Housing Voices

Edward Fulford
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Weekly

Housing Voices is a regional civic platform dedicated to advancing thoughtful, solutions-driven housing leadership across Oregon. We focus on the full spectrum of broad housing needs — workforce, seniors, attainable, disabled and affordable housing — and the broader systems that shape them, including land use, infrastructure, development economics, and public policy. Housing is not a single issue. It intersects with economic vitality, community stability, healthcare access, environmental resilience, and long-term regional growth. Housing Voices brings together builders, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, business owners, and engaged citizens to examine these intersections with clarity and purpose. Through structured conversations and systems-level thinking, we highlight the policies, partnerships, and practical actions that can move communities from challenge to progress. Our mission is simple but ambitious: To accelerate informed dialogue and coordinated action that expands housing opportunity, strengthens families, supports local employers, and enhances long-term community livability.

  1. 6d ago

    Why Housing Comes First: The Truth About Homelessness | HV12

    In this episode of Housing Voices: Practical Solutions, hosts Marty and Bre sit down with Dan Easdale, Program Director of Corvallis Housing First, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to move someone from the street into stable, supported housing. Dan brings seven years of frontline experience to a candid, compassionate conversation about the Housing First model, the people it serves, and why the solutions are harder and more urgent than most people realize. - What the Housing First model is, where it came from, and why low-barrier housing outperforms clean-and-sober requirements - The wraparound case management services that make housing stick, including mental health, substance use support, and physical health care - A detailed walkthrough of the journey from street to housing, including ID recovery, mailing addresses, Section 8 wait lists, and the barriers that derail progress - The demographics of who is actually experiencing homelessness, including elderly residents on fixed incomes, families, and people with significant disabilities - How the affordable housing crisis in Corvallis has created a four-year Section 8 wait list and what that means for real people - The growing crisis of families experiencing homelessness and the lack of shelter options that keep families together - A presentation Dan co-delivered in San Francisco on doing Housing First when behavioral health supports are critically scarce - How Corvallis Housing First trains residents as peer supports and includes people with lived experience on its board Resources and People Mentioned: - Corvallis Housing First: corvallis housingfirst.org - Lindsay Stallard, Development Director, Corvallis Housing First (volunteer inquiries) - Unity Shelter (men's and women's shelter, Safe Place program) - Community Outreach Inc. (COI), family shelter services - Jackson Street Youth Services, youth up to age 25 - Corvallis Daytime Drop In Center - Central City Concern, Portland (Andy Mendenhall, co-presenter) - Benton County Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool - Lynn Benton Housing Authority - Anita Earl and Samaritan Health for medical respite partnership - Housing Voices podcast partners: MartyFulford.com and Cynit.net - Music by Karen DeWolfe and Adrienne Kriz Chapters (00:00:00) - A Special Guest at Corvallis Housing First(00:04:46) - Case Management in the county(00:06:33) - Getting a homeless person into a housing program(00:06:56) - Housing First(00:09:05) - Is the National Housing First Initiative based on it people being clean and(00:16:00) - Corvallis Housing: The Different Models of Housing(00:21:03) - Samaritan's Home for the Homeless, and Medical Respite(00:23:57) - The Need for Older People's Housing in Corvallis(00:26:44) - Households on the Needy(00:34:57) - Soapboxers vs. Real People(00:35:19) - Local perspectives on the affordable housing crisis(00:38:43) - Oregon's housing first, and mental health(00:42:40) - The homelessness crisis in the US(00:45:46) - The Process of Getting Out of the Streets(00:50:57) - Homeless Shelters: How to Get Housing(00:55:39) - The story of cancer survivors(00:56:38) - What kinds of people are in our housing?(01:00:55) - The qualifications for a caseworker(01:05:52) - How is Corvallis Housing First primarily funded?(01:10:42) - If You Had a Magic Wand, Change One Thing(01:12:08) - What's kind of work that a volunteer might do(01:15:05) - Housing Voices: Practical Solutions Meet

