are less fortunate. It means so much to me, and I am sure that it means so much to these other folks that are that are here taking refuge.\n\nThe full audio interviews with Nadia are Dorla are available here.\n\nCentral City Concern\n\nGuy. C.\n\nGuy is from Alabama and moved to Portland with his wife for a change of atmosphere. He has a master's degree in data engineering from University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and had a successful tech career. He developed a fentanyl addiction, got divorced and began using every day. He became homeless and stayed in various shelters. After a car accident, he suffered a traumatic brain injury. At Hooper Detox, he received medication assisted treatment to get him off of opiates and it minimized his suffering from withdrawal. He is currently at River Haven and this is the first time he has been in formal out-patient treatment.\n\n\u201cWhen I got referred to River Haven, it was an answer to my prayers, giving me not only a roof over my head but a supportive place to heal and get my soul and my life back. CCC has been a miracle for me,\u201d said Guy C.\n\n\u201cRiver Haven is giving me a new lease on life and I\u2019m immensely grateful to everyone who is helping make it possible. The staff are super supportive, the rooms are great, and the community is really solid. It\u2019s a remarkable program and I hope that more like it will open so that more people can be helped as much as I have been.\u201d\n\nTairon T.\n\nTarion grew up in Oregon\u2019s foster care system. From the age of 18, he became addicted to meth and was homeless for five years. In September of 2023, he was hit by a freight train when he camped near a train yard. The next day, he woke up in the hospital without his left arm and had no recollection of what happened. After he recovered, he was back out on the streets and returned to drug use until he decided to check into Hooper. He was then referred to River Haven where he has lived for 6 months.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve been in an out of a lot of treatment programs in Portland and this is the best one I\u2019ve participated in,\u201d said Tairon T. \u201cThe staff is the best I\u2019ve encountered: great teachers, best case manager and best counselor I\u2019ve ever had. Having a private room and onsite classes really makes a difference. I was amazed at how big my room was and the quality of my bed. The amenities are great too \u2013 high quality washer and dryers and a nice kitchen.\u201d\n\nJon R.\n\nSince the age of 18, Jon used heroin and fentanyl which led him down the path of overdosing, arrests and jail time. He has been in and out of Hooper, CODA, Blackburn and worked briefly in CCC\u2019s Clean Start program. After his last visit to Hooper, he was referred to River Haven.\n\n\u201cI am so grateful to have a chance to work on myself and my defects. Not being surrounded by people always using, really makes a difference. I\u2019m trying to build healthy relationships,\u201d said Jon R.\n\n\u201cRiver Haven is helping me stay clean and working through my traumas. I\u2019m thankful to be housed. When I meet with my counselors, I get a chance to talk about my goals and how I can follow through with them. I\u2019m getting a chance to think about my career.\u201d\n\nJulisa B.\n\nWhen Julisa was 23, she suffered a traumatic brain injury from fentanyl poisoning. She learned to walk and talk again and entered recovery. But, after the loss of her grandmother, she fell back into drug use with fentanyl and crack cocaine. After a fight with her boyfriend, she slept on the sidewalk at Hooper until they admitted her. After two weeks of detox, they referred her to River Haven where she has been living with her cat, Techno.\n\n\u201cRiver Haven has been life changing since it\u2019s giving me the opportunity to recover in a truly amazing environment,\u201d said Julisa B. \u201cWhen I arrived at River Haven, I was only 90 lbs. You could see all of my bones. But now, I get the food I need. The staff give me food boxes and I cook in the communal kitchen. I\u2019m gaining weight and it doesn\u2019t hurt to sit down anymore.\u201d\n\nRobert C.\n\nRobert is an alcoholic, has experienced periods of homelessness and received treatment at Hooper Detox. He has been at River Haven for 7 months.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a fun experience,\u201d said Robert C. \u201cI have learned a lot and the staff is great. I\u2019m working with an employment specialist from CCC\u2019s Employment Access Center and I just got a job with Clean Start. The staff is also helping me find permanent housing.\u201d\n\nAdditional quotes from Central City Concern\u2019s River Haven Clients can be found here. River Haven was the first Project Turnkey to be approved and funded in Multnomah County.\n\nCentro Cultural\n\n\u201c\u2018\u2026Casa Amparo was just what we needed. They make you feel like they're part of your family\u2026I was on the streets for a long time and it was hard for me to speak with people.\u2019\n\n\u201cCasa Amparo, funded by the Project Turnkey grant received by Centro Cultural in 2021, has provided crucial support to individuals like the one quoted, who found solace and a sense of family there after experiencing homelessness. This initiative transformed a twenty-room hotel in Forest Grove into a non-congregate shelter, offering refuge to displaced Latino/a/x families, seasonal and migrant workers, and others in need of safe housing. The Project Turnkey Act, championed by Congresswoman Bonamici, promises essential investment in our state and county, enhancing our ability to offer culturally responsive non-congregate beds for individuals facing various challenges accessing traditional shelter options.