Temporary closure of Social Security office makes another hurdle for low-income Portlanders

Published 11:00 am Friday, April 5, 2024

Update: The Yamhill Street office reopened Monday, April 8, after this story was published.

The Social Security Administration office in Southwest Portland has been closed for weeks with no clear end date.

The closure has further complicated the maze Portlanders face trying to receive benefits.

For Vern H., a 56-year-old Portlander, a successful trip to the Social Security office could have saved him money off his monthly electric bill.

The money he could have saved “basically is money that I can or can’t spend on food throughout the month. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t use drugs, so I eat and I sleep,” Vern said.

Even for his small apartment, electric bills in the cold months have been around $80.

Vern, who requested to not use his full last name, receives Social Security benefits and lives in an income-restricted apartment building where each year, residents can apply for a discount on their electric bills.

“Basically we fill out this paperwork, show them that we’re poor, and if we get Social Security like I do, we go to the Social Security office and get a printed piece of paper that shows how much we make in a year,” Vern explained.

Vern said he went to the Social Security office right after finding out about the discount program more than a month ago. But the office was closed, with no information available about when it would reopen. Vern tried to visit the office multiple times and called the phone number listed on the door, but said he “kept getting a recorded message that just looped through until it hung up. Never once sent me to an actual person.”

Vern sells Street Roots newspapers in the Northwest District. The Social Security office on Southwest Yamhill is in Goose Hollow, just a five-minute walk from his home.

Because of a traumatic brain injury, Vern isn’t comfortable leaving the neighborhood he’s familiar with. He also uses a walker to get around.

“I don’t really go anywhere other than the place I go to sell my newspapers,” Vern said.

While the Southwest Yamhill location is closed, the nearest full-service Social Security offices are in Gresham and Beaverton.

More than 67 million people across the country receive Social Security benefits, most for retirement. More than 8 million people receive Social Security Disability benefits.

The closure of the only Portland office means more travel for beneficiaries, many of whom have limited mobility due to age or disability.

A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration said the Yamhill location was closed “due to structural damage to the building.” The spokesperson said they “anticipate the office will reopen for in-person services soon,” but did not give a timeline.