P age B 3
T he P ortland O bserver • M ay 4 , 1 9 9 4
Union, Contractors
Repair Home Wiring
Low Income Homes In North Portland
This past Saturday, in lo w -in -
comc homes throughout North Port­
land and Washington C ounty, unsafe
electrical w irin g was being replaced
and repaired. Electrical lighting was
being installed. Outlets and switches
were being checked and repaired.
Heating needs fo r elderly and dis­
abled Oregonians were being met.
And all at no cost to the home owners.
The electrical contractors o f the
National Electrical Contractors A s­
sociation (N E C A ), Oregon-Colum ­
bia Chapter and the elec trie i an s o f the
International Brotherhood o f E lectri­
cal Workers (IB E W ) Local 48 were
providing these services as part o f the
volunteer efforts o f Christmas in A p ril
Christmas in A p ril is a nation­
wide e ffo rt dedicated to providing
home repair and rchabi 1 itation to low -
income, elderly and disabled home
owners to enable them to live in
warmth, safety, independence and
d ignity. The program provides not
only needed electrical work, but a
complete range o f repair w ork from
roofing to painting to yard clean up.
Locally, there are tw o Christmas
in A p ril Chapters, one in North Port­
land and a new Chapter in W ashing­
ton County. This year, 40 homes in
North Portland and 17 in W ashing­
ton County were selected on the basis
o f their need to receive the donated
materials and the labor o f more than
700 volunteers, including many mem­
bers o f the b uilding trade unions like
IB EW member and volunteer coordi­
nator fo r the Christmas in A p ril elec­
tricians, noted that the most common
electrical w ork the electricians did
was to re-wire unsafe switches and
sockets, install new lighting both in ­
side the home and outside, and install
electrical fans in order to make home
owners more comfortable during the
upcoming hot summer months.
Electrical Construction Company
(EC), an Oregon-Colum bia N EC A
member, provided four trucks w hich
INTEREST
Home Improvement Loans
If
you have questions,
or w o u ld like to fin d o ut
lity o f Portland hom e
im provem ent loans are
available at 0 % , and 3%
if you qualify fo r a loan,
interest, depending on
call PDC's Eastside Neigh­
yo ur income. If you are a
borhood Housing Pres­
h o m e o w n e r, you may
ervation O ffice at 823-
q ualify to b o rro w m oney
fro m th e Portland Devel­
3400, M onday th ro ug h
C o m m is s io n
Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
City funds are lim ited fo r
(PDC) to make your home
this program , so call to ­
and n e ig h b o rh o o d an
day to begin enjoying the
opm ent
Chuck Bums, volunteer coordinator for the Christmas in April
electricians and a retired IBEW member, replaces unsafe wiring
while homeowner Harriet Clausen inspects his work.
even b etter place to live. A t these rates,
moved from home to home distribu­
tion electrical supplies used by the
volunteer Local 48 members.
“ Oh, this is ju s t w onderful,” said
H arriet Clausen, one o f the home
owners who benefitted form the pro­
gram. “ I t ’ s an answer to my prayers.”
“ T h is is a c o m p le te ly v o lu n ­
teer e ffo r t on the p a rt o f o u r e le c ­
tr ic ia n s ,” said Ed B arnes, IB E W
L o c a l 48 B u s in e s s M a n a g e r.
“ W e ’ re ve ry p ro u d o f the jo u rn e y ­
men and a p p re n tice s w ho chose
to p a rtic ip a te in m aking o u r N o rth
P o rtla n d and W a s h in g to n C o u n ty
n e ig h b o rh o o d s m ore liv a b le .”
In a dd itio n to s k ille d trades
people from 8 different labor organi­
zations, local businesses and in d i­
vidual volunteers helped w ith the re­
pairs, including cleaning up, raking
yards, and generally making each
home a better place to live. A ny addi­
tional w ork needed on the homes w ill
be completed next Saturday, A p ril
a b o u t your eligibility.
Y
o u r chances o f qua lifyin g fo r one o f
these loans are very good if you ow n
your hom e, need city-approved repairs
or im provem ents, and m eet o ur income
guidelines.
Refrigerators From $129°°
Ranges From s129°°
Open Mon. * Fri. 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm
F ree I nsulation W ith
O ne P hone C all .
W
eatherstripping,
insulation and other
Sunday Closed
measures are available —
absolutely free — to qualifying
Pacific Power customers here
in Portland who heat their
home with electricity. It’s like
The following Is a list of the Portland Housing
Center’s upcoming classes for Home Owners:
B u yin g A House O n C o n tra c t: Thursday, M ay 5th 7:30-9:30 pm;
C SE Center (2850 SE 82nd Ave.); Room #C-2
The instructors, Gary DcSalvo o f Oregon T itle Co. and Judy Carnahan
Birdgetown Realty, w ill help potential buyers understand the com pu­
ted issues that involve home-buying, and steps to take when beginning
ch a process. Signing contracts that are legal, and safe guard the buyer s
zestmcnl w ill be stressed.
ppp
Hom e Insurance Basics: Thursday, M ay 1-th 7:30-9.30 pm, PCC
iscadc Campus (705 N. K illin g sw o rth ); Cascade H all A uditorium
Carmen Thompson, w ith State Farm Insurance, w ill discuss insurance
d ors to consider when purchasing a home or as a home owner.
The Portland Housing Center regularly sponsors classes fo r Home
wners and Buyers. These classes arc listed in the PCC Catalog under the
om m unity Education section. Classes arc free, and registration is taken
the doorJCall Portland Housing Center for additional class inform ation
he Portland Housing Center is a private, non-profit program that
roJldes Information, education, and counseling for h° ma buy9ra
nd owners. The Portland Housing Center Is supported by a
artnershlp of public and private funds.
PDC
HERE IN PO RTLAND
important home energy-saving
Portland Housing Center’s
Upcoming Classes
PDC is the City's agency for urban renewal,
housing and economic development. The home
repair loan program is funded through a federal
Com m unity Development
Block Grant administered by
the Bureau o f
PORTLAND
Community
DEVELOPMENT
COMMISSION
Development.
30th.
McMur phy's
Appliance Center
UJasher & Dryer s199°°
benefits o f your hom e repairs.
you c a n 't a ffo rd n ot to call and fin d o ut
money in the bank.
PACIFIC POWER
THF RIGHT KIND OF ENFRCT
To be eligible for this special
program, you must meet
specific guidelines related to
monthly household income.
To find out if you qualify, call
for details.
1-800-253-6225