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Housing Shortage Closes
Low-Income Waiting List
Sometimes a seemingly small bu­
reaucratic action symbolizes a major
community concern. The Housing
Authority o f Portland needs to close
the waiting Iist for two-bedroom units
in its Low Rent Public Housing
(LRPH) program. This impacts over
1,000 families in Multnomah Coun­
ty.
HAP has an inventory o f 6 4 1 two-
bedroom units while the current two-
bedroom waitinglisttotals 1,008 fam­
ilies. In addition, there is only slight
turnover and few vacancies. Last year,
HAP was able to house only 140
families from the two-bedroom wait­
ing list. Staff is now reaching appli­
cations submitted in 1993 for appli­
cants with special preferences and in
1990 for applications with no prefer­
ences.
At the present rate o f turnover, it is
expected to take seven years to ex­
haust the current list. With that time
frame, it makes little sense to add
names. There is little housing avail­
able for people o f low income.
"The declineof federal funds does
not stop the need to provide housing
that is affordable for people who
have little income,” said HAP Exec­
utive Director Denny West. "The
people who need housing don’t go
away just because the funding does.
In fact, the number increases.”
Most families want very much to
find decent housing with a rent that
they can afford. This wish, often
termed “affordable housing,” has
become an issue throughout the com-
munity. Both in Multnomah County
and the City o f Portland, making
affordable housing available for all
citizens has become an active goal.
Yet, the goal o f providing housing
for very poor families faces severe
challenges.
To begin with, providing afford­
able housing for households at the
bottom 25 percent income level is
not profitable. To have decent hous­
ing and an affordable rent, it is nec­
essary to subs id ize construe, ion costs
and rents. For the past few decades,
these subsidies have come from fed­
eral taxes, but that is changing.
Federal funding for new construc­
tion has been very limited for years
and was recently eliminated Money
to subsidize rents is decreasing. New
construction in H A P’s Low Rent
Public Housing program has result­
ed in only 70 new units since 1985.
gardener
• Paint garden tools a bright color so
they can be easily found.
• Buy seed and seed tape for ease o f
handling and planting.
• Grow plants that feel or smell nice,
such as herbs and velvety leafed
plants.
• Garden vertically. Grow climbing
and rambling plants such as cucum­
bers and squash on trellises and other
support structures that allow the gar­
dener to tend plants without all the
Now that the weather is w arming
up and you and your family plan to
spend more time outdoors, Port­
land General Electric reminds you
to think about safety when working
and playing outside.
"Homeowners working around
the house and in the yard may be
vulnerable to potential electrical
hazards if they re not aware o f their
surroundings," says PGE energy
expert Mel Eldrid. “We want them
to be prepared when they step out­
side.”
For that reason, PGE offers the
following 10 simple safety precau­
tions that can be incorporated into
every Oregonian’s summer routine.
W hen w o rk in g high ab o v e
ground, keep ladders away from
overhead power lines.
• Ensure that electrical tools are
properly insulated and have a three-
way grounded plug. Outdoor electri­
cal outlets should be grounded and
have w eatherproof covers.
• Before digging in the yard, call
PGE to find out the location o f un­
derground power lines at 246-6699.
Some lines can be buried as shallow
as 18 inches.
• If kids are playing in swimming
pools, be sure they don’t touch any­
thing electric. Keep electrical equip­
ment at least 10 fee, away from wet
surfaces.
• D on't touch fences, ladders or oth­
er metal objects that are touching
power lines.
• W hen trimming trees, making sure
limbs don’t fall on a power line.
• When children are flying kites or
climbing trees, be sure they stay
away from overhead power lines.
• Be aware o f overhead lines when
swinging long metal objects
such as ladders or swimming pool
nets.
• Expert every power line to be
live Ifyou see a downed line, don't
touch it. Call PGE at 1-800-542
8818 or call 911,
• Never climb power poles, trans­
mission towers or fences around
substations l each your children to
stay clear o f all electrical instal­
lations. Heed danger warning signs
posted on utility equipment.
PGE encourages you to have a
fun, safe summer. Take some extra
time to plan ahead for safety. Be
aware ofyour surroundings and stay
clear o f dangerous situations.
Presentation On Building Housing In
China Features Kent Sorensen
Easier Gardening For Seniors
T h e re are sev eral easy w ays
to m ake g a rd e n in g e a sie r and
m ore p le a su ra b le for se n io r c it­
izens, a c c o rd in g to Jan Pow ell
M c N e ila n , e d u c a tio n pro g ram
a ssista n t w ith the O regon S tate
U n iv e rsity E x te n sio n S e rv ic e
hom e h o rtic u ltu re program .
Powell-M cNeilan recommends
the following simple modifications
with gardening tools and techniques
that can make all the difference for
the novice or experienced mature
Summer Safety Guidelines
The China Business Network will
host a luncheon featuring a slide pre­
sentation and talk by Kent Sorensen,
CEO and President o f Dessen Homes,
Inc., Wednesday, June 5, noon to
1:30 p.m. at the House o f Louie Res­
taurant, 4th & Davis. Sorensen will
speak on his experience w ith export­
ing and building expatriate housing
in China.
Dessen Homes, Inc., located in
Vancouver, has been involved in ex­
porting and building prefabricated
houses and apartments in China since
1992. The company was founded in
1990 to design, manufacture, and ex-
stooping and bending.
• Build raised beds. Design beds so
they provide a place to sit and weed.
• Use a stool to avoid constant
stooping or squatting.
• Use long handled and curved han­
dled tools with better grips for more
leverage.
