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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2002)
ÎE Ije December II, 2002 ÿ o r t la n b © b s e r u e r Page BS IL @ B $ E IR V A I& © I^ Banks Work Hard to Accommodate Hispanics Oregon financers to implement culturally sensitive practices (A P )— S alvador M arciel never saw him self as a hom eow ner in A m erica because financing a house seem ed im possible, and so did find ing bankers o r loan officers w ho spoke Spanish. But w hen M arciel decided to inquire about a large loan at Salem - area banks, Spanish speakers found him A nd financing a $ 116,500 house for his seven-person fam ily was easier than he thought it would b e — < thanks to a new push by banks to tap the buying pow er o f O regon’s fast- est-grow ing m inority population. “In the past there w ere not as m any people w ho helped L atinos buy a house,” said M arciel, a 55- year-old M exican w ho began w ork ing in C alifornia as a m igrant farm er in the 1970s before moving to Salem 10 years ago and establishing legal residence. M arciel is like thousands o f O r egon H ispanics w hom banks have catered to in recent years. “W hen the 2000 C ensus cam e out, everyone w oke up and sm elled the burritos,” said Roy Larson o f L arson N orthw est R esearch and C onsulting, a firm that focuses on the H ispanic m arket in the N orth w est. T he census co u n ted 2 75,000 H ispanics living in O regon, but H ispanic officials say the real num ber could be double that. M ost H ispanics have been in the state few er than ,0 years, 75 percent are u nder age 25, and co l lectively they have an estim ated T o capitalize on the m arket, banks h av e launched initiatives aim ed at getting H ispanics to bor row m oney. The initiatives have tw o co m p o n en ts: use bilingual bankers to actively recruit Hispanic f When the 2000 Census came out, everyone woke up and smelled the burritos. — Roy Larson o f Larson Northwest Research and Consulting, a firm th at focuses on the Hispanic m arket in the Northwest buying pow er o f $2.7 billion a year. A nalysts say th eir dem ographics are sim ilar to the baby boom ers o f the 1960s because they are young and have large fam ilies. clients, and m odify banking norm s to b etter address the financial real ity o f m any in the H ispanic com m u nity. A lack o f credit history is one such reality. “It’s a C atch 22,” said A lice Perez, Hispanic market manager for U S. Bank. “T o g e t credit you m ust have a credit history. But how can you get a credit history if you c a n ’t get credit?” Many Hispanics come from coun tries w here only the elite use the banks or can access loans. So m ost do their business, from buying gro ceries to buy ing a house, w ith cash. They bring that custom w ith them to the United States. Perez said to help H ispanics get large lo a n s— and o f course, to reap the benefits o f their business — U.S. Bank launched a nationw ide H ispanic initiative this past sum mer. Thirty-eight of the 380 branches targeted are in Oregon. For proof o f identity banks usu ally require a d riv er’s license or passport, som ething m any H ispan ics d o n ’t have. U.S. Bank has al tered that policy — accepting old tax form s or certificates from the M exican C o n su late. C alled the “m atricula consular,” these certifi cates are issued to M exican im m i grants w ho typically d o n ’t have Social Security numbers or any form o f U .S.-issued identification. A nd now instead o f the tradi tional credit check, w hich might include looking at a bank account or a credit card balance, the bank will also accept copies o f old utility bills that w ere paid on time. Banks all over the country have launched sim ilar initiatives in areas w ith large H ispanic populations. < 4 4 4 4 L a tin o s F a l l T h r o u g h G a p f i R amon C adsteli . blanch H ere’s a startling statistics: Each year, 18,000 people in the U nited State die prem aturely from lack o f health insurance, according to recent study by the Institute o f M edicine. U nin sured adults w ith diabetes, heart dis ease, kidney failure or m ental illness are m uch w orse o ff than their insured co u n terp arts. A nd ev en w h en the unisunsured gets care, it is often sub standard, the institute found. L ack o f health insurance has dire consequences fo r the L atino com m u nity in the U nited State, since nearly h a lf o f w orking-age L atinos are w ith o u t health insurance for all o r part o f the year, according to the C om m on w ealth Fund. O ne reason for this crisis is that r î L atinos have few er chances o f getting jo b s w ith health insurance. M any are i; hired in industries and