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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.
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