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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2004)
November 3, 2004 il!‘ |Jn rtlan b (©hserner Page AS P ortrait of Dignity PHOTOS BY M i l H OT R u BENSTEINZT h E PORTLAND OBSERVER ^nrysier cneue, me security coordinator and co-dead o f the building department at Dignity Village says the encampment helped her get o ff drugs. “I ’ve gone from being a junky under a bridge to a leader in my community," she said. continued fro m Front “I was com puter illiterate until 1 b ec am e h o m e le s s ,” m u ses McCarthy. The D ignity V illage offices are eq u ip p ed w ith c o m p u te rs for b u sin e ss o p e ra tio n s and p e r sonal use. “Do I think w eat Dignity Village have it made? Yes, we do," he said. But for all the benefits the village provides, McCarthy says the rules are strict and enforced, and no one gets a free ride. “Instead o f charging anybody money, we charge them sweat eq uity,” he says. O ne o) the.ficst rules to “m ak ing i f ’ at D ignity V illage is that a~ “couch pass” is only w orth three nights. A fter that, a new resident tinuous disruptive behavior is al- "W e’re not any different and we has a w eek to build the 10 by 12 lowed. live so close together that we foot platform on w hich to build W hether Dignity Village works know everything th a t's gong o n.” their house. like the utopia it was engineered to “On the other hand,” he adds, “if "W e’ re quite talented, actually,” says C hrysler Chelle, security co ordinator and co-head o f the build ing department for the Village. “We know nothing about building and construction, but all my houses are built to code.” Besides needing a motivation to build and pitch in, residents must abide by five rules or face the Coun cil for eviction. No violence to one self or others is tolerated. No theft is allowed. Everyone must contrib ute to the upkeep o f the village and be is a matter ot perspective. you need help, all you have to do is log 10 hours weekly. No drugs or “ If you have problem « w><your ask.” •alcohol are allowed within a one- neighborhood, w e have tbcNanw Chelle said some residents "think block radius o f the village. No con problem s h ere,” M cC arthy said, we have too many rules.” If you have problems in your neighborhood, we have the same problems here. We 're not any different and we live so close together that we know everything that's gong on. On the other hand, if you need help, all you have to do is ask. The American flag flies high over Dignity Village. K uttnetraue-otlsare worth it tor many. McCarthy values that he is able to live with his pets, a cat named Namaste and a dog named Zags. He also says many of the residents are grateful for not being hassled by cops and feel safe at theircurrent location. Othersenjoy their freedom to live with their same- or opposite-sex partners, which is not allowed in many single-occu pancy shelters. McCarthy says he is also proud of the diversity in races and reli gions represented at Dignity Vil lage. The D ignity Village council cham ber is inclusive by design. On the wall hangs an illustration that can only be interpreted as a black Jesus with dreadlocks. On the round council table are sym bols o f the S tar o f D avid, a lotu b lo sso m re p rese n tin g Buddh; and a Druid Heart Chakra, paintei in yellow and green, the triba colors o f the P atow am ine Indi ans. "If we get moved to another pieci of land, we hope it’s permanent,’ said McCarthy. A cco rd in g to the c o u n c il’! proposal, an estim ated $5(X),0(X is needed to purchase a perm a nent site and m eet phase one ol c o n stru c tio n g oals. D onation: may be earm arked directly to the D ignity V illage Land A cquisitior Fund. For more information about do nations and volunteer opportuni ties, visit w w w.dignityvillage.org. Building Businesses. Building Communities. You cannot mistake pride in a job well done. It can be seen everywhere you look at the New Columbia project. But then, such dedication is to be expected. Walsh Construction Co./OR and the Housing Authority of Portland helped subcontractors hire trades people from ETAP, the Evening Trades Apprenticeship Pi jaration program, and from the community. A This is the final bid oppoitunity for the project. Come join our team . For fu r ther information, call Carolyn Wilson at 503-222-4375 or vist our website at www.walshconstructionco.com. P re-b id M e e tin g fo r N e w C o lu m b ia Phase II H ousing November 9, 9-11 a.m. or November 12, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Both pre-bid meetings to be held at Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) 41 34 N. Vancouver Avenue, Portland IWJ WALSH Construction Co./OR _____
