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P ortland. O regon
VOLUME XIX NUMBER 48
The Eyes and The Ears o f the Community’
Private Industry Council Training Center
Surpasses First Quarter Goals
Northeast Portland’s Unemployed Landing Jobs Averaging
500 Percent Above Oregon’s New Minimum Wage
The Private Industry C ou ncil's North
east Employment and Training Center opened
in July o f 1989 to serve Northeast Port
land's unem ployed by providing cou n sel
ing, job training, job referral and basic
skills im provem ent. During the first three
m onths o f operations, the center enrolled
9 0 adults in its job training program, assist
ing m ore than h alf o f its projected yearly
total o f 150 Northeast-area residents. A
first-year goal o f 2 0 job placem ents was
also achieved in record time. Through Sept.,
25 participants obtained job s paying an
average o f $5.78 per hour, with several
individuals earning more than $9.0 0 per
hour.
The Northeast Em ploym ent and Train
ing Center is unique in its approach to
assisting persons with m ultiple barriers to
productive em ploym ent. T hese barriers
include little or no work experience, drug
addiction, alcoholism, prostitutjan and mental
health problems. Many participants are high
school dropouts with poor math and read
ing sk ills, and low self-esteem .
The center was established to provide a
holistic approach to em ployability, and
partnerships allow staff to address a variety
o f needs. O regon’s Em ploym ent D ivision
has a staff m em ber on site to refer center
participants to available jobs. Adult and
Fam ily Services is also an active partner,
with a part-time representative available at
the center to coordinate services. In addi
tion, The Private Industry Council has
contracted with Portland Com m unity C ol
lege to offer cla sses on the prem ises for
math and reading im provem ent, and high
sch ool com pletion.
D ennis C ole, President o f The Private
Industry C ouncil, stated, “ The early suc
cess o f the Northeast Center demonstrates
the effectiven ess o f offering services spe
cifically tailored for needy populations. It
takes more than a band-aid to put our city's
hard-core unem ployed to work. The Pri
vate Industry C ouncil is responding to the
challenge o f aiding the hard-to-serve. W e
aren't just helping people find jobs. W e ’re
changing liv e s.”
Job placem ents in O ctober equalled the
total achieved during the first quarter o f
operation, and job retention is outstanding.
Nearly 60 Northeast-area residents have
found jobs through the center since it opened-
more than 9 0 percent are still on the job.
The Northeast Em ploym ent and Training
Center has exceed ed all goals for assisting
target populations, including w om en on
welfare and African-A m erican m en. To
date, people o f color account for nearly 4 0
percent o f all hires. E xam ples o f em ployers
hiring center participants include G riggs-
Anderson Research, Farmers Insurance,
Wacker Siltronic Corporation and The Urban
League o f Portland.
Together with job training and job
placem ent assistance, the Northeast Em
ploym ent and Training Center offers indi
vidualized counseling and case m anage
ment. Staff works with local agencies to
coordinate services to participants needing
drug and alcohol assistance programs, mental
health services, vocational training, hous
ing and other aid to rem ove barriers to
su ccessfu lly holding a job. P ositive word-
of-m outh is the center's only form o f adver
tising.
B ecause the center was established to
work with a particularly challenging group
o f Portland’s unem ployed, services are
expected to be longer-term and m ore com
prehensive than traditional public-funded
training programs. A representative case
history illustrates the need for exten sive
interaction with participants.
An African-Am erican man w ho o b
tained one o f the highest-paying jobs after
attending the center's job training course,
found that the incom e he was receiving in
his present position provided too great a
temptation for returning to a life o f drug
use. After m issing a day o f work due to a
cocaine relapse, he returned to the center to
seek help. The Northeast E m ploym ent and
Training C enter’s assistant director per
sonally escorted this participant to enroll in
a com m unity-based drug treatment pro
gram and encouraged him to agree to a
w eekend lock-dow n for detoxification. The
program participant returned to work the
follow in g M onday and has been on the job
since A u g u st Center staff are working with
the drug treatment center to help this man
fight his addiction and remain em ployed.
He has volunteered to return to the center
and share his experience with other class
participants.
The Northeast Em ploym ent and Train
ing Center is located at 3034 N.E. Martin
Luther King Blvd. (2 4 1 -4644). It is an
operation o f The Private Industry Council,
a non-profit organization primarily funded
with federal Job Training Partnership Act
(JTPA) dollars. Headquartered in Portland,
The Private Industry C ouncil serves adults
at its dow ntow n location (241-4600) and
young people at its Youth Em ploym ent
Institute (28 0 -1 0 5 8 ). The Private Industry
Council funds additional locations through
out M ultnomah and W ashington counties.