    Why Housing Comes First: The Truth About Homelessness | HV12

  2. Aug 4

    What 50 Expert Interviews Taught Them About Oregon's Housing Crisis | HV11

    Housing Voices is a podcast hosted by Bre Irish and Marty Fulford that tackles the full spectrum of housing challenges facing Oregonians, from homelessness and disability access to wildfire recovery and senior care. In this milestone 10th episode roundtable, Bri and Marty are joined by the show's executive producers, Ed Fulford and Liz Irish, to reflect on the conversations, guests, and hard truths uncovered across their first season. - The origins of Housing Voices, born out of a regional housing subcommittee that interviewed over 50 community leaders across Oregon - The hidden complexity of housing policy and why no single solution fits the full spectrum of need - Disability access failures in housing, including the outdated 2% accessibility requirement and the financial burden placed on disabled residents to modify their own units - Wildfire recovery and the dangerous gap between the pace of destruction and the pace of rebuilding, including the work of Hope Community and Jamie McLeod Skinner - The crisis of senior housing and the staggering cost of end-of-life care that is putting generational wealth out of reach for most families - Homelessness as a financial and moral failure, including the real cost of criminalization versus prevention and the hidden population of people on the verge of losing housing - The K-shaped economy and how rising costs, stagnant wages, and redlining continue to lock younger generations and marginalized communities out of homeownership - Bri's announcement that she is running for Corvallis City Council Ward 1, bringing the lessons of Housing Voices directly into local government Resources and People Mentioned: - Representative Gomberg, Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee - Jamie McLeod Skinner, wildfire recovery leader in southern Oregon - Nathan Wildfire, missing middle housing advocate - Ryan McAllister, development process expert - Jennifer Bustamante, senior housing and end-of-life care specialist - Sean, guest focused on homelessness, shame, and reintegration - Eric McGuire, educator discussing housing's impact on children and schools - Hope Community, Eugene-based housing manufacturer partnered with St. Vincent de Paul - Missing Middle Housing Fund - SaidCorp - Viny Moses, community support organization - Cassie, Housing Voices guest who documented accessibility challenges in her apartment - The Ark (guests Misha and Abby), disability housing advocates - Book referenced: "There Are No Accidents" - Partners: MartyFulford.com and Cynit.net - Music: Karen DeWolfe and Adrian Kriz - Housing Voices website: housingvoices.com Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: Our First 10 Episodes(00:01:07) - Favorite Episodes of Housing Voices(00:04:14) - Reveal: The Housing Podcast(00:05:57) - The Housing Subcommittee on the Podcast(00:09:53) - The Problem of Housing in Oregon(00:11:43) - Oregon Governor on Fire Preparedness(00:15:41) - Disabled People on Housing(00:21:54) - Sen. Bernie Sanders on Accessibility in Housing(00:26:33) - Podcasters: Unfiltered View of the World(00:27:45) - Do we Need Wetlands Credits?(00:30:42) - Osu Housing and Missing Middle Housing(00:35:01) - The Missing Middle Housing Fund(00:37:25) - House for the Needy in Hawaii(00:42:06) - Seniors on the Cost of Retirement Care(00:47:27) - Widow in the Women's Shelter(00:52:24) - Lisa Dixon on Trump and the Middle East(00:55:32) - Economy's K-Shaped Economy(00:56:34) - Jamie McLeod Skinner on the Street(01:00:41) - The Cost of Houseless People(01:01:42) - Proposal to jail the homeless: Fiscal conservative or not?(01:07:36) - Oregon's housing crisis(01:08:45) - Eric Jackson on Students and the Future(01:11:46) - Households' perspectives on housing(01:12:58) - Houses Voices: New Guest Voices(01:13:11) - Bri's Run for Corvallis City Council on Housing

    What 50 Expert Interviews Taught Them About Oregon's Housing Crisis | HV11

  3. Jul 28

    How Housing Instability Is Quietly Dismantling Oregon's Classrooms | HV10 P2

    In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford continue their conversation with veteran educator Eric McGuire, exploring the devastating intersection of housing instability, poverty, and public education in Oregon. Eric draws on nearly three decades in the classroom across multiple districts to paint a candid picture of what teachers and students are actually experiencing on the ground. - How declining teacher benefits, stagnant wages, and rising housing costs are driving educators out of the profession before year five - Why teachers of color are leaving Oregon classrooms at disproportionate rates - The stark difference between how wealthy and high-poverty school districts handle students experiencing houselessness - What the McKinney-Vento program is and why language barriers prevent many eligible families from accessing it - How housing instability affects a child's most foundational learning skills, including the ability to hold a pencil or turn a page - The concept of moral harm and how it silently burns out teachers who feel powerless to change broken systems - Why school district boundaries in Oregon are rooted in redlining and how that history still shapes educational equity today - Oregon's Senate Bill 141 and why no educators were involved in writing a bill designed to hold educators accountable Resources and People Mentioned: - McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (federal program supporting housing-insecure students) - Oregon Department of Education Education Advancement Council report - Teaching with Poverty in Mind (book referenced by Eric McGuire) - Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) - PSU Gender, Race and Nations program - Senate Bill 141 (Oregon educator accountability legislation) - Stanford Children and Foundation for a Better Oregon (identified as authors of SB 141) - John Wasilinski (referenced from a previous Housing Voices episode) - Juan Carlos (previous Housing Voices guest, economist) - MartyFulford.com and Cynit.net (show partners) - Music by Karen DeWolfe and Adrien Kriz Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: The Cost of Teaching(00:04:55) - Oregon teachers talk about the quality of their teachers(00:07:16) - Teacher perspectives on poverty in the school district(00:11:53) - Teachers on the issues of poverty and housing(00:19:03) - House passes bill to house more low-income people(00:19:49) - Helping Houseless Kids Get Their Education(00:25:31) - Teachers talk about moral harm(00:28:33) - Home-Learning and Poverty(00:36:00) - The question of boundary changes in Oregon(00:38:46) - Oregon gubernatorial candidate on school choice(00:44:41) - Oregon Democrats talk about revenue in the state legislature(00:50:02) - Housing Voices: The Cost of Tax Breaks

