March 25, 2009
H ousing
Shaver Green Built Affordable
Lents Home
Buying Fair
Tenants recruited
to cutting-edge
apartment
Learn how to buy
your own home
The Lents H om eow nership
Initiative and Kelly SUN Commu­
nity School presents the 3rd an­
nual Lents Home Buying Fair, a
free event on Saturday, April 12
from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Kelly El­
ementary School, 9030 S.E. Coo­
per St.
The fair is open to anyone
wanting to learn about buying
their own home. Lenders, Real­
tors, title companies, developers,
home buying counselors, busi­
nesses, and non-profit organiza­
tions will provide plenty of help­
ful information about their ser­
vices and programs.
The highlight of the day will
be a drawing for a $4,000 down-
payment assistance grant to be
given to a qualified potential
homebuyer.
Workshops on “How to pur­
chase a home” and “What down
payment assistance programs are
ayailable in Lents” will be pre­
sented in English and Spanish,
with Vietnamese, Russian, and
Mandarin translators available.
In a d d itio n , th e re w ill be
children’s activities, such as face
painting, and a free lunch pro­
vided by Burgerville.
The L ents H om eow nership
Initiative is a partnership of more
than 40 community organizations
that ROSE Community Develop­
ment brought together in 2005.
T he m issio n is to in c re a se
homeownership and improve the
quality of life in the Lents Town
C en ter U rban R enew al A rea
through community involvement,
outreach, and education. After
three years, LHI has exceeded its
initial goals by creating 200 new
homeowners and completing 216
home repairs.
Applications are being taken for spa­
cious one and two bedroom units at the
soon to be com pleted Shaver Green
Apartments.
Located at 4011 N.E. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Blvd., the six-story building will
serve 85 individuals and families. Rents
are being advertised at just $515 to
$647. Section 8 vouchers will be ac­
cepted.
The apartments have extra high 10
foot ceilings, a refrigerator, stove, dish­
washer and microwave. The building
features an elevator, onsite laundry, key-
padded security access, a gated park­
ing area, bike storage and work area,
community room, computer lab and free
garbage service.
The most unique aspect is that the
developer of Shaver Green has achieved
Leadership in Energy and Environmen­
tal Design (LEED) certification while
meeting Housing and Urban Develop­
ment income level requirements.
Developer Armstrong Stafford said
very few if any residential developments
in the U.S. offer buildings that are sus­
tainable, innovative and also accessible
to those meeting minimum income stan-
d a r (ls
PHOTO BY
For a housing application, call 971-
224-1413.
M ark W ashington /T he P ortlnad O bserver
Work is com ing to com pletion on the Sh a ver Green A partm ents, a m ajor ho u sing de v e lo p m e n t with
environm entally se n sitiv e energy efficiency features, located a t 4 0 1 1 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Homeowners Dream Comes True
First-time buyers move in
Victoria and Venique love to cook and they’ve always
wanted a garden, along with a safe place for their children
to play. On their income -
Victoria is a certified medical assistant and Venique is a
warehouse worker - they thought they could only afford
to rent and that a garden was a dream. Until they were
referred to Portland Community Land Trust.
The Lamys experienced what many renters are all too
photo by
J ennifer B rinkman
Portland C om m unity Land Trust h elp s Victoria and Venique buy their first h o m e for ju s t
$ 1 3 7 ,0 0 0 .
familiar with: rising rents and
frequent moves.
“ B e fo re
p u rs u in g
hom eow nership our rent con­
tinued to go up every year, “
Victoria said. “If I w ouldn’t
have pursued homeownership
my family and I would have
been m oving a g a in .” N ow
Victoria says she and her hus­
band Venique “feel free and
are able to breathe,” knowing
they no longer have to worry
about high rents and moving.
The Lamys’ home buying ex­
perience is the result of an ex-
Look up before
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of what's above you. Even momentary contact with
an overhead line can prove instantly fatal. For more
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Let’s turn the answers on.
I
tended partnership. The Lamys
were referred to Portland Com­
munity Land Trust by the Afri­
can A m erican A lliance for
Homeownership.
They bought a home devel­
oped by Rose Community D e­
velopm ent C orporation and
b u ilt
by
P o rtla n d
YouthBuilders. A furnace was
donated by NW Natural. The
la n d
w as d o n a te d
by
M ultnom ah County and will
sta y w ith th e L a n d T ru s t
should the Lamys move, but
any other equity in the home
would go with them.
The first time the family actu­
ally entered their new house,
their oldest daughter, Venicia,
ask ed , “ M om , is th is our
house?” Victoria was excited to
answer yes, and “now you have
a place to play instead of the
parking lot.”
Any surprises for the new
homeowners?
“The most surprising thing
about becoming a homeowner
is actually coming to the real­
ization that it’s our hom e,”
Victoria said.
K e e p in g S e n io r s S a fe a t H o m e
Security experts offer tips
According to the U.S. De­
partment of Justice, senior citi­
zens usually experience lower
rates of crime. But when seniors
are victimized, there is a 92 per­
cent chance the crime will oc­
cur in or near their homes.
“As we age, our safety and
security needs change, so it’s
important to take extra precau­
tions to keep ourselves and our
senior family members safe,”
said Steve Shapiro, director of
product management for ADT
Security Services.
To help b e tte r p ro te c t
America's senior* from prop­
erty crime and personal theft,
the security company has de­
veloped the following safety
tips:
Never hide keys under the
doormat, in the mailbox or in a
planter, burglars will go straight
for these typical hiding spots
to look for spare keys. Spare
keys should be le ft w ith a
trusted neighbor.
•If you decide to install an
alarm system, consider one that
is monitored for burglary, fire,
carbon monoxide and medical
emergencies. These alarm sys­
tem features can be life-saving
if you, or a loved one, become
incapacitated while in the home.
•Install and use good locks
on doors and windows. Good
locks are the first line of defense
against home invasion— it is
also important to make sure your
locks are in working order.
Never give credit card. Social
Security, phone card or bank
account numbers to callers who
ask for this inform ation to
“verify” prizes. If they have to
ask for this personal informa­
tion, it is a sure sign they are
fakes - never give personal data
over the phone, unless you
know who you are dealing with.
•Recently there have been
cases of seniors being targeted
to send cash to someone pos­
ing as a grandchild. If you re­
ceive a call like this, you should
always call the child’s parents
for verification, even if they say
they do not want their parents
to know.
W hen service or delivery
people come to your door, ask
for ID and check with their com­
pany if you are still unsure.
When in doubt, research the
company by calling police or the
Better Business Bureau. Repu­
table companies will have no
problem with your request for
more information.