Metropolitan Human
Relations Commission
Holds Community Speakout
On Thurs., D ec. 14 at 7 :30 p.m. the
M etropolitan Human Relations C om m is
sion w ill be holding a com m unity speakout
in inner Northeast Portland. The event w ill
be held at the King N eighborhood Facility,
located at 4815 N E 17th.
The com m unity Speakouts are a part o f
the C om m ission’s VISIO N INITIATIVE
and are designed to provide information for
the developm ent o f a list o f priority human
and c ivil rights needs. This list o f priority
needs w ill provide direction to the C om
m ission as it seeks to effectively m eet the
needs o f the region. T hese needs w ill be
translated into program goals, research topics,
budget requests etc.
Jeannette Pai the new Executive D irec
tor for the C om m ission has a very strong
background in community organization and
em powerm ent. A s S taff Liaison for the
Salem Human Rights C om m ission, M s. Pai
was able to assist individuals and organiza
tions in building coalitions that has em
pow ered many diverse com m unities within
the Salem ?M arion County proper. In turn,
these coalitions w ere able to im pact city
p olicies and state legislation. Stated M s.
Pai, “ the VISION INITIATIVE is grounded
in the b elief that em pow erm ent, accounta
bility and connecting with the com m unity
are centra] to efforts toward m eeting chal
lenges facing the com m unity today.”
A lthough M s. Pai is new to the C om
m ission, she is keenly aware o f the issues
and problem s facing our com m unities. “ I
see what lies ahead, given the increase in
incidents o f v iolen ce and harassment, and
m ore im portantly, I feel a sense o f what is
happening in our com m unities: the frustra
tion, the anger, and the dissatisfaction. I
think w e can turn the situation around, but
w e all have a ch oice to m ake. W e can com e
together and speak in one empowered voice,
or w e can allow the system to continue to
divide and conquer us."
The C om m ission is com m itted to a
new vision o f com m unity em powerm ent,
advocacy, and coalition building. But this
can not be accom plished without all o f us
together working towards a united front.
The C om m ission encourages you to com e
and participate; your v o ice , opinions and
perspectives are essential.
Multnomah’s Ervin To Serve
On Panel Of Election
W A SH IN G T O N , D .C .-T h e National
Center for P olicy Alternatives (N C PA ) is
pleased to announce the appointm ent o f
V icki Ervin, Director o f E lections for
M ultnomah County, to serve on the advi
sory board o f its Voter Participation pro
gram. N C PA is a non-profit non-partisan
public p olicy center that sp ecializes in
innovation at the state level. Since, 1984
N C PA has been com m itted to reform ing
the nation's patchwork quilt o f voter regis
tration law s in the states, a key effort in
addressing the ever-declining rate o f voter
participation in the United States.
The advisory board w ill bring together
two dozen nationally respected election
authorities to d evelop an “ action agenda'*
for increasing dem ocratic participation
throughout the states. The dynam ic group
o f secretaries o f state, state legislators,
election technicians, legal scholars and
advocates provides the board with a w ide
range o f experience and perspectives. The
advisory board's first m eeting w ill take
place in W ashington D .C ., beginning on
N ov. 30. The highlight o f the two-day event
w ill be a panel discussion entitled “ H igh
Tech D em ocracy," a look at how com puter
technology can be integrated with registra
tion practices to increase participation and
system integrity.
V icki Ervin has been working in e le c
tion administration since 1974. She is Treas
urer and L egislative C om m ittee Chair o f
the O regon County Clerks' A ssociation.
During the past five years M s. Ervin has
worked with the W orld A ffairs C ouncil o f
O regon, m eeting with representatives o f
more than 25 foreign countries to explain
the election process in O regon and the
United States.
Statement By
Commissioner Dick Bogle
First, I want to m ake it very clear that
the C ity o f Portland has a dism al record on
affirm ative action. There is no excuse. I
share the blam e.
M y office has been taking extraordi
nary steps to im prove the hiring record o f
the bureaus in m y portfolio. M y bureau
managers share m y resolve.
In order to achieve affirm ative action
goals, leaders m ust set the right kind o f
example. In government, that example should
com e from the elected o ffic ia l's ow n o f
fice. By that, I m ean his personal staff.
I have em phasized strongly to M ayor
Clark that he needs a black liaison drawn
from the African-A m erican com m unity.
This makes good sense because every
major problem faced by the city as a w hole
is concentrated in inner Northeast Portland,
where m ost Black citizens live.
