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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2005)
April 6. 2005 ^Jortlanh ODbserucr Page A6 H ousing • > Standing Their Ground Program keeps local seniors in their homes K atherine K ovacich T he P ortland O bserver Sleeping on a hard mattress in a stale, unfamiliar environment of a motel, or cuddling up to the fabric o f a well-known pillow case in your own bed surrounded by your pho tographs, your view of the old tree outside your window and your hand-made blankets? Most seniors would choose the latter if they could, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is allowing them to stay in the comforts of their own home despite their growing needs with age. When a caregiver needs a room to stay in and a senior needs someone to care for them, the program matches the two to gether. Barbara Stone, program manager for Shared Housing with Ecumeni photo by K atherine K ovach h /T hf . P ortland O bserver cal Ministries of Oregon, said that keeping one’s independence is one Doris Haines is grateful to be able to stay in her home with the of the most important aspects to a assistance o f the Shared Housing program o f Ecumenical senior. Instead of having to be trans» by ported to an assisted living or fos tercare facility, they are able to feel com fortable in the environment they’ve lived in for years. For Doris Haines, keeping her home is extremely important, as her deceased husband built it from the ground up more than 30 years ago. Beyond a roof over her head, the home carries a lot o f sentimental value. Haines had a temporary stint in a foster care home and declares, “I’d never go back there. It’s like being in jail.” Through this program, she’s been paired with a like-minded woman who can help her with tasks like vacuuming, getting in and out of the shower and keeping track of her medication, in addition to sim ply keeping her company. “1 want someone I can visit with,” Haines said. “I’d get lonely here by myself.” By staying in her home, she's able to keep up with work ing on her yard and baking yummy treats like bread and cinnamon rolls. “ You can do what you want to,’ Haines said. “It increases their interaction with other people and gets them out o f the house to go shopping or go to the park instead of sitting at home and w atching soap op eras,” Stone said. “Just getting som eone up and out to talk to som eone th a t’s not on the phone or on the T V .” Financially, H aines and other seniors are also spared the often expensive costs o f living in a fa cility, w hich can be even more difficult for a senior depending on savings, retirem ent or social security. “The cost o f staying in your own home is dramatically lowerthan liv ing in an assisted care facility. One lady had spent $3,000 a month and drained her savings that Medicare didn’t cover,” Stone said. “A lot of seniors will also have to start pay ing someone to come in and clean or cook for them, and if they’re low- income, they can’t afford them so they barter.” Outside o f a home is the neigh borhood at large that’s also affected when a senior loses their place. “T here’s an economic advan tage to have them stay active in the community in the local economy,” Stone said. “But it’s also important to retain a sense o f community. We h av e a te n d e n c y to lose intergenerational contact if we start moving seniors out." So far the program has been able to keep 10 seniors and people with disabilities in their original homes, w ith a n o th e r six lo o k in g for caregiver matches. The organization has been made possible since July 2004 by a grant from the Portland Bureau of Hous ing and Community Development. The funds run through June 2005, but without a replacement, the ser vices may have to be eliminated. “It’s really critically important that we replace the funding,” Stone said. Seniors like Haines are depend ing on it. For more information on how to donate monetary contributions or volunteer, call 503-225-9924 or e- mail housing@ emoregon.org. Ministries o f Oregon. (R H V a M M M N M How To Budget Wisely for a Home Purchase Tips for saving toward a house down payment Buying a home is the biggest investment most people will ever make. Most people have dreamed about owning a home of their own, but are unsure how to get started. For most first time homebuyers the biggest struggle is how to budget to save enough money for a down payment. The question for most is how do I save for a home with my current income and expenses? Reviewing your monthly income and expenses will help you to know how much you can afford to spend on a monthly mortgage payment. It will also help you determine where your extra money goes and if you can trim any of your expenses to start saving for your down pay ment. Meeting with a loan officer be fore you are ready to purchase a home can help you determine two things; a savings goal for your down payment, and how much of a mortgage payment you can afford DID YOU KNOW THAT PDC OFFERS HOME PURCHASE, REPAIR & RENOVATION LOANS? on a monthly basis. Once you have a sav ings goal in mind, it’s time to start. The first thing to do is to get organized! This is often the Z hardest step in the budget ing process. One common piece o f ad vice is to con sid e r w hat you pay for rent, and what you qualify for in a mortgage payment. Begin sav ing the difference between the two. This helps you reach your sav ings goal, and reduces the payment shock once you buy your home. If you have ac c e ss to a c o m puter, use it! There are m any online resources avail a b le to h e lp h o m e b u y e rs ~ th r o u g h a ll stages o f the budget ing and buying process. A dditionally, m any banks o f fer online banking and bill payer D ilA À Ü jJ C services, as w ell as various finan cial calculators that can help you calculate expenses, track savings and c a lc u la te m o rtg a g e p a y m ents. H o m eo w n ersh ip is p o ssib le . Be p a tie n t, do your research and use the re so u rc e s th a t are a v a ila b le to y ou, and y o u ’ll be on the road to b eco m in g a h o m eow ner! For more inform ation about preparing for hom eow nership or to get pre-approved for a m ort gage, you can c o n ta c t HomeStreet Bank ’ s Affinity Lend ing C enter at 503-227-3956. Dreams Come W - , -».«y- ;s. «" “ ; f °*s Own L ng Home? u Your PDC has been working with Portland residents to revitalize neighborhoods through home- ownership and home renovation for more than 25 years. __________ Veil J ,.c www.oregprib«lus PDC offers a range of loans to: ^ • Purchase & Renovate sts - bond • Refinance & Renovate • Make essential or emergency home repairs • Remove lead-based paint hazards from homes PDC’s friendly and experienced staff are eager to provide assistance. We offer the added value of PDC construction specialists to assist and advise borrowers throughout the entire renovation process. Call PDC’s Neighborhood Housing Program at 503.823.3400 or e-mail nhp@pdc.us.You can also visit our website www.pdc.us/housing. (Spanish option available on the phone line.) 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