Page 4
Portland O tosrvsr
Thursday. July 15th, 1ST*
Program aids lost elderly
by Naoey M cCarthy
A « e a v o tfo a M d hi P s rtf— 4 Wadaseday b etas to place O e aaoM a f former
Senator Eogeae M cC arthy. 1 « U perseas signed card« to a— la s ts M cCarthy. If 1 , 5 »
a f these are registered vetoes, McCarthy'« aaaaa w M appear aa O e ballet aa an
todepeadeat candidate far O e presidency.
Elderly and confused. Lost and alone.
A woman walks around a strange Al
bins neighborhood, tryin g to find hor
home. I t is near the large grocery store,
she remembers, but where is that store?
And where is her house?
W hen elderly people get lost it used to
take valuable police tune to find their
homes.
But now the Volunteers of America, a
United W ay agency, w ill provide shelter
for those who are tem porarily lost.
Although the United W ay agency has
assisted the Portland Police Departm ent
for five years, it recently became the
official service agency for the eiderlylost
when the Portland City Council approved
a small stipend to care for these people.
I t seemed natural to name the Volun
teers of America,
which
received
$213,000 in United W ay funds this year,
as the official service agency. Besides
providing shelter to those who are tem
porarily lost, it also offers care for troubl
od teenage girls, mothers and their child
ren. and pre-schoolers.
"Sometimes it takes over 12 hours to
find out where a person lives." says M a
jo r Velm a Burnie. executive director of
United W ay's Volunteers of America. “If
the police pick up a person during the
d»y. he or she is taken to the Adult
Service Center where we work w ith him
to find his home.
" If he is still w ith us at 4:30 p.m., he is
given dinner and overnight accommoda
lions. T here he w ill continue to work with
a social w orker until he finds his home."
For the police departm ent, the United
W ay agency's service has provided relief.
" It is a problem we have had for years,"
says Portland Police L t. Edw ard Carney.
“W e used to bring them in here to the
police station, and it would take several
hours or even a day to get them back
home. W e had no place to put them, no
facility for eating. Often, someone would
have to watch over them. It wasn't the
best thing for the elderly."
About 30 people get lost in a year,
according to Lt. Carney.
"W e get elderly people who don't know
who they are or where they are going.
Sometimes they have no identification,
and they don't know where they «re
from."
M ajor Burnie and L t. Carney have
learned that people wander from any
neighborhood and sometimes they cross
bridges and find themselves downtown
with no way to get back, or they ride
buses and forget the trip.
“One woman who was found downtown
remembered she lived by the Safeway
store," recalls M ajor Burnie. “So we
drove around the store on S.W . Jefferson
Street. Then she remembered the m ortu
ary in the middle of the block, but there
wasn't a m ortuary downtown.
“Finally, a fter several hours of driving
and talking, the woman remembered she
had ridden the bus to town. It turned out
she lived near S.E. Hawthorne Boule
vard."
Must of the time, elderly people are
identified when a missing persons report
is filed.
“A lot of people a in ’t report the person
missing until all reasonable excuses for
the person's absence are checked out."
says M ajor Burnie. Often they feel silly
about becoming panicky."
Both M ajor Burnie and L t. Carney
hope the elderly-lost w ill be able to re
turn to th eir homes faster now.
" It is an attem pt to take care of the
problem." says L t. Carney.
PSU studies food stamps use
The Urban Studies Center a t Portland
State U niversity has received a $20,925
grant from the U.S. D epartm ent of Labor
to study why a high percentage of per
sons receiving unemployment compen
sation benefits who are also eligible for
food stamps do not choose to participate
in the food stamp program.
Judy Bar mack, assistant profesor in
PSU's new School of Urban A ffairs, says
a maximum of 40 to 45 per cent of those
who are eligible nationwide for food
stamps actually participate in the pro
gram. H e r research, which w ill focus on
the Portland metropolitan area, w ill run
from September 15th, 1976 to August
31st, 1977.
