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March 31,1999
Page A3
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Bipartisan Agenda
Wyden, Smith Will Work Together On Key Issues
concerns w e’ve heard about from
O regonians. G ordon Sm ith and 1 are
not h ere tod ay to em b ra ce one
an o th er’s political ideology, but to
reaffirm our m utual com m itm ent to
place O reg o n ’s needs first.”
“By traveling around the state and
listening to O regonians, w e ’ve been
able to develop a serious agenda that
includes issues very important to the
future ofour state,” said Smith. “Even
w hen Sen. W yden and I disagree, our
constituents are best served when
we com e to solutions and solve prob
lem in a w ay that is constructive, not
destructive. A nd that includes fo­
cusing on how w e can find agree­
m ent, not on every detail o f an issue,
but on the general direction.
(W ashington, EX?) O regon's Sena­
tors, D em ocrat Ron W yden and Re­
publican Gordon Smith, unveiled their
bipartisan agenda for recently-started
106th C ongress today, stressing a
w ide range o f issues from education
to agriculture to transportation. The
ag en d a in c o rp o rates su g g estio n s
offered by constituents during the
p a ir’s unprecedented series ofbipar-
tisan town m eetings across the state
in January and February.
Speaking at the C apitol Hill new s
conference today, W yden said, “A
lot o f things that go on under this big
w hite dom e d o n ’t seem to m atter
m u c h to a lo to ffo lk sb a c k h o m e . But
the item s on this agenda represent a
pretty good cro ss section o f the
Home Loan Program Expanded
to Serve More Homeowners
A Bipartisan Agenda for the
106 th Congress
PO R T LA N D , O re. M arch 18,
1999 - Spring is rig h t around the
EDUCATION
com er, and m any P o rtlan d ers are
considering purchasing a new hom e
SALMON RECOVERY
or are ready to start rep airs, rem od­
ENHANCING OREGON’S
eling o rev e n re fin a n cin g . F o rm o re
WORLD-CLASS TRADE STATUS
than 20 years, the P o rtlan d D ev el­
MEDICARE
opment Com m ission! PDC) has been
U M A T IL L A W EAPONS DEPOT making hom e loans w hile helping to
preserve P ortland neigh b o rh o o d s.
CLEAN-UP M ITIG ATIO N
T raditionally targeting its program s
TRANSPORTATION
to low- and m oderate-incom e house­
PRO TECTING OUR KIDS AND holds, PDC now has th e expanded
OUR CO M M UNITIES
ability to serve any h o m eo w n er in
STANDING UP FOR OREGON AG­ the city.
RICULTURE
Last year, PDC b egan offering
Fannie M ae H om e S ty le loans to
Portland hom eow ners. T he p ro ­
FOREST HEALTH
gram enables PDC to com bine loans
for hom e refin an cin g or purchase
w ith hom e rep a ir needs to create
one affordable loan. T he new p ro ­
gram also allow s PDC to loan m oney
to hom eow ners w ith higher incom e
levels than ev er before and in every
W ant to m ake a difference in how P ortland neighborhood.
“ P D C ’s lo a n p r o g ra m h as
the area’s regional governm ent in­
cludes citizens? Becom e a m em ber o f
the M etro C om m ittee or C itizen In­
volvem ent (MCCI).
The com mittee currently has open­
ings for residents throughout the
M etro region o f 24 cities and three
counties. M CCI m em bers develop
O regon’s annual child w elfare re­
and m aintain program s and proce­ port paints a m ixed portrait o f chil­
dures to im pact and m onitor M etro’s dren in the state’s protection system.
c itiz e n ’s in v o lv e m e n t activ ities.
While the number o f children who
M em bers aid com m unication b e­ died from abuse or neglect in 1998 is
tw een citizens and M etro ’s elected down from the previous year, the num­
officials, and enhance citizen partici­ ber ofvictims is up and the most vulner­
pation in m etro decision-m aking. able age group continues to be infants.