occupations • I that d o n ’t offer available coverage. A nd the 1996 w elfare-reform act de nies M edicaid to legal im m igrants, m any o f w hom are Latinos. N ot having ( insurance sickens and kills those w ith I high blood pressure, according to the Institute o f M edicine report. T he unin 1 sured have their blood pressure m oni f tored less frequently, and w hen their disease is diagnosed, they are less by > Í c ! t Í Nearly a Million Kids Missed in Census vices. They may also use the data to lobby for a bigger share o f federal funding. Last year, the C ensus Bureau decided the unadjusted count w ould be used for congressional redistricting, and to plug into federal funding form ulas for program s such as M edicaid and foster care, w hich total about $ 185 billion. The Suprem e C ourt in 1999 said only the raw, unadjusted count could be used for reap portioning H ouse seats am ong the states. The bureau in M arch 2001 said there w as a net undercount o f about 1.2 percent o f the population - roughly 3.2 m illion people, with one-third o f them children. The data provided from the C ensus Bureau was based on research done in M arch 2001. Preston Jay W aite, an associate census direc tor, said m ore research has been conducted since then w hich show s the national net undercount may have been reduced to less than one-tenth o f 1 percent. O pponents o f adjusted data, mainly R epub licans, have said the com plicated statistical m ethods used to determ ine the undercount w ould add m ore error into a census that the bureau deem ed to have one o f the low est national undercount rates ever. C ritics also have said that w hile adjust- m ents count m issed people, they may not allocate them to the proper neighborhoods because the form ula is less accurate on the local level. (A P )— M ore than 1.1 million children were not tallied in the 2000 census, nearly half o f them black and H ispanic, according to newly released governm ent estim ates. Nearly 29 percent of the children missed were black, though they made up nearly 15 percent of the total population kids under 18. Hispanics were about 20 percent o f the child undercount, and 17 percent o f the total child population. About 45 percent o f those children missed were white, less than their 60 percent share of the total population o f children. T he C ensus Bureau’s adjusted data using statistical sam pling also show ed a slight overcount o f Asian children. T he bureau released the data only after a federal court ordered it to do so, follow ing a successful law suit brought by O regon State Sen. M argaret C arter o f Portland and State School S uperintendent-elect Susan Castillo. T he agency said F riday the new figures w ere flaw ed and had no official use. M any D em ocrats and civil rights groups have disagreed, contending the state-by-state breakdow n o f the undercount w ould show that m inorities and children were more likely to be m issed. D espite the governm ent cautions, state and local law m akers m ay - if their laws allow - use the adjusted data to redraw m unicipal political districts, or allocate billions in gov ernm ent dollars controlled by states for things such as school construction or social ser likely to be begin, or stay under, needed treatm ent, A s a result, uninsured people w ith hypertension are m ore likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes. L ack o f health insurance has taken the lives o f m any L atinos w ith breast cancer. W hen they are insuranced, they are less likely to have tim ely screening. T heir diagnoses are also delayed. W hen the cancer is finally found, it is m ore likely to be at an advanced stage. U n insured w om en w ith breast cancer have a 30 percent to 50 percent higher risk o f dying then w ith insurance, according to the in stitu te’s finding. A ccelerating health-insurance costs and em ployer resistance to paying for the increase, threaten to force m any insured w orkers o ff o f their health co v erage. T olls from heart disease, cancer, Ramon Castellblanch A ID S and m any oth er deadly diseases put a stop to the plague brought on by m ay start to rise. It’s tim e for C ongress lack o f m edical insurance. U ntil w e do to q uit fooling around in the face o f this it, m edical crisis that is already stalking grow ing disaster. In every oth er indus m any in our L atino com m unities will trialized country in the w orld, the g o v in c re a sin g ly e n d a n g e r th e re st o f ernm ent ensures that all people have America. health insurance. R am on C astellblanch is director o f In o ur country, M edicare and M ed the und erg ra d u a te h ea lth -m a n a g e icaid system s have done a good jo b at m ent program , a n d an assistant p ro h e lp in g s e n io rs a n d m illio n s o f fe s s o r a t Q uinnipiac U niversity in ch ild ren ’s receive coverage. But these H am den. Conn. H e can be reached a t program s need to be expanded to cover p m p ro @ progressive, o r g the rest o f the popululation. It’s tim e to CLASSIFIEDS/BIDS AFFORDABLE Oregon State University JJ WEATHERFORD RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE RETROFIT &KEY LOCK f FULL LOCKSMITH - SERVICE • RE-KEY AND INSTALL LOCKS Request for Q ualifications Due Decem ber 2 0 , 2 0 0 2 4 4 4 « < 4 4 4 3I 4 ? 