By dragging his feet on the matter o f
hiring a m inority liaison , the M ayor is
casting a cloud over his o ffic e , and m aking
his ow n job, and the jobs o f his staff, more
difficult.
I
ERVER
25C
DECEMBER 6,1989
Black United Front Seeks
“Block” Of City Grant Funds From HUD
- Mayor Clark Replies
by P r o f t n o r M c K in ley B u rt
An accumulation o f com plaints against
Portland M ayor Bud Clark and his treat
ment o f m inorities cam e to a head at a 9:30
a.m ., Tuesday press conference sponsored
by the Black United Front at the Martin
Luther King Center. There w as exten sive
coverage by television and the print media
as Mr. Ron Herndon, co-chairm an o f the
Northeast com m unity's m ost v isib le or
ganization, laid dow n a gauntlet to a city
administration described as “ racist and
lacking credibility.”
Ron Herndon
Flanked by his co-chairm an. T he Rev.
John H. Jackson and representatives o f
other com m unity organizations. Herndon
quickly and forcefully sp elled out the m a
jor areas o f concern:
“ M ayor Clark did not hire a B lack ad
m inistrative assistant, nor d evelop a hiring
process as o f Decem ber 1, 1989.
The m ayor's response to the c ity ’s af
firm ative action d eficien cies is w oefully
inadequate. He has failed miserably to provide
the leadership needed for rapidly m oving
the city toward a workforce reflective o f its
etltnic diversity.”
This scuthing indictm ent w as im m edi
ately follow ed on by a declaration o f intent
on the part o f the “ Front” and cooperating
community organizations to bring the Neigh
borhood Revitalization Programs to a screech
ing halt until major d eficien cies are recti
fied:
“ B ecause o f the m ayor’s five years o f
callously ignoring affirm ative action, w e
are asking the Department o f H ousing and
Urban D evelopm ent to withhold all future
block grant funds designated for the City o f
Portland. W e w ill ask that funds not be
released until the city im plem ents an af
firm ative action plan that seriously ad
dresses the current hiring practice that trans
lates into “ white o n ly ."
The mayor’s response through a spokes
person was as follow s:
" A s I have said before, I agree with
Ron; we want the city to have a workforce
that is representative o f this com m unity.
This means a workforce that is representa
tive o f all m inorities.
A lso, as I have said before, w e are not
there yet, but w e are working very hard on
both the planning and im plem entation o f an
im proved affirm ative action plan. W e w ill
see results.”
"W hat I find curious is that Ron is d e
m anding that H U D hold up over $7 m illion
in funds. These funds are the core o f n eigh
borhood revitalization efforts. Our good
work so far has been recognized by H U D to
the point that w e have attracted additional
funds. $3.75 m illion in N ehem iah funds
alone.”
“ What I also find curious is that Ron
wants to create so m uch conflict when he
and I share the goal o f neighborhood revi
talization and equal em ploym ent opportu
nities.
T hese actions that Ron wants. If im ple
m ented, w ill com pletely destroy our neigh
borhood revitalization program and job
outreach program. ’ ’
Mayor Bud Clark
This very heated exchange does not at
all clear the air nor docs it pretent the public
with any structured procesa where by a
resolution o f the issues can be projected
and acted upon. It w ould seem at this point
that our lot is to adopt a wait and see
attitu d e-u n less there are other actors w ait
ing in the w ings to com e forward and re
so lv e a very distressing situation. Those
w ho are unem ployed and are under repre
sented in the Northeast com m unity are not
goin g to be very am enable at all to accept
ing what m ust seem to them an intermi
nable struggle to gain an equality which
should be assured to them under a valid
affirm ative action plan. The B lack United
Front is dem anding in n o uncertain terms
that such action be im m ediately forthcom
ing.
NECDC Host Public Meeting, Dec. 14th
Northeast Com m unity Developm ent
Corporation (N EC D C ) is hosting a public
m eeting at 7 p.m ., on D ec. 14, at the King
N eighborhood Facility, 4815 N E 7th. The
purpose o f the m eeting w ill be to update
and to receive input from the com m unity on
the work being done to develop the Port
land N ehem iah H ousing Program.
On Sept. 29, 1989, NEC DC received
confirm ation it had been selected by the
Department o f H ousing and Urban D e v el
opm ent to receive a 3.75 m illion dollar
N ehem iah H ousing Opportunities Grant.