They also advise departm ents on
Kay Toran is the director o f the
im plem enting M etro ’s Public In­ State Office Services to Children and
volvem ent Planning G uide adopted Families, the agency that com piles
July 1998.
The Status o f Children in O regon’s
M etro, the regional governm ent Child Protection System 1998 report.
that serves 1.3 m illion people who
“I w ant the public to recognize
live in Clackam as, M ultnom ah and that m ost o f our indicators are up,”
W ashington counties, provides re­ said Toran. “T his is an alert that we
gional services that guide growth have much w ork to do as a com m u­
and help ensure that livable com m u­ nity. I have long said that a single
nities are created for the future.
agency cannot protect all o f O regon’s
For m ore inform ation, contact children and that it takes caring and
K aren W ithrow , M C C I A dm inistra­ cooperative com m unities to decrease
tive A ssistant, 797-1539.
child m altreatm ent.”
The report includes inform ation
on foster care, adoptions, num ber o f
abuse victims, and the circum stances
houseSquare,orbycalling238-RID E. driving child abuse and neglect: p a­
Most changes are adjustments to rental drug and alcohol abuse: paren­
make bus schedules more reliable. tal unem ploym ent; parental involve­
Schedules will also change for all buses
that cross the Hawthorne Bridge. While
those schedules change March 28, the
bridge opening is delayed until April
25, which will cause some delays until
the bridge opens. N ew schedules are
also available for four new bus routes
th at re p la c e e x istin g se rv ice in
Sunnyside and Happy Valley.
LOW-COST ENERGY
Generation-X Legislators Volunteer
To Convene Conference Openings
on Youth Involvement
Salem - Y oung legislators worried
about dw indling interest in politics by
their peers are organizing a one-day
conference scheduled for Friday, April
30, 1999 at the State Capitol and
W illamette University. The confer­
ence, w hich begins at 10:00 a.m. and
ends around 4:00 p.m., will discuss
how to energize youth to take charge
o f issues that directly affect them.
A bout 150 youth activists across
the state are expected to participate in
the conference that has the endorse­
m ent o f G overnor John K itzhaber.
The G overnor is expected to welcome
the future leaders to the State Capitol.
Participants w ill have the opportu­
nity to m eet and discuss w ith legisla-
tors, lobbyists and the m edia how to
em pow er young people. “Unless we
find w ays to get youth involved in
the process it w ill be difficult to sus­
tain our dem ocracy,” Representative
D eborah K afoury, a co-host among
young legislators behind the confer­
ence said. “Y oung people w ant to be
heard and be recognized for their
contribution to this society. W e find
w ays to com m unicate this clearly to
the older generation. I believe that an
appreciation o f young people’s pro­
gressive efforts w ould encourage
others to be involved.” If you are
interested in attending the confer­
ence or would like m ore information,
call JenniferNelson at (503)986-1418.
Urban Ecosystems
Discovery Camp
The Urban League o f Portland and
PSU ’s Urban Ecosystems Project will
be cosponsoring a two-week Urban
Ecosystems Discovery Camp this sum­
mer at Harriet Tubman Middle School.
Serving students from North/North-
east Portland middle Schools and the
Urban League, the camp will be held
M onday through Friday, June 28 - July
9 (except July), from9:00 a . m . - 3 :00 p . m .
The cam p provides a positive and
ch allenging experience w ith real
hands-on activities linked to class­
room learning curriculm. The teachers
are experienced Portland public school
teachers, and the cam p is coordinated
and supported by U rban Escosystems
and Urban League staff, and faculty
from Portland State University.
The registration deadline is June
14,1999. For free inform ation, call
Linda Hill at 725-8309. To receive a
Slum m erC am pbrochure and applica­
tion, call Heidi N ice at 725-3191.
Several Tri-M et bus schedules
been provided by PDC over the last
20 years. Portland hom eow ners can
use PDC funds for purchase and reno­
vation; refinance and renovation;
basic repairs such as plum bing, w ir­
ing, heating and new roof; assistance
w ith accessibility needs; lead paint
removal; and accessory dw elling unit
financing. PDC also allow s greater
use o f the hom e’s equity by consid­
ering the value o f the hom e after the
planned repair work is com pleted.