    How Housing Instability Is Quietly Dismantling Oregon's Classrooms | HV10 P2

  4. Jul 21

    How the Housing Shortage Is Quietly Defunding Your Child's Education | HV10 P1

    In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford sit down with Eric McGuire, a 33-year veteran teacher, school board candidate, and union advocate, to unpack the deeply tangled relationship between the housing crisis and the state of public education in Oregon. The conversation connects property tax shortfalls, outdated school funding models, and housing insecurity to real outcomes for students, teachers, and communities. - How Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 locked school funding in place since 1991 and what that means today - Why Oregon is the only state that uses census data to calculate education funding, and why that hurts students - The visible signs of housing insecurity that teachers witness daily in their classrooms, including sleep deprivation, hunger, and lack of clothing - Why teachers themselves are being priced out of the communities where they teach - The hidden cost of multi-unit property tax exemptions and who ultimately foots the bill - Eric's personal journey from classroom teacher to school board candidate and podcast host - The Overton window concept and how political will around housing and taxation is slowly shifting - Why community organizations, not just schools, may be the key to reaching families affected by housing instability Resources and People Mentioned: - Oregon Education Association (OEA) - Oregon Center for Public Policy - McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act - Oregon Voices Podcast, hosted by Eric McGuire and Katherine Watkins - The Student Success Act - Scene on Radio Podcast - Chenjerai Komanika - Latino Network - Marty Bulford.com - Cynet.net Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices(00:04:08) - Housing Voices(00:04:21) - Oregon Voices: Voices of the People(00:08:15) - Democrat on the Run for School Board(00:12:41) - Oregon School Funding: Measures 5 and 50(00:18:26) - Teaching in a poverty-stricken community(00:21:01) - How housing impacts kids at school(00:24:26) - On the Need for More Housing(00:27:18) - Democracy in Housing: The Overton Window(00:33:11) - When You Can't Help Your Love(00:33:29) - What Would You Like to See Different For Housing, for Children?(00:37:59) - Community Voices: The Impact of Housing on Education

    How the Housing Shortage Is Quietly Defunding Your Child's Education | HV10 P1

  5. Jul 14

    Homelessness Isn’t Laziness: The Hidden Work of Surviving Without a Home | HV09 P2

    In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford continue their conversation with Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter in Corvallis, Oregon, diving deep into the realities of homelessness prevention, shelter operations, transitional housing, and what it truly takes to help someone rebuild their life. - Why prevention is the holy grail of solving homelessness and how Adverse Childhood Experiences directly predict adult housing instability - The real cost of homelessness across healthcare, law enforcement, and community systems - How Unity Shelter operates as a low-barrier shelter and what that actually means in practice - The journey from emergency shelter to micro-shelter transitional housing and why 30 to 50 percent of residents successfully move into permanent housing - Why getting housed is not the finish line and how isolation after housing placement is one of the most overlooked risks in the entire continuum - Oregon's housing undersupply crisis and how building 50 percent fewer homes than needed raises the floor for everyone, especially the most vulnerable - How myths about laziness and handouts distort public understanding of what surviving without housing actually demands - Concrete ways community members can get involved, from low-barrier food service volunteering to street outreach Resources and People Mentioned: - Unity Shelter, Corvallis, Oregon, director@unityshelter.org, 541-313-8776 - Corvallis Housing First (CHF) - Community Services Consortium - St. Vincent de Paul - We Care (Corvallis) - Vina Moses organization - South Corvallis Food Bank - Compassion Church (micro-shelter site) - SafeCamp - ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study - Housing Opportunity Action Council - United Way - HousingVoices.com - MartyFulford.com and Cynit.net (show partners) - Music by Karen DeWolf and Adrian Kriz Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: Unhoused Communities(00:00:53) - Homelessness: Preventing the Problem first place(00:08:26) - Homelessness and the cost(00:11:24) - How to get out of emergency shelter and into transitional housing(00:13:57) - Homeless people talk about housing(00:15:04) - On Section 8 and Rent Assistance(00:16:46) - Transition from shelter to affordable housing(00:17:17) - What it Takes to Get Out of the Homeless(00:19:57) - What kind of transitional housing do you provide to homeless people?(00:24:11) - Contraband in the Shelters(00:26:00) - What are some of the barriers to getting people out of shelter?(00:28:26) - Need for more transitional housing in Corvallis(00:33:03) - Do you need a fridge in your home?(00:33:50) - Helping the Homeless: One Success Story(00:35:49) - Oregon's housing supply(00:40:28) - Sen. Ron Wyden on Homelessness and Policy(00:45:59) - The Case for Individualism(00:48:38) - What is an action item that you can leave people with?(00:51:40) - Volunteer Opportunities in Corvallis(00:56:37) - Directorate of the Homeless Shelter(00:58:18) - Housing Voices: When Real People Talk, Solutions Meet