Portland's award was the second largest in
the country, the only award w est o f the
M ississippi, and the only grant funded at
100% o f the request. Nehem iah provides a
0% second m ortgage o f $ 1 5 ,0 0 0 for the
construction o f 100 new houses and the
rehabilitation o f 150 hom es in the B oise,
King, Humboldt and Vernon neighborhoods.
Construction w ill begin in the Spring o f
1990.
Every buyer is elig ib le for a $15,000
Nehem iah second m ortgage, but the N e
hem iah m oney provides only a sm all por
tion o f the total developm ent package for a
house. The City o f Portland has agreed to
w aive all developm ent and permit fees for
the 250 hom es and M ultnom ah County is
donating its foreclosed properties in the
targeted neighborhoods. A consortium o f
lending institutions and the State H ousing
Council w ill furnish the construction and
first m ortgage loans at below market inter
est rates. The com bination o f financing w ill
allow NEC 1X3 to sell hom es to people w ho
are ordinarily shut out o f the hom e ow n er
ship market.
Northeast Com m unity D evelopm ent
Corporation has been working with staff
from the Portland D evelopm ent C om m is
sion, the Bureau o f Com m unity D evelop
ment and the H ousing Authority o f Port
land to develop som e o f the technical as
pects o f the program. The public m eeting
on Dec. 14 will be geared to provide NECDC
with valuable input from the com m unity in
North/Northeast Portland as to the design
o f the Portland Nehem iah Program. Repre
sentatives from com m unity groups and
agencies are invited, as w ell as any inter
ested citizens.
Special guests at the m eeting w ill be
o fficials from Enterprise N ehem iah D e v el
opm ent, Inc. in Baltim ore, Maryland. The
Enterprise Group received the largest
N ehem iah Grant in the country, and is in
town sharing information on the program
with NECDC.
Low Income Energy Assistance
Program To Begin
O n D ec. 4th, agencies responsible for d e
livering LIEAP services in M ultnomah
County w ill begin m aking appointments
and accepting applications from the g en
eral public.
L ow -incom e households w ho need finan
cial help to pay their winter heating b ills
w ill be able to apply for energy assistance
during the next 2 -3 m onths at local helping
agencies. H ouseholds m ust have dem on
strated energy costs to be elig ib le for this
one-tim e only payment.
A household m ust have a total gross incom e
at or below 125% o f the poverty level to
receive an energy assistance paym ent. This
guideline is established by the Federal
Governm ent and is based on incom e and
household size. For exam ple, a household
o f one would be eligible with an annual
incom e o f $7,475 or less. This would only
be $623 per month. For each additional
household member, the incom e can in
crease by $2,550 per year, or $213 m onthly.
Actual paym ents to needy households vary
according to incom e and the primary heat
ing source. Payments vary from $ 1 7 0 to
$200. Renters and hom eowners receive
com parable paym ents. In m ost cases, p ay
m ents are m ade to energy suppliers on
behalf o f the eligib le households.
Residents o f subsidized housing may be
eligible for a limited payment, if their energy
costs exceed their utility allow ance. They
must provide inform ation from their h ou s
ing authority as w ell as their heating/en-
ergy costs. A different paym ent schedule is
used for qualified subsidized households.
Q ualified applicants w ill also be referred to
weatherization services, and those who may
need additional assistance w ill be referred
to the various utility fund programs which
operate in O regon.
D ue to the large dem and for assistance,
applicants w ill experience som e delay in
the application process. It is hoped that
applicants w ill be patient, as the staff w ill
respond to their call as soon as possible.
Listed b elow are som e self-h elp ideas that
m ay be beneficial to clients as they await
their appointments.
* D o not stop paying your bills. Try to make
at least partial paym ents. C all the utility to
determ ine a m inim um paym en t
* If you cannot m ake a paym ent, contact the
utility and arrange for a paym ent plan.
* I f anyone in your household is severely ill
and a sh ut-off w ould endanger their health,
talk to the utility about a m edical certifi
cate.
* If you heat w ith w ood or o il, talk to your
dealer about m aking installm ent payments.
* Try to conserve to keep your bill low . The
utilities and the O regon State extension
service have free information on energy
conservation.
* Sign up for self-help weatherization
w orkshops. Y ou m ay be able to receive free
materials to use in weatherizing your home
or apartm ent
The United W ay's ENERGY HOTLINE
(2 2 7 -5 4 3 7 ) is available to refer people to
sources o f assistance through Jan. 3 1 ,1 9 8 9 .
H otline hours are: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m ., M onday
through Friday; D ecem ber4 ,1 9 8 9 to Janu
ary 31, 1990. The hotline w ill be closed
D ec. 22 and 25, and Jan. 1 for holidays.