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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 2005)
il!‘’'¡Llnrtlanh ffîbserucr Page A6 H ousing March 23. 2005 Special Edition City to Finance Housing Stock "Our program offers people the Council for finding a way to fund opportunity to become self-suffi critically needed housing in a dif cient,” said Richard Harris, execu ficult budget environment. tive director of Central City Con He said housing affordability cern the project sponsor. “It also is an issue in com m unities across will provide affordable housing for the state and he pledged to con For the first time, Portland city hard working people who work full tinue to work with the City and leaders have voted to provide per time at service-wage jobs yet can’t the new ly form ed H ousing A lli manent financial support to low- afford to pay rent and buy food," he ance to get a perm anent source o f funding for housing statew ide income housing by budgeting mon added. Another housing project to ben and to work on other strategies ies for new housing stock. The Portland City Council au efit from the bond is the 37 unit to reduce the gap betw een rents thorized the sale of a Housing Op Leander Court in southeast Port and incom es. The bond will be paid back over portunity Bond last week that will land. Michael Anderson of Afford 20 years from the city’s general generate $9 million to develop an additional 390 units of housing able Housing NOW thanked City fund budget. citywide, including 170 units of per manent supportive housing where residents will have access to job training and other services to stabi lize their lives. "Families and people with dis abilities need a safe, decent place to live," said Commissioner Erik Sten. "Studies show that children do hetier in schools if they have stable housing and we are providing the opportunity for that to happen. The entire city will be better because of this investment." Proceeds from the bond will be granted to non-profit housing pro- \ id e rs to acquire, rehabilitate, and dev elop housing for the city ’ s poor est and most difficult to house people including very low income families and people with disabili ties. One project to be funded is the Rose Quarter W orkforce Housing and Employment Center, the old photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Ramada Inn that is scheduled to be rehabilitated into 176 units of stable A Portland Observer file photo shows Richard Brown of Central housing and supportive services City Concern and the former Ramada Inn slated to become to people re-entering the workforce. housing stock for people transitioning back into the work force. fo r Targeted to help city’s poorest residents M / ^ Z eforschoolboa i„ h n o lb o a F "’ V’ ’ V./f- 7 a , photo bv M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver Charles McGee laughs with Malik Bell in front of the campaign headquarters after Bell helped McGee put up the sign behind them. Running for Change continued fro m Front who would ask tough questions and figure out why the system is not working for all the students.” He feels that as a young Afri can American, he can bring a dy- namic to the board that others can’t. “W e need to em brace the cul tural differences,” M cG ee said. "W e need to be honest w ith our selves as a district. H aving dia logues is a w onderful first step but w e’ve go, to get deeper than that. I know that as a person of color, what is most im portant is that w henever you help those that are least represented, and they begin to function at adequate levels, the system changes. H av ing a voice like mine on the board, my scope will be broader. I do believe that if you helpout Blacks, H ispanics and Asian kids, y o u ’re helping out everyone else in the system .” M cGee d o esn ’t agree with the idea that h e’s exceptional as a young man w orking for a revolu tion in education. “There are a lot of people who care about the system but are turning aw ay because they d o n ’t think they can have an im pact,” he said. “I think that more than anything my cam paign to me is the b e g in n in g o f s o m e th in g greater, o f young people saying we believe that we need to take a seat at the table. If we are to lead and begin to change the system , we have to have a seat at the table. We need to help craft the decisions that make our genera tions. We can understand what w orks and what do esn ’t w ork.” The need for change is vital, McGee said, and it’s only by work ing w ith the com m u n ity that things can transform . “More than anything right now, Portland Public Schools are facing a lot o f troubles,” he said. “A lot of it is not necessarily things w e’ve done in Portland but that the folks in Salem can ’t stop bickering. Schools will have to be closed, but what I would focus a whole lot on is listening to the folks at the bot tom who help get you there. They are the most important people in the system. Coming up with a policy that promotes the common good. I am running because I see that now is the time for us to bridge the gap between community and govern ment.” M cGee invites voters to check out h is w e b s ite at w w w .charlesforschoolboard.com for more inform ation. BANK Jason W. Ruecker L o a n O ffic e r Home Purchase Refinance Great Service My first priority is your best interest! Get money without any haggling. 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