^portlanh (Ohsvruer
Page A6
November 25. 2009
Portland Plan
continued j ^ f r o m Front
the room where he further explained
aspects o f the plan.
He pointed out that 50 percent of
Portland's current population was not
living here when the last time the city
formed its com prehensive plan in
1980, and the document would be af­
fecting policy at the city level for the
next 30 years.
"It's got to be more than land use
and transportation," said Adams of
the parameters o f the plan. "It's also
got to be about people."
He pointed out that Portland was
becoming increasingly diverse, espe­
cially with its Hispanic population.
Adams added that one third o f Port­
land, primarily on the city's east side,
was annexed since the last time the
plan was revised.
From there, Adams polled the audi­
ence using devices that allowed them
to respond to a series o f questions,
which revealed that participants atti­
tudes on various issues.
Adams polled the crowd on a range
o f issues covered by the plan, which
revealed general support for public-
private partnerships, arts and educa­
tion opportunities for students, im­
proved w alk-ability o f neighbor­
hoods, retention o f teachers, and a
host o f other initiatives.
Adams also presented statistics
and figures that show that Portland
is a city that has many challenges,
but also has a lot going for it.
The W illamette River is getting
cleaner, and Portland’s tree canopy is
expanding. The number of people with
bachelor’s degrees in the city is higher
than the national average. It also has
the second h ig h e st rate o f
volunteerism in the country, and 86
percent o f Multnomah County voted
in the last election.
However, Adams pointed out that
50 percent o f Multnomah County is
overweight. Wages are also lower in
Portland than the rest o f the country,
with about a third o f the population
being considered working poor.
Affordable housing is another is­
sue facing the city. Portlanders shell
out 46 percent o f their incomes on
average for housing, above the na­
tional 36 percent average, and the
median price o f home in the city is
out o f reach for people who make
median income.
At the end o f the meeting, Com­
missioner Nick Fish, who heads the
Housing Bureau, thanked the crowd
for their time. He noted that he learned
a lot ab o u t the c o n c e rn s o f
Portlanders, and was pleased that
people conducted themselves in such
a respectful fashion, referencing the
explosive health care reform town hall
meetings that occurred during the
summer.
"It's nice to know civic engagement
is still alive and well in Portland," he
said.
photo by J ake T homas /T he
P ortland O bserver
About 100 people gather to give input on the Portland Plan during a
meeting last week at Beaumont Middle School in northeast Portland.
photo by J ake T homas /T he
P ortland O bserver
Jennifer Broussard helps run the Northeast Emergency Food Program at Luther Memorial Church. She's
seeing more people turn to them for help because o f dire economic conditions.
Fighting Back Hunger
continued j ^ f r o m Front
Ukrainian women shuffle in and out
of the basement door carrying sacks
o f fresh lettuce and squash. Volun­
teers hoist hefty cardboard boxes of
food from the back room down the
hall to the front room where recipi­
ents take numbers and wait.
"The majority o f the people who
come here are employed," said Jen­
nifer Broussard, the assistant direc­
tor o f the program.
B roussard said her p rogram ,
which moves about 2,000 pounds of
food a day, has definitely seen an
increase in demand. Many people
who come to the church for food are
immigrants, or people who had fam­
ily members move in to cut down on
costs.
But Broussard is also seeing more
people coming in for the first time,
many o f which have had their in­
comes drained from medical bills.
Jean Kempe-Ware, spokesperson
for the Oregon Food Bank, also ex­
periences the growing number o f
hungry people in Oregon.
“We had an unprecedented in­
crease and they’re staying at that
high level,” Kempe-Ware said.
An Oregon Food Bank survey o f
clients reveals that m ost people
struggling with food insecurity in
Oregon are seniors or disabled people
on fixed incomes. Many are also
among the working poor, who simply
don’t make enough to cover their gro­
cery bills after paying high rent and
other utilities.
K em pe-W are ad ded th at the
agency is seeing many new faces, in­
cluding laid-off architects who never
thought they’d be down and out.
A ccording to the USDA report,
there’s an even larger group o f people
in Oregon who may not be experienc­
ing hunger, but are close.
Thirteen percent o f Oregonians are
categorized as “food insecure,” mean­
ing that they lacked access to ad­
equate am ount, or end up eating
starchy foods that fill up their stom­
achs, but are lacking in nutrition.
Portlanders spend, on average, 46
percent o f their income on housing
and transportation, which is higher
than the national average. Lower-in-
come people might spend up to 79
percent.
Kempe-Ware explained that many
people reason that they can’t skip on
rent or utilities, but they can cut back
on food.
In 1989, the Oregon Legislature cre­
ated the Oregon Hunger Relief Task
Force to coordinate the efforts o f
business, non-profits, government,
and communities to end hunger in the
state. It’s currently in the process o f
forming a five-year plan to confront
the issue.
“A lot o f what w e’re talking about
right now is how do we wrap our arms
aro u n d th is issu e ,” said Je ssic a
Chanay, program and communica­
tions director for the task force.
Chanay explained that the task
force is looking at the root issues o f
hunger, like lack o f affordable hous­
ing and access to steep medical bills.
Last legislative session, lawmakers
p a sse d b ills aim ed at m aking
healthcare more affordable and di­
rected tax dollars toward affordable
housing initiatives.
But Chanay, said that more can be
done, and some programs can be im­
proved. For example, low-income par­
ents whose children get reduced-price
breakfast at school still have to pay 30
cents per day, which can really add up.
Despite her hardship, Chan remains
cheerful. She created a center-piece
for the food program made out o f imi­
tation grape and leaves. She also said
she enjoys the company o f the people
who also rely on centers like this for
food.
“1 like it here. People so nice,” she
said.
ijàoL,
a
IT’S TIME PORTLAND HAD A NEW PLAN.
AFTER ALL. IT'S BEEN 30 YEARS SINCE OUR LAST ONE.
A CITY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS LAST PLAN.
And our last one brought to life some
of the very things we admire most about our city. It laid the groundwork for one of the best
GET INVOLVED. GREAT THINGS RARELY HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.
In the coming months, you will have many opportunities to weigh in. loin us at a workshop
transportation infrastructures in the country and enabled us to develop a vibrant central city.
session or go online to help us define priorities, guide investments and set the course for our
That was 1980. And almost 50% of us weren't even here then.
city for the next 25 years. Whichever you choose, we want you to participate in the discussion
TIME FOR A NEW PLAN.
Because more voices means better choices.
Today we face many new challenges. Only 61% of our students
graduate on time 45% of our electricity comes from coal Our unemployment rate tops 11%.
And there's the human toll - a growing gap between the haves and have-nots We want to share
opportunities equitably among our city’s increasingly diverse population But rather than just
present a plan for all to follow, we'd rather have a lively discussion with you about it.
• 12 01.2009
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12.03 2009
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