If Governor Kotek can't find 15 minutes to hear how an identified gap in Oregon's own policy has kept an Oregonian homeless, what does “housing first” actually mean? For two years, Governor Tina Kotek has ignored my request for 15 minutes. After spending more than $200,000 trying to become housed, I ended up homeless. This isn't a policy gap I'm speculating about. Jesse O'Brien, Policy Manager for Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation, identified the gap to me. I haven't asked Governor Kotek for money. I haven't asked her to intervene in my case. I've asked for 15 minutes to explain how an identified gap in Oregon policy has played out in the real world and kept me homeless. The Governor talks about getting Oregonians housed. I'm an Oregonian who tried to house myself, spent more than $200,000 doing it, and ended up homeless instead. Two years. $200,000. Fifteen minutes. Apparently, 15 minutes is the part Oregon can't afford. @HUDgov @habitatoregon @seiu @1000Oregon @OregonCat @FairhousingOr @Devnw @Oregonian @DanRayfield @Bynum4thewin @cnn @foxnews @wweek @ktvznews @sourceweekly

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR TINA KOTEK When a known gap in Oregon’s consumer-protection system can contribute to homelessness, at what point does repeatedly ignoring that gap become part of Oregon’s failure to address homelessness itself? And when the framework fails and the harm continues, should the consumer alone bear the cost? Or should Oregon bear some responsibility for the protection its laws failed to provide? Governor Kotek, after almost two years of trying to get your attention, I have earned the right to ask. “There is nothing the State can do” is strange when the State wrote the laws defining what it can do. I wasn’t simply denied a mortgage. I relied on representations by a licensed mortgage professional while purchasing land and planning my home. I was sold a loan product the company later admitted it did not have the right to offer. I bought the land, installed infrastructure, and kept investing based on what I was told. Then the financing fell apart. The consequences didn’t. I ended up living in an RV on my own property — meeting federal standards for homelessness — after spending more than $200,000 trying to house myself. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation investigated and found violations. But here’s the hole: Oregon’s insurance framework allows broader restitution for cascading harm. Mortgage lending does not. The State can investigate, find violations, and collect penalties. It cannot (or will not) provide restitution for the broader harm. Oregon’s enforcement ends. The consumer’s harm does not. What did I get? A PDF confirming the findings. No restitution. Not even an apology. I was told I could hire an attorney at my own expense — after already spending $200,000 and ending up homeless. Once I realized this gap could leave another Oregonian financially devastated and homeless, I tried to tell you. Calls unreturned. Fifteen-minute meeting requests ignored or denied. Public tags unanswered. I even offered to buy the coffee and walk with you — no conference room, no PowerPoint, just fifteen minutes. Still no. Almost two years is no longer a scheduling conflict. You didn’t cause my original harm. But when someone points to a hole, tells you she fell through it, shows you others can too, and repeatedly asks you to look, at what point does walking past it become its own decision? Housing and homelessness are defining issues of your administration. While Oregon held press conferences, I was already homeless, the harm continued, and the protection gap remained. I wasn’t asking for a shelter bed, voucher, or resolution of my case. I was asking you to look at the hole so the next Oregonian doesn’t fall through it. If that isn’t homelessness prevention, what is? The State got the penalty. I got the PDF. Oregon collects money because a consumer was harmed, then leaves that same consumer to bear the consequences alone. That isn’t consumer protection. It’s a strange thing to call it that. The offer still stands. Fifteen minutes. And yes, Governor, I’ll still buy the coffee. Cara Tapken @benedtl

@unheardparent @Patriot23P @QuattlebaumLisa @RepYunker @realDonaldTrump @EndWokeness @GovTinaKotek @Rural_Mind @RandPaul @odom_elizabeth