\u201d\n\nOregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)\n\n\u201cOregon Housing and Community Services is committed to building on our shared housing progress that establishes concrete pathways to lasting economic and social opportunity. Project Turnkey models have served as one effective strategy to provide people with keys to permanent homes\u2014a desired reality under pursuit across the country,\u201d said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. \u201cInvesting in effective housing strategies such as this, centers human dignity and contributes to the health of our nation\u2019s economy. The legislation that Congresswoman Bonamici has introduced to extend HOME-ARP is crucial to keeping Project Turnkey doors open in our state and expand this type of shelter around the country.\u201d\n\nPraise for Bonamici\u2019s Project Turnkey Act from national organizations:\n\nNational Homelessness Law Center\n\n\u201cWhile the Supreme Court debates whether communities can punish unhoused people with tickets and arrests just for sleeping outside, Rep. Bonamici knows that housing, not handcuffs, is what actually ends homelessness,\u201d said Eric Tars, Senior Policy Director, National Homelessness Law Center. \u201cThat\u2019s why her Project Turnkey Act gives communities the resources to start getting people off the streets and the flexibility to turn unused vacant properties into desperately needed affordable housing and non-congregate shelter. Let\u2019s pass Project Turnkey quickly and then use that momentum to make the even bigger investments we need to end encampments and ensure that every American can enjoy their basic human right to housing.\u201d\n\nNational Low Income Housing Coalition\n\n\u201cDuring the pandemic, Congress acted with urgency to provide historic and unprecedented resources to address the health and housing needs of America\u2019s lowest-income and most marginalized households, including people experiencing homelessness. With these investments, Congress saved lives and prevented a wave of evictions and an increase in homelessness,\u201d stated Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. \u201cCongress must build on the tremendous successes and lessons learned from the pandemic to build a stronger housing safety net by enacting Rep. Bonamici\u2019s Project Turnkey Act and other critical legislation.\u201d\n\nNational Alliance to End Homelessness\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Representative Bonamici\u2019s leadership in translating into sensible legislation the lessons learned during COVID from the conversion of hotels to non-congregate housing and shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Her Project Turnkey Act would help communities convert not just hotels, but also motels, schools, hospitals, and office buildings into affordable housing or shelter as well as repair and expand existing shelters. If we are to achieve deep and meaningful reductions in homelessness, we must build significant new affordable housing. But that takes time, years. Representative Bonamici\u2019s bill would help communities to provide shelter and housing to people experiencing homelessness while that permanent housing is being built.\u201d\n\nCouncil of Large Public Housing Authorities\n\n\u201cThe Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is pleased to support the legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici that would amend the HOME Investment Partnerships Program Act to establish a Project Turnkey Program to leverage vacant hotels and motels for affordable housing and other support services,\u201d said Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director of The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. \u201cThis legislation would provide public housing authorities with an additional flexible funding source to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.\u201d\n\nNational Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO)\n\n\u201cThe staggering increase in homelessness we\u2019ve seen this year is a clear sign that we need to do more to address the nation\u2019s affordable housing crisis,\u201d said Mark Thiele, CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). \u201cCongresswoman Bonamici\u2019s Project Turnkey Act would represent a step forward in providing new funding for a program that\u2019s proven to address homelessness and house our nation\u2019s most vulnerable populations. NAHRO applauds the Congresswoman\u2019s efforts and supports the creation of a federal Project Turnkey program.\u201d\n\nFirst Focus Campaign for Children\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that the country is facing a housing crisis, and children bear the brunt of it,\u201d said Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus Campaign for Children. \u201cResearch has shown that children face the highest risk of eviction, a shameful policy failure. The Project Turnkey Act would make important strides in reducing child homelessness and eviction rates. First Focus Campaign for Children is grateful to Rep. Bonamici for this bill and for her continued support as a Champion for Children.\u201d\n\nThe Project Turnkey Act is endorsed by: National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), National Leased Housing Association, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National NeighborWorks Association, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, National Coalition for the Homeless, LeadingAge, SchoolHouse Connection, Housing Assistance Council, National Network for Youth, Justice in Aging, Community Change Action, First Focus Campaign for Children, National Rural Housing Coalition, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, National Women's Law Center, Community Opportunity Alliance (formerly NACEDA), National Homelessness Law Center, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:01:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bonamici.house.gov/media/press-releases/what-theyre-saying-bonamici-introduces-bill-expand-project-turnkey-nationwide"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9890277869999409, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}