Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, June 16, 1993, Page 6, Image 6

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    J une 16, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P agi : A6
(Etir Fortiani» ©bserUer
Legacy Employees Take Advantage
PDC Approves $2.5 Million Loan To
Hacienda Community Development Corp.
Of Home Ownership Program
For Rehab Of 178 Housing Units In N.E.
T he Portland D evelopm ent C om ­
m ission approved a $2 5 m illion rental
rehabilitation loan to H acienda C om ­
m unity Dev elopm ent C orporation tor
the renovation o f 178 units o f low -and
m oderate-incom e housing located at
th e c o r n e r o f N .E . C u lly a n d
K illingsw orth T he project consists of
four separate apartm ent com plexes
com prised o f T he G alaxy (108 units),
T he Cully (18 units). The Tow n House
(27 units) an d the W endorf(25 units).
Project ow ner is H acienda C om ­
munity' D evelopm ent C orporation.
H acienda is a non-profit corporation
addressing the needs o f Hispanics with
a m ission o f providing safe, afford­
able housing in the Portland area T he
C ully/K illingsw orth Project has a pre­
d o m in a n tly H isp a n ic p o p u la tio n .
H acien d a’s developm ent team will
include D an Steffey as project coordi­
nator, R.A Gray & C o./Purccll. Inc.
as the general contractor and Brian
C arlton as architect.
Total acquisition and construc­
tio n cost is estim ated to be $5.9
m illion. P D C ’s loan will incorporate
$1.3 m illion in Rental R ehabilitation
funds and $1.2 m illion in federal
C o m m u n ity D e v e lo p m e n t b lo ck
G rant funds. In addition to P D C ’s
loan. H acienda is securing financing
for $2.8 m illion. O ther sources of
funds include a $ 100,000 State Hous­
ing T rust Fund G rant, approxim ately
$270,000 in energy rebates, and grants
through the M ultnom ah County C om ­
munity Action Program . T he project
also has an application pending for
federal L ow -Incom e H ousing T ax
Credits.
“T his is a very am bitious project
w hich could not have com e th is far
w ithout a very strong p artn ersh ip b e­
tw een Hacienda, PDC, C om m issioner
G retchen K afoury, and M ayor K atz,”
said H acienda President B altazar F.
O rtiz. “ We are also grateful to M ult­
nom ah County , the Cully N eighbor­
hood A ssociation and the scores of
people that worked hard for m any
m onths to m ake this dream a reality.
Now it is tim e for H acienda to
w ork an d dem onstrate our ability to
deliver on our promises. I know that
ou r perform ance will justify the sup­
port we have received .”
Rehabilitation o f the buildings
w ill be co m p leted u n d e r P D C ’s
Rental H ousing Preservation Program
(R H P) PDC is the c ity ’s agency
fo r u rb a n ren e w a l, h o u s in g an d
econom ic developm ent. T h e RHP
r e h a b ilita te s s u b s ta n d a r d r e n ta l
p ro p e rtie s in th e city th a t m eet
affordable rent guidelines for low -and
m oderate-incom e tenants. T h e RHP
is c lo s e to r e h a b i l i t a t i n g its
4,500th unit since the loan program
began.
“Staff has been w orking for sev­
Bridget! Hicks, a 13-year em ­
ployee at G ood S am aritan H ospital &
eral m onths try ing to pull this large M edical C enter, ow ns her first hom e
an d ch allen g in g rehab project to ­ due to Legacy h ealth System and
gether," stud Bruce Wade, RHP Project E m anuel H ospital & H ealth C e n ter’s
M anager. “We are looking fonvard to three-year hom e ow nership assistance
w orking w ith the tenants an d H aci­ program . Upon celebrating its first
en d a C om m unity D evelopm ent to anniversary, Em anuel N eighborhood
m ake the C ully/K illingsw orth Project Home Ow ner ship Program (EN H O P)
a great place to live.”
has helped 21 Legacy em ployees buy
T he Cully/K illingsw orth Project homes in E m anuel’s im m ediate neigh­
properties are currently 98% occupied borhoods. Seven m ore applications
an d are expected to be at m axim um - arc still pending.
plus capacity once rehabilitation is
“ I w ould have never been able to
completed. T he shortage o f high-qual­ buy my hom e w ithout the EN H O P
ity affordable housing, coupled w ith program ,” said Hicks, hospital gift
culturally-relevant s e n ices at the site, shop clerk and single m other o f two. I
will assure full occupancy. To be least bought the house I w as renting. My
disruptive to tenants during the sum ­ m onthly paym ent is less than my rent,
mer construction period, the first phase and now I’m building equity,” she
o f construction will focuson repairing said. “EN H O P is the way to go.”
and im proving the exterior o f the units.
