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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2011)
Street roots Dec. 9,2011 Cobra Pose Power shut-offs loom as winter approaches Spine elongates Tension releases Hips off the ground Arms strong Head upright Looking forward This is just what it is A new being emerges Stripped of outward burdens Engaged with the world But detached Free Not tame Not contained Not surfaced with slick veneer D esert varnish Not covered by thick crust What shall take root? Exposed Vulnerable Trusting absolutely Being Love Care me. F R O M 2 1 1 1NFO By Debra Knauf Last season, f you sit in the 211info call center it won’t be long before you hear from someone that needs help paying their utility bill. Some people call before their shut off notices pile up. But many are calling as a last ditch effort These days, energy assistance funds disappear as soon as word drops that local nonprofits have money to distribute. A porous safety net is leaving too many people behind. And as the months turn freezing cold, candle light isn’t enough for struggling families. One such 211 caller represents thousands of local residents who will have their power shut off this winter with nowhere to go. Names and certain indentifying information have been removed to protect the privacy of the caller. I 211 « i f e ^ million in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds. This year, the state received $22.5 million. 211 info received more than 9,000 calls for utility assistance last fiscal year (June 2010-July 2011) in Multnomah County alone. It received more than 12,000 in the tri-county metro area. power turned back on?” Caller: “I have to pay my rent or else I won’t have anywhere to sleep. I use my disability payment for rent; I get food stamps to pay for food. I had to pay in advance to see a dentist last month, and I just don’t have any money to pay for anything else. I don’t have cable TV.” Caller: “My power was shut off yesterday. I called you this morning. You said there were three agencies that had funding for energy assistance, but when I called them they were already out of money. What should I do now? It’s really cold.” 211info specialist: “Do you have a caseworker at the Aging and Disabilities office?” 211info specialist: “Is there a way that you could take money away from other bills, like maybe your cable bill or a medical payment, so that you could pay to get the Caller: “Yes, but she said she can’t help 211info specialist: “Do you have any family or friends who might be able to assist you temporarily?” Caller, crying: “No.” 211info specialist: “Are you part of a faith community that you could turn to for help?” : Caller, crying h ard e r: “No. What am I going to do?” 211info specialist: “One option would be to go to the Women’s Winter Warming Shelter so you could be warm at n ig h t” Caller: “I am not homeless! I just need h e a t and I don’t want to go to a shelter. I’m disabled, and I don’t even know how I would get there.” 211info specialist: “I don’t have any other suggestions for ways to get your utilities turned back on today. I hope you stay in touch, so if other resources become available you can try them. It sounds like you have a lot going on right now, and I’d like to get you over to someone who can talk about your feelings about your situation. I could transfer you there right now.” A Helping Hand On my swing by N. Page Maybe if I turn round and round on my swing Round and round again Like I did before Beneath the widest maple tree in all the world On my wooden swing With the cotton rope spinning a beautiful braid Above my head If I turn round and round again With a sea of leaves beneath me And round once again Maybe I’ll be nine again I could see my big cat, Mac And I could see my mom And maybe even my dad And if I go round and round again I might see you there too again. He was so afraid of the outside world n March 2007, a man donated his time to tiie Macdonald Center; he was five days . that he didn’t know what else to do. Then he remembered the letter he carried with him, fresh from prison and was ready to go back because the system doesn’t train its , being the man of his word he took the letter to the Macdonald Center. Walking back and inmates how to live on the streets. They give I them a few worthl^ssdastaeR On how toffll forth-ire-frpnt of th e btrildmg, afraid to go inr~ ‘ôÏÏFaTesûmêTKûrîâcFîVtîîârândTTcêntr"” won’t buy you a cup of coffee. This particular convict was sent to the release center where they warehouse inmates until their release dates come up. Certainly, you’ll find those inmates who speak fondly of the center, but chances are they want to make points with the superintendent or they have one of tiie few jobs the system offers and they’d like to keep it Not to lose track of this convict, he did his time (a total of 18 years), he was a two-time loser. After five days he was ready to go back to prison because it was the only life he knew. While eating lunch at the center’s cafeteria, another inmate gave him a sealed letter with instructions to take it to the Macdonald Center and give it to Marylee King (the director of the center). Being the convict he was, he didn’t look at the sealed letter; it wasn’t addressed to him. This was March 5, 2007, and to this day, Marylee is the only person who knows what was written in that letter. The convict’s name is Donald (aka: Chewbaka). Days after his release, Donald was on his way to the parole officer to be locked up he tmally gained the nerve to go to the tront desk and gave the letter to the man who sat behind the desk with instructions that it be given to Marylee. He was instructed to have a seat in the lobby while they took the letter to the back room; he sat there like he was waiting to see the parole board. About 15 minutes later, Marylee came out and introduced herself to Donald, inviting him back to have a cup of coffee and some conversation. Noticing he was cold she asked if he would like a jacket Without a doubt, he accepted and they dove into talking for the next 45 minutes. Nothing real important was said; she invited Donald back the next day where they spent a long time in conversation and coffee. She noticed all be had to his name was a plastic coffee cup, two shots of coffee and a few bags of Top Ramen soup. One thing led to the next and the two became fast friends. She let him help around the Center as a way to pay her back for befriending him, and she became a very important person in his life. Donald became a full-time volunteer for the Macdonald Center and eventually the residence as well, doing various jobs that ranged from hospitality, bouncer, janitor and even the good, local, food. ALBERTA COOPERATIVE GROCERY 1500 NE Alberta St. Portland, OR 97211 503.287.4333 w ww .albertagrocery.coop open to everyone 9 -1 0 daily gardener. After two and a half years, Donald moved over to the Macdonald Center Independent Living Services office where we volunteered for more than two years before he had to convict turning his life around to become a productive member of society, but about someone who the Macdonald Center held out their hand to when it was needed the most. They took someone who society cast away and made him the man he is today, a proud man, a man who can walk down the street and look you straight in the eye and say, “Good morning!” and mean it. A man who helps an older person and expects nothing in return; a man who works with the low-income and homeless. About a year ago, an article came out in Street Rooty about the Macdonald Center buying the West Hotel and evicting the tenants without help. I am that convict, and I also lived in the W est The Macdonald Center not only paid my first and last month’s rent, they also paid the deposit arid found me the place I live in now. I wasn’t the only one who received their assistance; almost every tenant living there was given the very same assistance. Thank you, Macdonald Center, and all thê staff involved. — By Donald Harvey (aka Chewbaka)