PDC is the city ’s agency forurban
renewal, housing and econom ic de­
velopment. In addition to Fannie
Mae. P D C ’s hom e loan program re­
ceives federal funds through the
D epartm ent o f H ousing and Urban
Developm ent (HU D ) and the city ’s
Bureau o f Housing and C om m unity
Development.
P D C ’s H om e Loan H otline oper­
ates M onday-Fnday from 8:00 a.m. to
5 :00 p.m. and can be reached by call­
ing 823-3400.
Formore information, contact: Julie
Rawls, PDC, 823-3294
State Releases Child Status Report
Abuse Victims and Reports Up; Deaths Down
Pick up new Tri-Met bus schedules
change beginning Sunday, M arch 28
and new schedule inform ation is now
available.
Brochures outlining bus sched­
ule changes, and new schedules for
three dozens individual bus routes
are now available on vehicles. Free
Tri-M et G uide supplem ents, detail­
ing all schedules that have changes
since September 1998, are available at
the T ri-M et office in Pioneer Court-
changed to better m eet the needs o f
Portland hom eowners,” said Barbara
R ieg ler, N eig h b o rh o o d H ousing
Preservation manager. “W hat hasn’t
changed is our desire to help invest
in their m ost im portant asset- their
hom e. T he Fannie M ae program
allow s us to m ake m ore loans avail­
able to people in a w ider array o f
incom e levels.”
A nother unique aspect o f P D C ’s
loan program is the pairing o f each
loan recipient with PDC construction
specialist, something-traditional lend­
ers do not provide. The experienced
construction specialists help with all
phases ofhom e repair, including iden­
tifying the w ork to be done, review ­
ing bids, clarifying contracts and
m onitoring construction. The ow ner
makes final decesions, including pay­
m ents to contractors. H om eow ners
benefit from the construction spe­
cialists - w ho know the construction
industry and the ins and outs o f city
codes and permits - at no extra charge.
M ore than 10,000 home loans have
m ent w ith law enforcem ent; and do­
m estic violence.
In 1998, SCF confirmed 10,147 vic­
tim s o f abuse. O f those 1,244 or 9.9
percent, w ere infants, making this the
largest group.
“W hat is alarming is the continuing
trend o f violence toward very young
children," said Toran. “These inci­
dents, coupled with the intensity o f
family problems, result in more difficult
cases that take longer to resolve.”
In 1998, SCF received 31,456 re­
ports o f child abuse and neglect, a
12.3 percent increase over 1997.
Toran said such an increase is trou­
bling because it means more children
are suspected o f being abused or
chronically neglected by their parents
or care providers. O n the other hand,
she said it shows that more people are
reporting abuse to the agency.
“The good news is that m ore O r­
egonians, including our m andatory
reporters, are being m ore assertive in
m aking reports to the agency," said
Toran. “This places us in a position
to intervene."
In 1998, m andatory reporters who
are required by law to report m ade 75
percent o f the total suspected child
abuse and neglect referrals.
Some other report highlights:
In 1998, six children died from abuse;
11 died from neglect. In 1997,12 died
from abuse and 22 from neglect.
Ten years ago, 30 percent o f chil­
dren in foster care w ere younger than
6. Today that group represents 40
percent o f children in foster care.
The num ber o f drug-affected b a­
bies dropped for the fourth year in a
row and continues a dow nw ard trend
that began after a peak in 1989.
S taff levels and increasing refer­
rals limit the num ber o f fam ilies that
S C Fcan serve. In 1998,55 p erc en to f
the child abuse and neglect reports
received a field assessm ent.
There were 7,461 founded abuse
reports in 1998, an increase o f 2.7
percent.
N eglect is potentially as lethal as
abuse and often requires m ore ser­
vices over a longer period o f time.
Happy Easter
From
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