NEWS BRIEFS
BUILDING HOMES
FOR HAITIANS
While Lane County’s 4,000 un-housed
people are finally getting lots of attention
in the media, nearly 600,000 Haitians are
still living in tents and under tarps in
squatter camps two years after the major
earthquake of January 2010. That disaster
was followed by Hurricane Tomas and its
flooding, which exacerbated the damage
and casualties. Over the past five years,
more than 13 million people around the
world have lost their homes to a natural
disaster, according to Habitat for Humanity.
Kurt Jensen, a longtime Eugene-area
photojournalist for EW and a builder of
small, hand-crafted homes in Lane County,
The Santo project near
Port-au-Prince
A sprawling squatters’
camp at Port-au-Prince
nearly 90 percent of its buildings were
destroyed or damaged, he says.
During Habitat for Humanity’s 28th
annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work
Project, the Carters and a group of 400
volunteers built 100 core homes, he says,
and the eventual goal of the project is 500
houses in the next two years. The five-year
goal is to provide at least some assistance
to 50,000 families.
The small houses being built are
constructed with wood frames, pressure-
treated plywood walls and tin roofs.
Permanent concrete slab foundations are
designed to support concrete blocks for
PHOTO BY KURT JENSEN
Habitat says permanent housing is a prerequisite for
rebuilding lives, families and social and economic networks.
recently returned from Haiti. He will be
showing photos and talking about his
experiences at 7 pm Wednesday, Jan. 4, at
BRING’s Planet Improvement Center,
4446 Franklin Blvd. in Glenwood. The
presentation is sponsored by the Northwest
EcoBuilding Guild.
Jensen has been working with Habitat
for Humanity, building a community
called the Santo project in Léogâne, just
18 miles from Port-au-Prince. Léogâne is
near the epicenter of the earthquake and
later additions. More than 3,000 Haitians
have been trained in construction or
construction business practices, and
Habitat says permanent housing is a
prerequisite for rebuilding lives, families
and social and economic networks. Haiti
currently has an unemployment rate of 60
percent.
Jensen and his Cascade Small House
Company can be found at www.cascadeshc.
com or call 747-8925.
— Ted Taylor
S. Willamette St. — great dining and retail!
GET LUCKY AT
Want to arrive by bike?
Planning for Willamette St. from 24th Ave. to 29th Ave. is underway. We envision
a future with direct bicycle access “to” businesses on Willamette St. rather than
simply a “through” route around the area. It’s important to speak up now. Contact
«>ÌÀV>°Ì >ÃJV°iÕ}ii°À°ÕÃÊUÊÜÜÜ°iÕ}iiÀ°}ÛÉ-7>iÌÌiÊUÊx{£ÈnÓxxÈ£ÊÊ
Closed January 1,2,3
ÓÇäxÊ7>iÌÌiÊ-ÌÊUÊx{£°{n{°x{£ä
7/ Ê££qÇ]Ê->ÌÊ£äqÈ]Ê-ÕÊ£Óqx
UÊ Õ}iiÉ-«À}wi`ÊEÊ>iÊ °ÊLiÊ>«ÃÊUÊ
$
BURRITO
B
U R R I T O & MICRO
M I C R O BREW
B R E W
Do You Qualify for Your
Oregon Medical Marijuana Card ?
- Weekly Clinics
:00
: 0 0 PM
P M UNTIL
U N T I L CLOSE
C L O S E
- Professional and
Private Setting
O fice hours
10am - 5pm
Monday
thru Friday.
- Free Record Review
DAYS
D
A Y S A WEEK
W E E K
A HELL o A DEAL
- New Patients and Renewals
Welcome
Call Today
1-888-920-6076
OFFER
O
OFF
ER
R GO
G GOOD
GOO
O D FOR
F OR
O R DIN
D DINE-IN
I IN E-I
E N C CUSTOMERS
UST T OME
O ME E R RS S O ONL
ONLY.
N NLY.
NL Y . OF
OFF
OFFER
F ER GOO
GOOD D F FOR
OR ONE
ON
N E PE
P PERSON,
RS S N,
R RSO
N , PER R VI
V VISIT,
VISIT
I S SIT T,
T , P PER
E ER
R DAY
DAY.
A.
2864 WILLAMETTE ST. (541) 505-5399 OPEN EVERYDAY 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
760 BLAIR BLVD. (541) 868-0668 OPEN SUN + MON 11AM – 9PM, TUE – SAT 11AM – 10PM
127 NW 2ND ST. CORVALLIS (541) 286-4048 OPEN EVERYDAY 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
www.LAUGHINGPLANETCAFE.com
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
www.OMMPCard.com
Northwest Alternative Health is now serving the Greater Eugene Area
EUGENE WEEKLY DECEMBER 29, 2011 9