Some 600 persons who are receiving
unemployment benefits and who are also
eligible for the food stamp program will
be interview ed. Among factors Barmack
w ill investigate, are the stigma and gen
eral attitude tow ard w elfare programs,
demographic conditions, length of unem-
ployment, level of education, amount of
income generally expended for food, and
union membership. The la tte r is included,
Barmack says, because many unions are
encouraging their eligible members to
apply for food stamps.
There are several reasons why many
eligible persons Jo not choose to partici
pate in the food stamp program. F or one
thing. Barmack says some persons feel
it's too much trouble to go through the
red tape to apply. In addition, she adds
that some are not aw are that persons
w ith a high gross income may still be
eligible because net income - not gross
income - is the basis for determining
eligibility.
Barmack said Congress is currently
working on ways to simplify the formula
and procedure used to determ ine eligibil
ity for food stamps. She added that sp;
proxiamtely 10 per cent of the American
population, or about 18 million persons,
are using food stamps, though many more
are eligible.
School Board
iCeat. frees p. 1 eel. 4)
erly evaluated, then are the policy and
the practice to be modified. Recommend
ations talk about further review, evalua
lion and study w ith statements of may or
should or if time permits . . .*
The evaluation accomplished by the
school district's team of fifteen persons -
two of whom w ere not school personnel
designates tw o policies that must be al
tered: one on student parent complaint
procedure and one on m aternity leaves
and benefits. The Board plans to deal
with the complaint procedure tonight,
but will not complete th work necessary
to change the m aternity regulations until
later.
Some of the areas of concern defined by
the administration report are: courses
designed for one sex. unequal athletic
facilities and programs, sex related job
training placements, under represents
tion of women in administration and of
men in elementary teaching, imbalance in
certain non-teaching jobs, lack of policy
on selection of custodians, and maternal
leave policy.
Board member W ally Priestley ask D r.
Blanchard to inquire of the regional office
of Civil Rights w hether the school dist
Contest begins
Safeway Stores and the Pepsi Cola
Division of Oregon kicked off the Hotshot
Basketball Contest for boys and girls
ages 9-18 years of age at Safeway Union
and Ainsworth at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday
July 13,1976. Greg Smith of the Portland
Trailblazers was supervising the events
along with other officials. Winners will be
presented between halves of Blazer O ffi
cial Game, and will be based on a national
N B A schale w ith Grand winners selected
to represent their Closet N B A Team in
national competition.
rict's participation in the queen selection
for the Rose Festival would be considered
discriminatory. Bob Rldgley said that the
superintendent did not have to comply
unless the full board made the lequest.
Dr. Blanchard said he preferred to have
the question referred to the district's
attorney and that because of possible
legal involvement he thought It should be
discussed in executive session, in private.
Also discussed at the meeting was the
request of the students a l Wilson High
School for a smoking area. A fte r public
testimony and discussion. Ridgley moved
that the area be established as a pilot
project with an evaluation component.
Mrs. Wiener supported the proposal; Ms.
Ms. York and McCoy. Johnathan New
man, and Priestley opposed. Priestley
favored smoking areas for students in all
Portland high schools on a permanent
basis.
Question: W hat does the Oregon Em
ployment Division do in the field of equal
employment opportunity?
Answer: Elimination of discrimination
in employment is a goal of the Employ
ment Division in all phases of its opera
tion. Federal and state laws and regula
lions make it mandatory that the Division
serves applicants only on an “ability to-
perform the job" basia when considering
for selection or referral to employers,
eliminating any factor of race, sex, age.
national origin or physical or mental han
dicaps. The Division also establishes A f
firm ative Action plans, setting definite
goals and deadlines to increase the per
rentage of women and minority em
ployees. not only in number but in pro
motion to jobs w ith greater responaibil
tty.
Reviews are made ir, each local office of
the Employment D i’ taion and employees
have demonstrated that they are aware
of and are complying with the laws in
promoting equal employment opportuni
ties for applicants.