• Garden early or late in the day to
avoid the heat. Encourage garden­
ers to drink plenty o f liquids and to
wear light, loose clothing, a big sun
hat and gardening gloves.
port custom homes, apartment build­
ings, and commercial buildings to Asia.
Using sophisticated com puter
technology and automated manufac­
turing equipment, the company has
become a leading U.S. exporter o f
America-style prefabricated homes
to China and Japan.
Sorensen has had a long and dis­
tinguished career as an executive
manager in administration, market­
ing, and biomedical research. He has
been a guest lecturer at a number o f
colleges and universities in Califor-
nia, Colorado, Germany, and Japan,
and has been very active in the com­
munity.
He has been a member o f the
Northwest China Council since 1994;
and Dessen Homes, Inc., has recent­
ly joined the China Council as a
corporate member.
Sorensen’s experience will be o f
interest to business people involved
in China trade, or those who are
interested in starting a business in
C h in a. R e s e rv a tio n ’s m ust be
recieved by June 3: 503/725-4567.
Experts Optimistic About Real Estate
R eal e sta te ow n ers, in v esto rs,
and m an ag ers th roughout the U.S.
are fe e lin g m o re co n fid e n t ab o u t
the stre n g th o f the real estate re ­
c o v e ry than th ey w ere a y ear ago.
But th e ir c o n fid e n c e is still te m ­
pered w ith c a u tio n and m ost o f
them e x p e c t o n ly m o d e st im ­
p ro v e m e n t in o ccupancy levels
and p ro p e rty v alu es in 1996.
In stitu te o f Real E state M an­
ag em en t seco n d annual B usiness
B a ro m e te r, a n atio n al research
stu d y c o n d u c te d by the In stitute
o f Real E state M anagem ent asked
p a rtic ip a n ts to rate the c u rren t
h ealth o f b u sin e ss c o n d itio n s for
th e ir co m p a n ie s or firm s.
S e v e n ty -tw o p e rc e n t o f r e ­
sp o n d e n ts d e sc rib e d th e ir b u si­
ness co n d itio n s as e ith e r “ very
g o o d ” or “ g o o d ." A n o th e r I I
p ercen t felt that th e ir business
p r o s p e c ts w e re in e x c e lle n t
shape.
A year ago, however, only 28 per­
cent o f 1995 Barometer respondents
thought the industry's health was very
good and just 8.5 percent rated it
“excellent." The strongest consen­
sus, 42 percent, was that industry
conditions were merely "good."
Even more encouraging, the 1996
participants strongly agreed that the
market recovery will pick up even
more steam next year.
PURHAA*
LISCENSED IN OREGON SINCE 1975
Tel-Law Offers New Topics
“ R ent in c re a s e s ,” “ E v ic tio n s”
and “G e ttin g R ep airs M ad e” are
th ree o f th e new su b je c ts re g a rd ­
ing la n d lo rd /te n a n t issues re c e n t­
ly added to the O regon State B ar’s
T el-L aw ta p e d le ­
gal in fo rm atio n se r­
vice.
A v a ila b le To O r­
e g o n ia n s statew id e
th ro u g h a to ll-fre e
p h o n e c a l l , T e l-
Law now p ro v id e s
a c c e ss to 104 tap ed
legal in fo rm a tio n m esseag es.
T he free se rv ic e is d esig n ed to
help peo p le b e tte r und erstan d and
re c o g n iz e p o te n tia l legal p ro b ­
lem s an d w h ere to go for h elp , as
w ell as u n d e rsta n d how th e j u s ­
tic e system w orks.
E ach ta p e is p re p a re d by v o l­
u n te e r law y ers w ith e x p e rtise in
sp e c ific a re a s o f law. T ap es are
d iv id e d in to 15 legal su b je c t a r­
eas, in c lu d in g F am ily Law , T en-
a n ts an d L a n d lo rd s, Y ou and
Y o u r E sta te , and C o u rts. The
m essag es do not re fe r p eo p le to
sp e c ific law firm s, but do o ffer
o th e r so u rc e s o f legal help in­
c l u d in g
p u b lic
a g e n c ie s a n d th e
state b a r ’s legal in­
f o r m a tio n
pam ­
p h le ts , b o o k s and
L aw yer R e fe rra l
S ervice.
T e l- L a w o f f e r s
28 legal su b je c ts in
S p an ish , and 10 in V ietnam ese.
The p u b lic serv ice o p e ra te s 24
h o u rs a day, seven days a w eek,
a n d r e c e i v e s a p p r o x im a te ly
5 0 ,0 0 0 c a lls per year. T el-law
d ire c to ry is 6 2 0 -3 0 0 0 .
UU ' T
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Singles & Seniors, I can help you!
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DEVELOPM ENT
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13-
George A. Hendrix
M B A , GRI. Broker
Advertise In
Wíje
L__ J
Realty Inc.
300 NE Multnomah, Suite #27
Portland, Oregon 97232
EDWARD T. DURHAM, JR.
(503) 319-0821
FAX 283-2977
(503) 230-1390 • (Res.) 287 6837
317 B. N.E. KILLINGSWORTH PORTLAND, OREGON 9721 I
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Maybe we can’t make Northeast Portland a
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heating oils
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104 NE Russel
Portland, OR 97212
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Friend« of H m '
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Portland General Electric’s Employees Seed the Future.
I
(O N L
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and Southwest Washington
Call MARK At
1-800-746-4184
Mb* «5*0
LENDER
"Seed the Future” is a five year partnership with Friends of Trees to
plant 144,000 trees and seedlings around Portland. Those trees will help
beautify neighborhoods and purify our air. At PGE, w e think a power
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Portland General Electric