    Homelessness Isn’t Laziness: The Hidden Work of Surviving Without a Home | HV09 P2

  6. Jul 7

    What Homelessness Actually Costs Per Person Per Month Will Surprise You | HV09 P1

    In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter in Corvallis, Oregon, to explore what emergency shelter and transitional housing truly look like on the ground, and why the gap between need and resources keeps growing. - How Shawn went from corporate librarian and HP research manager to leading one of Benton County's most critical homeless services organizations - What Unity Shelter actually operates, including two 50-bed emergency shelters, a hotel shelter program, and 34 micro-shelter transitional housing units - How the post-pandemic funding landscape has shifted dramatically, with federal dollars drying up and state funding projected to be cut by 50 percent - Why Unity Shelter's board has refused certain federal funding tied to requirements that residents be checked against an ICE database - The 267 percent increase in homelessness in the area between 2016 and 2025, and what that looks like for the people showing up at the door - The real demographics of homelessness, including the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries, physical disabilities, generational poverty, and people aging out of foster care or exiting incarceration with nothing - How city and ODOT sweeps destroy identification, job opportunities, and trust, creating cycles that make it harder for people to escape homelessness - How Unity Shelter serves people for approximately 135 dollars per person per month, beating inflation by a wide margin while growing the number of people served by 65 percent Resources and People Mentioned: - Unity Shelter, Corvallis, Oregon - Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) - Corvallis Housing First - Benton County Health - Corvallis Downtown Drop-In Center - Housing Opportunity Action Council (HOAC) - Hope Board (Housing Opportunity Planning and Equity) - Jackson Street Youth Services - MartyFulford.com and Cynit.net (episode sponsors) - Music by Karen DeWolfe and Adrian Kriz Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: The Need for More Housing(00:01:25) - Sean Collins on the Journey into Homeless Services(00:05:55) - Unity Shelter(00:11:47) - Oregon's homeless services funding environment(00:19:43) - Do street sweeps violate federal immigration law?(00:23:21) - Local organizations talk about the state's funding of housing programs(00:27:11) - How have your conversations been with state legislators?(00:32:14) - What Does the Homeless Look Like?(00:37:58) - How many of your clientele are on the street?(00:44:11) - Immunity in our Communities: The Need for Prevention and Rehabilitation(00:46:35) - Housing Voices: Practical Solutions Meet

    What Homelessness Actually Costs Per Person Per Month Will Surprise You | HV09 P1

