July 14. 2010
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The Week in Review
Fred Meyer
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I L ocal N ews
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kPSHAMIÎTAN
S TR A TE G Y
O pinion
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A Perm anent H om e for M iracles Club
N ew building will include drug-free housing
by J ake
ArtsQ
X
I siltIIAINMtNI
pages 9-12
C lassifieds
page 13
H ealth
pages 14-15
F ood
page 20
T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
A fter years o f scurrying from
b u ild in g to b u ild in g in northeast
Portland, a group o f P ortlanders try­
ing to hang onto a second chance at
life seem s to have found a p erm a­
nent hom e.
Som e o f P o rtla n d ’s top politicos
and co m m u n ity leaders gathered on
4222 N E M artin Luther King Jr. Bou­
levard last w eek to celebrate the
g r o u n d b r e a k in g f o r th e n e w
M iracles C lub, a social o utlet in
northeast P ortland for p eople re­
co v erin g from drug and alcohol
addictions. Its new digs w ill also
include housing for people getting
back on the straight-and-narrow .
T h e M ira c le s C lu b b e g a n in th e
19 9 0 s as a p la ce fo r p e o p le try in g
to sta y s o b e r to g e t to g e th e r, re ­
lax, p la y a g am e o f d o m in o s, and
g e n e ra lly hav e a p la ce to so c ia liz e
w ith o u t th e p re se n c e o f d ru g s o r
alco h o l.
H ow ever, its m em bership has
o fte n b een n o m a d ic , o ccu p y in g
several different places in northeast
Portland.
City C om m issioner Dan Saltzman
describ ed how he first cam e into
contact w ith the group in the mid
1990s w hen he w as serving on the
M ultnom ah C ounty C om m ission,
and alm ost instantly becam e a sup­
p o rter o f the group and the concept
behind it.
“ I w as clearly im pressed w ith ju st
the p o w er and the sim plicity o f the
idea o f having a social club for those
w ho w ere in recovery; w hat a b eau ­
tiful, pow erfu l, sim ple idea,” said
Saltzm an, w ho helped the M iracles
C lub get through the red tape to
m ove into its m ost recen t location
oat 4069 N E M artin L u th er K ing Jr.
B oulevard ab o u t three and a h a lf
years ago.
Since then the group, w hich is
pred o m in an tly A frican A m erican,
has clashed w ith its n eighbors in
the gentrifying part o f tow n about
their som etim es boisterous m eet­
ings.
In 2006, the building the club
used w as sold by its ow ner. A l­
though the deal fell through, it b e ­
cam e clear that it w as tim e for an
u p g ra d e fro m the b u ild in g th a t
lacked air conditioning and w as a b it
dilapidated.
In D e c e m b e r o f th a t y e a r ,
S a ltzm an h e lp e d th e g ro u p g et
$500,000 in city funds to help it look
for a new hom e, w hich he called a
very fitting C h ristm as present.
A fter years o f w ran g lin g , city
officials and supporters o f the club
co b b led to g eth er $12 m illio n in
stim u lu s m o n ey , u rb an re n e w a l
funds, and o th er public and private
m oney for a new hom e for the
M iracles C lub.
B ut the building w ill further the
m ission o f the M iracles C lub by
p ro v id in g 4 0 units o f affordable
housing for individuals recovering
from addictions, giving them a stable
and supportive place to g et clean.
Speakers at the event took turns
gushing o v er the project and how
the gro u n d b reak in g is a positive
d ev elo p m en t in n o rth east P ortland
that b ro u g h t a v ariety o f people
to g eth er.
“ It is a good day in the n eig h b o r­
hood. It is a good d ay ,” said fo rm er
state S en ato r A vel G o rd ly , w ho
added that the p roject w as p ro o f
that w e h a d n ’t lost o u r ability to
trust, hope, o r dream .
H erm an B ryant, the executive
director o fth e M iracles C lub Board,
s p o k e , s a y in g th a t th e n e v e r
doubted that the project w ould hap­
pen and that it had brought together
m any people from different b ack­
g rounds to m ake it happen.
“ I d o n ’t like the term diversity
because the first three letters are like
divide; it’s ju s t fam ily ,” he said.
C o rrectio n
that there w as a fatal hom icide on
June 15 on the 4 9 0 0 block o f N orth
F e sse n d e n S treet. T h e sh o o tin g
actu ally o ccu rred n ear N. Fiske
A venue and N. Fessenden Street
and w as not fatal. “ H itm akers at
Spirit M ountain” also included a
m isspelling o f “ Spirit M o u n tain.”
Last w e e k ’s co v er article, “G hosts
o fN ew C olum bia’, incorrectly stated