Does your
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.w ro u to h
BOOST serves drop-outs
A community d ro p-in/referral center
for persons seeking ways to finish, con
tinue o r father th e ir education has moved
from its Vancouver S tre e t offices into
new surroundings in the South East
Neighborhood Facility a t 3534 S E Main
St.. Portland, 97214.
BOOST (B ettering Oregon's Oppor
tunities for Saving T alen t, is all moved-in
and ready to help dropouts in the 14-27
sge group who need information or coun
seling regarding admission to community
colleges, four-year colleges or vocational
training.
BOOST is a federally funded program
operated through the State System or
Higher Education. I t is available to
youths from culturally or economically
disadvantaged backgrounds who have
the desire and the potential to pursue
post-secondary educational training. The
program encourages and assists high
school dropouts in getting th eir G ED
(high school equivalency diploma), helps
parents and potential students in filling-
out college application forms, and pro
vides students w ith up-to-date informa
tion concerning special programs and
training options available.
A small staff of six operate the BOOST
office and also reach students in the high
school, and occasionally in the home. As
sistant director Madeline Jepson said,
“M any clients are first told of the pro
gram through friends who have visited
the facility." Referrals are also made by
o»h®. agencies.
Jepson said that last year more than
600 dropouts w ere placed in continuing
education programs and this summer s-
lone the number should exceed 300.
Adding to the attraction the program
has for young people is the age of the
staff. The oldest staff member is 28. thus,
Jepson said, the counselors are concerned
and in touch w ith problems and concerns
of the young. Jepson is 26.
Persons visiting the'B O O S T office are
advised according to th e ir particular
needs and desires. Although BOOST
deals prim arily w ith students with prov
en ability to succeed academically, the
student w ith a poor academic background
w ill be referred to others who can help
him or her w ith th eir particular problem.
Realizing th a t many students do not
attend college because of financial hard
ship and lack of knowledge of financial aid
programs, Jepson said that qualified stu
dents are encouraged to apply for finan
cial aid and, “that in some cases of ex
trem e hardship 100 percent of the costs
may be financed through state and gov
ernment college aid programs."
BOOST also helps prospective college
students register for classes. The office
has current Oregon university, college
and community
college
catalogues.
Should a student wish to speak with an
adviser a t a specific institution regarding
programs offered BOOST counselors will
be happy to arrange the appointment.
F o r more information drop by the
BOOST office at 3534 S .E . Main Street,
or call 238-7430.
Salem disturbance
(Ceut. frees p. 1 eel. 61
the Portland press, and that it had not
been racial in nature. She denied that
there had been any type of “coverup" by
the city and reported that the actions of
the police departm ent had been proper
and th a t city officials were cooperative.
“M ayo r Bob Lindsey and I have been in
constant contact. H e has been very re
sponsive and very supportive of our posi
tion th a t w e pull together a steering
committee to study the m atter. H e offer
ed all of the resources of the city.”
T w o young people who w ere involved'
Jim Harrington and Rich Davis, both 21,
made a public statement, asking young
people to refrain from fu rth er trouble
making. They said the confrontation be-
grn as a beef hmong friends. " It w ill be
p re tty much our responsibility if the sit
uation becomes v io le n t W e put a lot of
ideas into their heads and it really got hot
a t the time. W e are anxious to get thing«
settled before it turns into a racial con
frontation." They said the reason for the
outbreak was that "W e just party all the
tim e and there's nothing else to do but
start trouble." They expressed a desire to
help a ir the problems that have led to
tensions among young people in Salem.
M rs. W inters said the Salem Branch of
the N A A C P has had good support and
she believes it is contributing to the com
munity. The Branch just celebrated its
first anniversary w ith a fashion show and
wine sip w ith over 200 present. Over 450
people have attended the branches three
social events. Membership has increased
from 60 to 115 in the las«, year.
The Branch has established an office
with a full tim e community liazon workee,
Ms. M olly Gils. One of the recent activi
ties of the Branch was assisting w ith the
w ritin g of the Salem Public Schoofs af
firm ative action plan.
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