  7. Jun 30

    Wildfire Didn’t Just Burn Homes. It Exposed Oregon’s Housing Crisis | HV08

    Housing Voices hosts Marty Fulford and Bre Irish sit down with Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a civil engineer, city planner, and attorney who served as interim city manager of Talent, Oregon following the devastating 2020 Alameda Fire. Drawing on experience ranging from post-war reconstruction in Bosnia to statewide emergency resilience work in Oregon, Jamie shares the hard-won lessons of wildfire recovery and what communities must do now to prepare for the fires ahead. - What the aftermath of the Alameda Fire actually looked like on the ground, and why the most vulnerable residents were hit hardest - Why FEMA assistance left entire populations behind and how Oregon's state government attempted to fill that gap - The four north stars Jamie used to guide Talent's recovery: team building, community engagement, resource development, and housing - How Jamie expedited permitting, waived zoning restrictions, and secured nearly 30 million dollars in state and federal resources in six months - The role of community trust, bilingual outreach, and hiring locally-connected staff in reaching farmworker and Latino communities - What the New Spirit Village affordable homeownership project in Medford grew out of the disaster and how it is progressing - Why wildfire resilience must now be a baseline standard in all Oregon development, not just rural or high-risk zones - Specific steps everyday Oregonians and state legislators can take right now to prepare for the next disaster before it arrives Resources and People Mentioned: - Jamie McLeod Skinner, housing developer and former interim city manager of Talent, Oregon - Hector Flores, publisher of Caminos magazine and community liaison during Talent recovery - Barry and Catherine Thalden, founders of New Spirit Village - Proud Ground, Portland-based community land trust - CASA, affordable housing developer involved in Talent recovery - Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) - Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) - Oregon Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) - Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) - Senator Jeff Golden - Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley - John Viall, former county director and current interim city manager of Medford - Gold Beach, Oregon, cited for lending planning staff to Talent during recovery - Fortaleza and Coliseo, organizations involved in mobile home park recovery Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: wildfire recovery in Oregon(00:01:57) - Housing Voices: Jamie McLeod Skinner(00:06:47) - Oregon wildfire recovery coverage(00:12:28) - The City of Covid helped communities after the wildfire(00:21:10) - Local perspectives on the wildfire disaster housing(00:28:49) - A New Spirit Village: Building affordable housing(00:33:44) - Oregon's wildfire resiliency(00:37:42) - After the wildfire, what lessons have been learned?(00:42:05) - How to better manage wildfire risk in Oregon(00:46:46) - Oregon Floods and wildfire mitigation(00:54:35) - How to Help Oregonians During the Long Session!

    Wildfire Didn’t Just Burn Homes. It Exposed Oregon’s Housing Crisis | HV08

  8. Jun 23

    The Senior Care Crisis Is Worse Than We Think | HV07 P2

    Housing Voices hosts Bri and Marty continue their conversation with Jenn Bustamante, a senior care advocate with 33 years of experience in the aging industry. Jenn runs Embrace Age Prepared, a wraparound company that helps families navigate the complex world of senior care and housing options. This episode reveals the harsh realities of long-term care costs, systemic failures, and the challenges facing our aging population. Key topics discussed: Adult foster care costs range from $7,000-$16,000 monthly vs. assisted living at $4,800-$6,500In-home 24-hour care can cost $25,000+ per month, making it unaffordable for most familiesThe dirty secrets of long-term care: Medicaid covers very little and most facilities don't want Medicaid patientsThe trillion-dollar senior care industry and where the money actually goesHow cultural differences in family care (Hawaii's tribal mentality vs. American individualism) impact agingProblems with transparency and exploitation in the senior care industryIssues with state assessment agencies improperly evaluating care needsThe upcoming "silver tsunami" of baby boomers and Oregon's lack of preparednessResources mentioned: Jenn Bustamante and Embrace Age PreparedPower of Partnership event (September 17th)Open Bed Oregon initiativeNorthwest Senior and Disability Services (DHS) Chapters (00:00:00) - Housing Voices: Talking With Jen Bustamante(00:01:34) - Seniors living in home care(00:05:50) - Are we treating our elders appropriately?(00:11:47) - More Transparency in Adult Care Industry(00:13:44) - The Power of Partnerships(00:16:52) - Long Term Care: The Dirty Secrets(00:22:02) - Oregon Medicaid: Need to change the policy(00:26:59) - Oregon Hospital CEOs on the Long Term Care Industry(00:33:17) - The call to action on aging issues(00:38:20) - How to Start a Talk About Relationships in the Family(00:40:21) - Housing Voices: The Long Term Care Conversation

    The Senior Care Crisis Is Worse Than We Think | HV07 P2
See All (17)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Housing Voices is a regional civic platform dedicated to advancing thoughtful, solutions-driven housing leadership across Oregon. We focus on the full spectrum of broad housing needs — workforce, seniors, attainable, disabled and affordable housing — and the broader systems that shape them, including land use, infrastructure, development economics, and public policy. Housing is not a single issue. It intersects with economic vitality, community stability, healthcare access, environmental resilience, and long-term regional growth. Housing Voices brings together builders, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, business owners, and engaged citizens to examine these intersections with clarity and purpose. Through structured conversations and systems-level thinking, we highlight the policies, partnerships, and practical actions that can move communities from challenge to progress. Our mission is simple but ambitious: To accelerate informed dialogue and coordinated action that expands housing opportunity, strengthens families, supports local employers, and enhances long-term community livability.

Information

  • Creator
    Edward Fulford
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Housing Voices

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