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ffl’1 |,ìnrtlanò (Observer
April 7, 2010
Home Repair - A Family Affair
Urban renewal
loans help
current residents
by
J on G ail
In 1974 Minnie Bell Hornbuckle
purchased her first and only home
in northeast Portland with down
payment money she earned from
picking string beans.
“We have had a lot family parties
and canned a lot o f beans and ber­
ries in this house,” stated her daugh­
ter Bernice Hornbuckle.
Minnie Bell passed on in 1992,
leaving the home to her daughter,
Bernice. Today that same property
is still in the family, now serving as
home for Beni ice, her sister, daugh­
ter and nephew.
Over the years Hornbuckle has
managed to keep the place in good
shape, but this time the cost o f the
needed repairs were too much tor
their modest income.
“My roof was down to its last
straw,” she stated. Despite know­
ing the repairs were needed, she
worried about taking on a new loan
payment and worried whether she
would even qualify for a loan.
Fortunately, Hornbuckle was fa­
miliar with the Home Repair Loan
program offered then by the Port­
land Development Commission and
now administered by the Portland
Housing Bureau. She knew her prop­
erty is eligible because it is located
in the Interstate Corridor Urban
Renewal Area.
Hornbuckle became familiar with
the program many years earl ier when
her mother had used a similar home
repair program to turn her unfin­
ished basement into an extra bed­
room and complete other renova­
tions on the home.
Late last fall Hornbuckle called
Kari Hernandez who is a loan spe-
cialist with the housing bureau. They
d isc u sse d the p ro g ram and
Hernandez helped her get her pa-
perwork together to apply.
to sell or refinance the home,” clari­ pare them to make sure she was
“Fortunately, her income quali­ fied Hernandez.
being charged a fair price.
fied her for deferred loan payments.
Once approved, Connie Buckley,
“Working with Bernice was a joy
This was great news because it meant a construction coordinator for the and it was also very rewarding to
she would not have to worry about agency, helped Hornbuckle finalize know that we were helping her fix up
making payments until she decides her repair list, obtain bids, and com­ their family’shome,’’stated Buckley.
By m id-D ecem ber, Hernandez
and H ornbuckle were m eeting at
her home and were signing the
final paperw ork. She got a home
repair loan o f $8,841 to replace her
roof, gutters and repair her chim ­
ney.
A few m onths later with her
hom e re p a irs now c o m p le te ,
H ornbuckle states, “It was a re­
ally good experience.” She is re­
lieved to know that the work she
needed to get done is now com ­
plete and that her fam ily’s home is
ready for their next fam ily affair.
Jon Gail is a marketing and out­
reach coordinator for the Portland
Housing Bureau and the Home Re­
A P ortland D evelopm ent C om m ission hom e re p a ir loan program
pair Program. To learn more about
helped B ernice H ornbuckle m ake ne cessary repairs to h e r home
the program he can be reached at
in the In te rs ta te C orridor Urban R enewal Area.
503-823-3292.
YES, SHE’S TALKING TO YOU.
Because a lot can happen in 25 years. Portland will
be different and today's children w ill be all grown
up. Many of us love what Portland has to offer,
especially its natural beauty and quality of life. But
today we face some real challenges that im pact
our day-to-day lives. How we respond to them w ill
affect the children and grandchildren of tomorrow.
That's why your ideas for the Portland Plan are
essential to make this a thriving and sustainable
city for everyone.
Through community input in Phase One of the
Portland Plan and visionPDX, we heard that
education, jobs, equity, public health and
sustainability are im portant to the people
of this city. Now it ’s tim e to take the next step.
The Phase Two com munity workshops will focus
on setting direction - identifying our goals and
choosing targets that w ill help us meet them.
We want your input, so come to a workshop or take
an online survey at www.pdxplan.com . There’s
talking about it. And then there’s actually doing
something about it.
PORTLAND PLAN PHASE II WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
SOUTHEAST
NORTHEAST
NORTH
April 26.2010.6:30 -9:00pm
Central Catholic High School
2401 SE Stark Street
CENTRAL CITY
April 29,2010,6 30 9:00pm
Beaumont Middle School
4043 NE Fremont Street
EAST
May 1.2010, lOarn 12:30pm
University Park Community Center
9009 N Foss Avenue*
WEST
May 10,2010,6:30 -9:00pm
University of Oregon m Portland
70 NW Couch Street
May 15,2010,10am~12:30pm
David Douglas High School
1001 SE 135th Avenue*
May 18,2010,6:30- 9:00pm
Jackson Middle School
10625 SW35th Avenue
www.PDXPIan.com I Twitter: OPDXPlan, #PDXPIan I Facebook: www.facebook.com/PDXPIan
The Portland Plan team is committed to providing equal access to information and meetings. If you need special accommodations,
please notify us five (5) days prior to the event by phone at 503-823-7700. by the TTY line at 503-823-6868. or by the Oregon Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900
City of Portland I Metro I Multnomah County I Portland Public Schools I Parkrose School District I Centennial School District I David Douglas School District I Reynolds School District »Portland State University
Oregon Health & Science University I University of Oregon I Portland Community College I Mt Hood Community College I TriMet I Portland Development Commission I Housing Authority of Portland I Worksystems, Inc.
East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District I West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District I Multnomah County Drainage District
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