Mid Valley Cast: Recent Episodes
Michael Livingston
“Being alone, and being a girl and being homeless is scary…I’m not okay with the way the world is going right now. So, I kinda want to change it.” — Kloi Spencer When Kloi was 15, she was homeless, living on the streets with an abusive boyfriend and addicted to methamphetamine. Three years later, she’s […]
“Service Integration is about action. It’s about getting things done. And not being afraid to voice concerns and to challenge the current system and ask questions about why it’s done that way.” Those principles have guided Melissa’s work in the Santiam Canyon since 2017, when she and Santiam Hospital established area Service Integration teams. After […]
Easterseals Oregon through its Supportive Services for Veteran Families program last year permanently housed more than 100 homeless veteran families in Marion and Polk counties. In the first podcast since the start of the 2020 C19 pandemic, Michael talks with Easterseals CEO Carol Salter and program manager Andrew Rice about what brought them to this […]
Michael talks with Annette Jensen, who credits her grandmother and being a teen mother to her strength-based, problem-solving approach to her work in social services.
Matt and Gary share how they moved from homelessness and addiction to Be Bold Street Ministries in Salem, where they spend seven days a week walking beside those who’re now where they once were. However long it takes, they say, and sometimes it takes years.
In September 2017, the Salem City Council rejected proposed Ordinance Bill 22-17, which would have banned camping on public property, and prohibited sitting and lying on sidewalks from 7a to 9p. In July 2019, the City proposed to put a virtually identical bill, Ordinance Bill 10-19, back to Council. In response to negative media coverage, […]
The program director of Mill City’s community radio station (KYAC 94.9 FM) talks with Michael about music, life “up the canyon”, and repairing stringed instruments.
Craig talks with Michael about his work with the rural community of Aurora, Donald and North Marion, Oregon, and why he didn’t become a marriage counselor, after all.
We are all going to die, and most of us care how we will spend our final days. So, why do we resist talking about death? Mary Wallace, outreach volunteer with Willamette Valley Hospice, tells Michael how Hospice helped her and her husband have that conversation and make appropriate plans.
Michael talks with former Salem City Councilor Steve McCoid about Council politics, tough decisions, and public service. In March 2019, McCoid was appointed to serve on the Mid Willamette Valley Community Action Agency board.
Jimmy tells Michael what’s really happening with area homeless services, and why Salem, Marion County and Polk County need to make a “generational shift” in the delivery structure. See “ROCC: Leave or Remain?” and this presentation to the Mid-Willamette Homeless Initiative Steering Committee for background.
Polk County’s Prevention Coordinator tells Michael about the needs and challenges identified in the 2017 Youth Activity Interest Survey, and how they’ve shaped community response.
Angelina was homeless for more than two years after she lost her job. Today she’s attending community college, has income and housing, and wants to work with people with disabilities or experiencing homelessness. In this podcast, Angelina talks with Michael about the anxiety, uncertainty and rejection that so often accompanies homelessness.
The Director of Polk County’s Family and Community Outreach Department talks about Court Care, the Resource Center in Dallas, free bus rides, homelessness, and what brought him to this work.
KMUZ station managers Ken Adams and Pam Kelly terminated the Willamette Wake Up Tuesday team, without explanation, three days after this show aired on November 6, 2018. Adams later told the Salem Reporter, “the separation stemmed from a dysfunctional relationship between the station and the hosts” whom he said were not “team players“, citing the […]
Troy has ministered to the Mehema-Lyons community for more than a decade. In this interview, he tells Michael how he came to give up his dreams of being a rich businessman to become pastor of the Mehema Community Church, and how his work has changed the way he relates to people experiencing homelessness. Pre-recorded, edited, […]
Tamela’s 27 year-old son died by suicide in July 2017. No one saw it coming. Tamela talks to Michael and Sara Cromwell about suicide prevention, and why we need to talk about it. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited Resource: “Recognizing Suicide’s Warning Signs Could Save Lives” (Christine Vestal, Pew Stateline, 11/30/18) ; The QPR Institute
In 2017, the Salem Housing Authority launched the Homeless Rental Assistance Program (HRAP), the goal of which is to provide permanent, supportive housing for 100 chronically homeless individuals. So far, 71 have been placed, and 69 remain stably housed. In this special report, Grants Coordinator Pamala Garrick and Housing Stability Coordinator Sonya Ryland talk with […]
After 35 years as Chief of the Gates Rural Fire Protection District, Gary talks about how he came to be fire chief, what his service has taught him about the Gates community and how his upbringing put him on the path to be what he calls a “servant leader.” Pre-recorded, edited and aired on […]
The Director of the Community Resources Program for Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency talks with Michael about the growing homeless population in Salem’s Wallace Marine Park, and the long-standing need for a coordinated, cross-agency system for assessing and prioritizing the most vulnerable to receive housing and other homeless services. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Nineteen years ago, Keddy Haines was a close-to-death drug addict who turned his life around and “got clean.” Seven years later, a severe eye injury required a career change, and the work that he chose was drug and alcohol counseling. In this wide-raging conversation, Keddy talks about his own addiction and how his recovery informs […]
In this wide-ranging conversation, Santiam Canyon School District Superintendent Todd Miller explains how he and his staff strive to meet the educational and social service needs of their community. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Chris Simpson, Executive Director of the Recovery Outreach Community Center (ROCC) in Salem, explains how the program’s peer-support model breaks the pattern of social isolation that is a primary barrier to recovery. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
For the past 17 years, retired businessman and Mill City resident Mike Long has organized an annual golf tournament to benefit area youth. With the support of his wife Jan and local organizations, Mike has raised almost $200,000 to fund scholarships for deserving students in the Santiam Canyon. Photo is of Mike and Jan Long. […]
