MAY 30, 2006 jllStpUt I 19 Feeling Fruity? In addition, Walcker thought he would be getting three meals a day, seven days a week. “It was more like one meal a day, and only during the week. The chef had the weekends off.” Rainbow Vista manager Ian Jones responded egonian and just strew it all over the place,” said Moshberger, adding that Walcker never quite fit in with the other residents. Moshberger also called Walcker a “level two” who required more care than the average Rainbow "The problem with Rainbow Vista is that they're charging for rent and other services as if they were a care facility. But they're not." —Roger Ward Dclidow Fruit Deal*»* •with Dipped Daisies“ To order, please call or visit: (503) 236-3395 2710 NE Glisan • Portland, OR Edible Arrangement«' — www.cdiblcarnmgemcnfs.coin that the $595 monthly rent was only a “move­ in special” and did not include furniture rental charges and “independent living levels.” He add­ ed that Rainbow Vista never has advertised three meals a day for residents but does provide lunch “free of charge.” However, the $595 monthly rent is the only figure given on Rainbow Vista’s Web site and its promotional materials, and that amount was confirmed by Moshberger in a Just Out interview earlier this month. Also during that interview, Moshberger said Rainbow Vista charged residents $350 for a monthly msal plan. In sifting through the confusion, Just Out con­ tacted Walcker’s best friend of 32 years, Roger Ward of Tacoma, Wash., who handles his finan­ cial affairs. “The problem with Rainbow Vista is that they’re charging for rent and other services as if they were a care facility,” said Ward. “But they’re not.” Rainbow Vista is licensed by the city of Gresh­ am as a rental property, meaning it can only charge residents for, and profit from, rent. “I wish they would just call themselves co-operative apartments, because that’s what they are,” said Ward. Inside Rainbow Vista The common areas of Rainbow Vista are well- lit, comfortable, not at all unlike your favorite grandma’s sitting room, right down to the floral prints on the sofas. A selection of gay-themed magazines is splayed out on the coffee tables. A dry-erase board in the office notes the July move-in date of “Howard and David” as well as a “spring fever luau party” May 15. A small room right off the lobby serves as Rainbow Vista’s salon and massage room, with a sign on the door advertising $25 for a haircut, $40 for a one-hour massage and $50 for hot stones therapy, none of which Rainbow Vista has a busi­ ness license for. A hallway leads past a large industrial­ looking kitchen into the dining area. When Just Out visited Rainbow Vista in mid-May, Mosh­ berger and resident Bill Stein, 86, agreed to meet right before lunch. “Everything here is gay-done—all the em­ ployees are gay, everybody,” said Moshberger, who bought the complex in 2007 when it was called Autumn Park. Now Rainbow Vista has seven residents, every one of them gay except for Diana, a 50-year-old holdout from the Autumn Park era who declined to give her last name. “We’ve got to get her put out,” Moshberger said before she came in for lunch. “She’s got lupus, and she’s deteriorating.” The atmosphere got chilly when Walcker’s name was mentioned. “He made a mess every­ where he went. He would take the morning Or­ Vista resident. Walcker’s bill for April indicated “level two” as part of his $1,200 base monthly rent, but when Ward tried to get an itemized list of the charges for “level two” care, he never heard back from Rainbow Vista. In any case, the bill was never paid, because Walcker moved out of Rainbow V ista on April 15, three weeks after he moved in. Ji XX» Hhbk Arrangement«*, LLC Coprtcht SUSTAINABLE RESIDENTIAL DESIGN Mackenzie Architecture, Inc. 503.282.7674 www.mackenzlearchitecture.com Still a Great Need As the number of gay seniors grows, so does the need for affordable, gay-friendly apartment build­ ings, nursing homes and care centers. And as a queer-oriented apartment complex, Rainbow Vista might fit the bill for many independent gay seniors. “Sometimes all gay seniors need is to be with people that can be comfortably out with,” said Vaune Albanese, executive director of Portland’s Friendly House, which provides services to gay seniors through its Elder Resource Alliance. For many, discrimination includes people taking down queer-specific fliers in lobbies, and an intol­ erant atmosphere in bingo halls. Even for seniors just looking for a gay-friendly apartment complex, Rainbow Vista has yet an­ other problem: location. In-June 2007, Rainbow Vista contacted Port­ land nonprofit Senior Housing and Retirement Enterprises about a possible partnership with the facility, but SHARE declined. “It was so far out,” executive director Dan Pierce said. “The geo­ graphic location in Gresham was definitely not ideal. Why would we want to isolate our seniors more than they already are?” Rainbow Vista sits on a busy street where the only store in walking distance is a Plaid Pantry on the corner. Gresham Transit Center, where most bus routes end at MAX, is more than a mile away. Fortunately, SHARE is working on alterna­ tives a little closer to home, including early talks about renovating a building in inner Southeast Portland. If the project becomes reality, it’ll cre­ ate 76 units of affordable, gay-friendly housing close to Q Center. Back at MacDonald Residence, Walcker can walk to hear the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus sing, and regularly checks in with Cascade AIDS Proj­ ect. His building has a nurse on staff and its own medication room and costs $100 less than the $l,450-a-month total at Rainbow Vista. Pierce, who attended an open house at Rain­ bow Vista last July, was glad that his organization passed on partnering with the facility. “Knowing what we know now, why would we recommend Rainbow Vista to anyone ?” 602 SE 38th Ave. Portland, OR 97214 503.231.3922 Wed - Sat PAUL MITCHELL Holistic Pet Vet Clinic Integrative veterinary medicine emphasizing naturopathic care Clinical Nutrition Hmncopathy, □ Hobs, Natural Bob Ulhrich, I lea VMD Control Cydria Manette, DVM Chiropractic \cu|n