4 4 i i 4 1 J > 4 j i O regon S ta te U niversity (OSU) is s e e k in g q u a lific a tio n s from co n stru ctio n firm s in te re ste d in providing C onstruction M a n a g e r/ G en e ra l C o n tra cto r (CM/GC) s e rv ic e s for retrofit of a n existing c a m p u s building to a new R esidential College facility on its Corvallis C am p u s. W eatherford Hall in 1 9 2 8 . W eatherford Hall in th e h ea rt of th e OSU c a m p u s , originally c o n s tru c te d a s a re s id e n c e hall in 1 9 2 8 . W e ath erfo rd Hall is a th r e e to six sto ry building with a b a se m e n t, co n stru c te d of unreinforced c o n c rete with brick veneer. It h a s a n a re a of approxim ately 7 9 ,0 0 0 sq u a re fe e t a n d is bordered by 2 6 ”' S tre e t to th e E ast, Jefferso n Way to th e North, W eatherford P lace to th e W est, a n d Intram ural L ane to th e S o u th . T he building h a s b e e n c lo sed s in c e 1 9 9 5 d u e to th e n e e d for ex ten siv e rep airs a n d u p g rad in g . In th e fall of 2 0 0 1 a new roof, fla sh in g s a n d stru c tu ra l roof d ia p h ra g m w ere in stalled to a r r e s t th e on g o in g d a m a g e c a u s e d by m igrating w ater. OSU is se e k in g a C onstruction M an ag er? G eneral C o n tracto r (CM/ GC) e x p e rie n c e d in H igher E ducation work. T he CM /GC te a m sh o u ld in clu d e m e m b e rs ex p e rie n c e d in re sid e n tia l co lleg iate p ro jects, w orking with o th e r qualified p ro fe ssio n a l c o n s u lta n ts to c o m p le te th e g o als of th is project. This pro ject will m ove a t a very rapid rate. LOCKED OUT?-WE MAKE KEYS FROM SCRATCH : M I «ant n help five homeless youth a future . enclosed is my tai-deduclible check payable to Outside In i Q {SO □ JIOO □ {ISO ■ Please send me information about □ □ I ; mJ BOANERGES Group, L.Í.C. • AdLuebuLstretlvo Services • SoitstivKs • Pnperty beveteparent 5 0 3 -3 3 1 -0 5 9 7 5 0 3 - 3 0 9 - 8 7 4 6 cell 5 0 3 -2 8 4 - 1 9 1 0 fa x 4SI NE G R A N D AVE PORTLAND, OR 97211 tiddng your business on a fh n foundation DOUBLE J TIRE CENTER N E W • U SED • N E W CAPS Taxes, Mounting 4 Balancing inducted FULLY GUARANTEED “NOW WITH 2 LOCATIONS” 6841 N.E. M .L K JR. BLVD PO RTLAND. O R E G O N 97211 (503) 283-9437 OFF.: (5 0 3 )2 8 6 -1 1 0 3 FAX: (503)2 8 6 -1 1 4 6 STATE FARM INSURANCE COMPANIES Sharon tlaxwell-Hendrichs 4510 S E. 52ND & HOLGATE PORTLANO. O R 9 7 206 (503) 771 1834 HOURS - MON THRU FRI » TO 6 • SAT 9 TO 4 HOME OFF1CES:BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS ERNEST J. HILL, JR. A gen t 6527 NE MLK, Jr. Boulevard Suite A Portland, OR 97217 DOMONIQUE'S 7 HAIR DESIGN ♦ T ere sa , Owner & Stylist ♦ D e b o ra h , Stylist ♦ H o ra c e , Barber 2 8 6 -3 7 5 8 222 N. Killingsworth 97217 (Vancouver) W H ERE T H E H E A L T H O F YOUR H A IR CO M ES F IR ST ! B T-8M 5hiriCL C Y N TH IA LIVIN G STO N Hair Designer Two Locations: P o r t la n d 503-284-9582 O r e g o n C it y 503-656-2116 Other { ______________! S e rv in g P o rtla n d /M e tro a re a (N, NE, SE, SW & NW ) OSU m ay reject any re sp o n se n o t in com pliance with all prescribed public c o n tra c tin g p ro c e d u re s a n d re q u ire m e n ts, re q u ire m e n ts, a n d m ay c a n c e l th is so licitation o r re je c t any or all r e s p o n s e s u p o n a finding of OSU it is th e public in te re s t to d o so. 5425 N.E. 30th Ave. 503/281-1185 □ donations by credit card. 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Mail your r e q u e s t for inform ation to Jo h n Koch University, 1 0 0 A d am s Hall, Corvallis, O regon, 9 7 3 3 1 -2 0 0 1 .F a x r e q u e s ts will b e a c c e p te d a t I HOUSE, OFFICE OR CAR • Clip coupon and mail to: Outside In * II12 SW lith Ave • Portland, OA 97205 4 0 7 A/Í Huson "6 (HLKJR BLVD.)Portland, OR Q 7 211 bandbtshirts@ carthlink.net piala (irte màfie- traiti 1 CVUIOH* P R IN T E D O A R AA R M TS AAOMSE R A D S PM ZZLCS E M B IU M D t R y SILK S C R U M N MM M R S Q U IC K GIFTS f« S * S S 4 -lS X > s h * » « S S 3 -S S 4 -1 9 1 S < •> MRACfUTTÍ FRUIA, DC.