A pparently, o th er Legacy em ­
W ork will include landscaping, new ployees feel the sam e way. Since the
roofs an d sidi ng, ne w w i ndow s and the program w as instituted in January
w eatherization upgrades necessary for 1992, 55 em ployees have applied for
energy rebates. In the fall an d w inter, EN H O P loans and even m ore have
w hen w eather will preclude outdoor show n interest by attending Legacy-
work, the rem odeling will begin on sponsored hom e buying sem inars.
the interior o f the units. In the fall and
“T he program is w orking!” said
w inter, when w eather will preclude Jam es May, president o f Legacy P o rt­
outdoor work, the rem odeling will land H ospitals. “T h e resp o n se to
begin in the interior o f the units. W ork E N H O P h as been o v erw h elm in g .
will include new electric heating sys­ Since the first loan w as granted in
tems, upgrading plum bing fixtures, M arch o f 1992, m ore th an $90,500
repairing and replacing carpets, ap ­ has been com m itted to the p rogram .”
pliances and interior paint.
T he goal o f EN H O P is to assist in
For more inform ation, contact: the revitalization o f inner North/N orth-
Julie Rawls, PDC, 823-3294.
cast Portland by helping Legacy em ­
ployees purchase a prim ary residence
w ithin E m an u el’s im m ediate n eigh­
borhoods : Broadway to the South, 15th
A venue to the East, L om bard A venue
to the N orth, and Greeley to the W est/
Northwest.
children.
T hose w ho qualify can obtain a
T he four-plex, once a v acant and
loan o f up to $5,000 on a hom e w ith a
dilapidated neighborhood ey esore, was
purchase price at or below $65,000.
t ransform ed by Housi ng Ou r Faini 1 ies
into attractive, affordable rental hous­
ing for tenants earning below 50% o f
m edian incom e for th e area. T he
project w as com pleted February of
1993. H ousing O ur F am ilies is cur­
rently renovating several other prop­
erties in inner N /N E P ortland in order
to continue to pros idc afiordable renta 1
housing to low -incom e families.
Housing Our Families Names First Housing
Project After Long-Time Community
Activist Vesia Deweese Loving
Vesia D eW ecsc Loving has lived
H ousing O ur Fam ilies, a non­
p r o fit c o m m u n ity d e v e lo p m e n t in inner N /N E Portland most o f her
corporation, will host a nam ing cer­ life and been active in the com m unity
em ony for its first renovation project, for over 25 years. She helped create
a four-plex located at 4529 - 4535 N. the Boise N eighborhood A ssociation,
M ississippi, on Saturday, June 26 is one o f the original (and only w om an)
at 10am . H ousingO urF am ilies would founders o f the Black U nited Front,
like to invite the general public to has been a central figure in num erous
this celebration th a t will nam e the cam paigns against racism , an d is an
property after a V esia D cW cesc Lov­ active m em ber o f the V ancouver A v­
ing, a strong neighborhood w om an enue Church. W ith all these accom ­
dedicated to her com m unity and fam ­ plishm ents, Vesia rem ains most proud
o f her four children an d nine g ran d ­
ily
T he loan can be used for the dow n
pay m ent, pre-paid reserves, an d clos­
ing costs. E m anuel will forgive 20
percent o f the lo a n ’s o u tstanding b al­
ance each year w ith em ploym ent in
good standing. O nly the interest pay­
m ents on the o u tstanding balance,at
an an n u al rate o f 8.5 percent, will be
paid back to E m anuel.
“ Legacy and E m anuel have found
an original way to give back to the
com m unity it serves,” said G eorge
R ichardson, b oard ch air o f the N o rth ­
east C om m unity D evelopm ent C or­
poration (N EC D EC ). Richardson p re­
sen ted a plaque o f reco g n itio n to
E m anuel for the h o sp ital’s co n trib u ­
tio n a n d s u p p o r t o f N E C D C ’s
N ehem iah F irst-tim e H om e Buyers
P rogram . “ Home ow nership is a fun­
dam ental elem ent to any strong com ­
m unity,” he said.
EN H O P will operate initially for
three years, w ith funds for loans up to
$ 100,000 annually provided by E m an ­
uel. T he av ailability o f funds to em ­
ployees is one a first com e, first served
basis, contingent upon the date o f the
earnest m oney agreem ent.
A ll em ployees o f th e L egacy
H ealth System w ho qualify m ay apply
for an EN H O P loan T he fifth largest
private em ployer in the m etro area.
Legacy H ealth System incudes E m a n ­
uel H ospital & H ealth C enter, Good
S am aritan H ospital & M edicaL C en­
ter, Holladay Park M edical C enter,
m eridian P ark H ospital, M ount Hood
M edical C enter an d visiting N urse
A ssociation.
“W hile a num ber o f o th er p ro ­
g ram s exist for those w ho buy hom es
in N orth/N ortheast P ortland, EN HO P
is the only p rogram offered through a
private in stitu tio n ,” said May. “It’s
now b eing considered as model for a
num ber o f o rgan izatio n s in P ortland
an d across the country.”