Melissa Baurer, Santiam Hospital’s Service Integration/Community Liaison Coordinator, talks about her efforts to help coordinate the delivery of social services in the Santiam Canyon . Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Michael talks with Santiam Canyon writer Debbie Scott about Bill the Bossy Bear and Carl the Cluttered Canary and the messages she hopes they’ll convey to children and their parents. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Christina talks with Michael about the 2018 Point-in-Time Homeless Count in the Santiam Canyon, her sister, and the Oregon Connections Academy, a tuition-free, K–12 online public school that students attend from home. Pre-recorded, edited, aired on Willamette Wake Up
Colleen has been helping connect families and individuals to services for more than two decades. Here she tells Michael and Sara Cromwell how important it is to listen to clients, and understand fully any barriers they might be facing. She also tells him how service integration works to address needs that are complex or require […]
Susy, an interpreter and community liaison for the North Santiam School District, forges connections between the schools and non-English-speaking parents. She also helps connect families to community resources through Santiam Hospital’s Service Integration program. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Melissa, Community Outreach Coordinator for Willamette Valley Hospice, explains to Michael what “hospice” is, and the importance of hospice services to individuals and families. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Former Falls City Mayor and current City Manager Terry Ungricht talks about Falls City’s challenges and volunteer spirit, and explains the controversy between the Falls City Fire Department and the Southwest Polk Rural Fire Protection District. Photo is of Terry and his daughter, Miranda Hamilton. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Polly Greaves, Activities Director for the Santiam Senior Center, talks about how the residents of Stayton support each other, and her efforts to bring Stayton’s seniors out of their isolation and into a community of supportive friends. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Margo Pabst talks with Michael and Sara Cromwell about her work at Bridgeway Recovery Services’ Sandra Bloom House, a residential treatment program in Stayton, and the relationship between trauma and addiction. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
The Director of Salem’s Center 50+ talks with Michael about aging, and how her conversation with “Earl” challenged her belief that older individuals want to be “taken care of.” “Aging doesn’t have to mean decline”, she says, “it doesn’t mean that we have to age to frailty. We can live life fully and contribute.” Live, […]
Ken learned from his own struggle with mental illness and homelessness the value of peers in overcoming the debilitating isolation that so often accompanies mental illness. In this interview, Ken explains to Michael why peer support works for him, and others. Ken died in June of 2018. You can read more about him here. Pre-recorded, […]
Fawn talks with Michael and Sara Cromwell about how Goodwill Industries’ Job Connection Program helps people overcome barriers to employment. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited.
Melissa Baurer, Service Integration and Community Liason Coordinator for Santiam Hospital, and Schuyler Hibbard, Coordinator of Salem Health’s pilot service integration program, talk with Michael and Sara Cromwell about their programs, and what service integration can do for a community. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Michael and Sara Cromwell talk with Danial Ficek, then Program Manager at the Union Gospel Men’s Mission in Salem, about the multiple challenges facing people experiencing homelessness, and his journey from homelessness and methamphetamine addiction to his work as a counselor and program manager for UGM. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
End of Life Choices Oregon‘s volunteers help Oregonians with terminal illnesses who’ve decided to end their lives navigate the requirements of Oregon’s “Death With Dignity Act.” In this extended interview, Executive Director Sue Porter explains the process, and recounts some of her experiences. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
The Mid-Valley Literacy Center provides tutoring and other support services like ESL classes and GED programs for adult learners. In this episode, Michael and Sara Cromwell talk with Executive Director Vivian Ang about her program, who benefits from it, and the path that brought her to this work. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
In this Memorial Day broadcast, Michael talks with retired U.S. Army Sergeant Brenda Powers, Program Director at WestCare Veterans Home (aka “Home for Heroes”) on Center Street in Salem, a transitional housing program for sober homeless veterans that opened September 2017. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Jimmy Jones from the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency talks about the results of the 2018 homeless point-in-time (PIT) count and his efforts to develop and implement a coordinated assessment, entry and referral system to ensure the most vulnerable are given priority in housing placements and services. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Michael and Sara Cromwell speak with the Executive Director of Mano a Mano and Salem-Keizer School Board candidate, Levi Herrera-Lopez. The Mano a Mano Family Center was established in 1988 in Salem and each year serves about 2,000 families in Marion and Polk Counties who self-identify as low income, people of color, or immigrants. Mano […]
Tom and Kim talk about how they came to be homeless, what it was like to live in a homeless camp along the Willamette River during the winter, and why their lives are better now. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Jimmy Jones, soon-to-be Director of the Community Resources Program at the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency talks with Michael and Sara Cromwell about the January point-in-time (PIT) count of the people in Marion and Polk Counties experiencing homelessness, and Salem Mayor Chuck Bennett’s proposal for housing the City’s most vulnerable. Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
There is a long-standing need for coordination among the social service providers in our community, and the prevalence of “chronic homelessness” in Marion and Polk Counties today is more than twice the national average. Jimmy Jones, Coordinated Entry Specialist for the Mid-Willamette Community Action Agency wants to change that. In this interview, Michael and Sara […]
Galen, a young man from Salem with a history of heroin addiction and homelessness, talks with Michael about his story, relationships and music. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Michael talks with Fawn about her experiences growing up in foster care after being abandoned by her adoptive mother, and how those experiences have shaped her life and work today in Salem. Pre-recorded, edited and aired on Willamette Wake Up
Nicole and Michael talk about Nicole’s 11 years in foster care, and how it helps her train CASA volunteers to advocate for foster children in Marion County. Nicole is currently Foster Care Policy & Community Liaison at Oregon Department of Human Services (11/2018) Live, Willamette Wake Up, edited
Jason talks with Michael about community policing in downtown Salem. Pre-recorded, edited