E m anuel has responded to in ­
quiries from m ajor local em ployers
such as Bank o f A m erica, US West,
P a c if ic
P o w e r,
and
K a is e r
P erm an e n te. O rg a n iz a tio n s from
ac ro ss th e c o u n try in te re ste d in
EN H O P include: St. V incent D ePaul
C om m unity S tew ardship Services in
Jacksonville, F lorida; Rockford M e­
m orial H ospital in Rockford, Illinois;
A rth u r A nderson in D allas, Texas;
B ro n s o n H e a lth c a r e G ro u p in
K a la m a z o o , M ic h ig a n ; B a p tis t
H ealthcare in Pennsacola, Florida;
an d H ealthcare Research D evelop­
m ent Institute.
“ W e w ould love to celebrate
E N H O P ’s second anniversary w ith
the an n ouncem ent o f a sim ilar pro­
g ram from an o th er m ajor em ployer
in P o rtland,” said May.
G overnm ent support cam e early
in the program . L ast year, the Hous­
in g an d U rban D evelopm ent office
(HU D ) issued a ch an g e in policy in
en terp rise zones aro u n d the state
w hich w aives the five percent down
paym ent previously reburied from a
hom e buyer’s ow n funds to only two
percent allow ing the rem ain in g three
percent to be supplem ented by an
em ployer loan program .
E n terp rise zones are areas cre­
ated by the S tate legislature to en ­
courage re-investm ent in business and
housing developm ent. In O regon,
there are 30 en terp rise zones; N orth
an d northeast P o rtlan d is one o f the
m ost populated. H U D ’S change in
policy allow ed th e first EN H O P loan
to be granted.
“ Innovative approaches to com ­
m u n ity d e v e lo p m e n t-lik e th a t o f
E N H O P-w ill set the pace for future
ventures and successes,” said O regon
C ongressw om an, E lizabeth Furse.
Tftic Page For Available Housing
And EnnovatiVtei Programs .bat Enable
Yea To Becc. .so A Kome Owner
Can You Afford To iuy A Home
T hen you will w ant to attend a
Some specific questions that will
free sem inar concerning hom e buying be addressed include the follow ing:
and hom e ow nership T he sem inars • W hat would my monthly paym ent
be? How m uch dow n paym ent
w ill provide an overview o f the home
would I need to have?
buying process, explain m ortgage fi­
•
W hat if I have bad credit, or no
nancing in general term s and assist
credit at all?
w ith a household budgeting plan. Spe­
cific m ortgage program s, designed to • W hat about inspections, assess­
ments. building codes, hom e m ain­
assist low to m oderate incom e house­
holds will also be discussed
T his class is designed for lower
incom e hom e buy ers, who are buy ing
their first house in the City o f P ort­
land, w ith a m axim um house price of
$65,000.
tenance?
The sem inars w ill be conducted
every m onth and atten d an ce at the
sem inars will be required in o rder to
quality for certain loan program s.
Space is lim ited-reservations w ill be
taken on a first com e, first served
basis Please call the P ortland Hous­
ing C enter at 282-7744 to receive your
pre-registration form.
T he E vening H ome Buying Class
is a Scries o f 4 classes:
Tuesday Evenings, beginning July
6th
PCC SE C enter Room C-2
2850 SE 82nd 6:30pm -8:30pm
w*
situations that pose a
danger to birds. This
might take the form
of m oving a pole,
Washington
Lottery
b u ild in g s u ita b le
alternative nesting
W est, from h ig h
n e a rb y , o r o th e r
d e s e r t to th i c k
strategies.
stands of tim ber,
birds of prey seek
M o n te ( ¿ irr e tì
nesting places that
W iltlhfc BiuloiiOl
provide high, unin­
'And th ree ...w e
terrupted views of
get our own employ­
surrounding terrain.
ees involved in under­
O ccasio n ally ,
standing and being
this natural habitat
the eyes and ears of
p la c e s th e m in
the company when it
danger when they
com es to w ild life
chixise to build pole-
p r o te c tio n . I can t say
top perches near power lines.
G a rre tt,
enough about our own per­
PacifiCorp wildlife biologist,
sonnel that go out there and
deals firsthand with bow to
build nesting platforms or
M o n te
U S WEST. Investing In The Future.
At U S WEST, we are continually investing in new technology to meet the needs
of our customers today, and in the future But some of our greatest investments
prevent accidental contact of birds and power lines.
.
“Our effort to minimize contact accidents
are the ones we’re making in people, through U S WEST Foundation education
One, we rely on a close working
the right hind of energy to find ways to protect birds, hut
rela tio n sh ip with local wildlife
are also actively involved in programs associated with
The Peregrine Falcon agencies and other groups to help us
fishery enhancement, land management and overall envi­
investing in tomorrow by improving the quality of life here today.
can dir* at a
UISWEST
Making the m ost o f your time.
L S Wf
ST lix.
effort that is paying off in reduced bird mortality.
PacifiCorp’s wildlife biologists, litre Monte, provide
is pretty straightforward:
grants, U S WEST volunteerism and U S WEST’S commitment to diversity. We're
modifying poles to mate them safer for birds. It s a team
.
i
11
■ -Li
discover where problems might exist.
ronmental stewardship on all facilities company
#
PACIFIC PO W ER
THf RIGHT KIND O f fNfRGY