Portland observer., June 29, 2011, Page 23, Image 23

lune 29, 2011
Ipurtlanò (Dhsr ruer
Page 23
Housing Plan Tackles Discrimination
continued
from page 3
ons’ in office who have chosen
approaches that strongly align w ith
what her organizations supports.
“The biggest problem is that we
don’t know how bad the problem
is,” she said. “So it is difficult to
come up with sound housing poli­
cies to address the problem.”
Aguilera said Fish’s action plan
emphasizes a comprehensive ap­
proach that strongly aligns with
what the Community Alliance of
Tenants supports.
According to Maileen Hampto,
the public information officer for the
Portland Housing Bureau, “The
action plan is to see what local gov­
ernment and community groups can
do together to take down barriers
and allow fair access for everyone
to qualify for housing.”
Daniel Ledezma, the policy maker
for Commissioner Fish, said, “One
opportunity the action presents is
that we are able to leverage our
federal funding with other efforts
by community organizations and
the housing industry.”
She said, in the past, fair housing
hasn’t been an issue that local elected
officials have focused on, and Com­
missioner Fish has tried to set a wide
table so everyone can participate. “In
the end, we are more effective when
people can come together with their ence with discrimination was the rea­
resources,” she said.
son she became involved in the orga­
And Aguilera agrees. “If we can nization and is why she likes to help
come together and prioritize and fund tenants in apartment complexes de­
and implement some of these recom­ mand safe and affordable housing.
mendations, we can actually reduce
Each year the alliance answers
some of the barriers to fair housing.” questions and offers advice from
There are four elements of the over 2,500 calls from Portland resi­
action plan, including enforcement, dents. Palacio said a fair number of
education, the collection of data these calls include some kind of
and information, and housing policy discrimination or mistreatment.
changes.
Often, she said, landlords target
“With race and nationality, it was certain communities because they
a matter of getting into housing believe they can take advantage of
locations, getting repairs and just them. “People don’t know they are
flat out complaints of not so subtle being discriminated against,” she
discrimination,” she said.
said. “So I am working with volun­
One recommendation in the ac­ teers to translate the report so people
tion plan addresses the locations of who are affected can know what the
where affordable housing is located report says.”
within the city.
“One of the challenges our vol­
"I think there are historical links unteers face is some of the callers
to people of color and disabilities don't realize they might be experi­
not being able to access housing in encing discrimination,” Palacio said.
more desirable neighborhoods be­ “It’s harder for people to tell there is
cause of development, funding and this unfairness going on. Fair hous­
prioritization going towards other ing violations are severely under
issues,” Aguilera said. “In the past, reported.”
this has not been a priority, and
Aguilera said the com plaint-
these are things CAT has been call­ based system creates one of the
ing for years.”
biggest challenges in trying to fight
According to Cristina Palacio, a housing discrimination because ten­
volunteer with the Community Alli­ ants more often than not carry a
ance of Tenants, the action plan is high level of fear of retaliation that
a good starting point for change.
makes enforcement difficult.
Palacio explained her own experi­
Although many believe the vague
Soccer, a Universal Language for Youth
c o n t i n u e d f r o m page 11
and active engagement in their com­
munity, Dar and AYOC volunteers
connect immigrant refugee families
and youth to resources specific to
their needs.
After years in refugee camps,
many youth arrive illiterate and lack­
ing skills inherent to industrialized
societies. Unable to keep up aca­
demically, many kids drop out or
face expulsion from their schools.
One way AYOC addresses such
obstacles is bringing those kids
together through mentorship and
sports.
“The language of soccer is uni­
versal,” said Dar, who is motivated
by the need to build a stronger com­
munity not only within the Somalian
immigrant population, but the com ­
munity of Portland.
Ibrahim Kassin, 15, is another
Somalian refugee who was bom and
raised in a Kenyan camp after his
mother escaped her war-tom home­
land.
He holds a soccer ball made of
plastic bags wrapped in twine that
youth like him kicked around back in
the refugee camps of Africa. At the
camp, Kassin says he spent most
days playing soccer in sand fields
nearby and with barely enough food
to eat everyday, he only went to
school once a month.
“In Kenya, I never thought I’d do
anything when I got older,” said
Kassin who plays mid-defender for
his team, “Here, it gives me the op­
portunity to do something.” Kassin
is on track to graduate from Wilson
High School and plans to be an
engineer in the future.
Four days a week, practices are
lead by coaches Nuur Hassan and
Mahadi Mahadi nicknamed “Baggio”
whose footwork attribute to Italian
soccer legend Roberto Baggio.
Both men are originally from So­
malia. Nuur Hassan, a youth leader
ofAYCO, moved to theU.S. with his
family from a Kenyan refugee camp
called Banadir, where he too learned
to play soccer.
“Lots of kids want to play soccer,
but nobody can support them,” said
Hassan who has lived in Portland
for 15 years. Without pay, Hassan
and Mahadi encourage kids to come
to practice where with a little hard
work; they will help them become
better players.
“At the end of the day, parents
appreciate our work here,” said
Hassan. Keeping them at practice
also curbs temptation toward trouble
on the streets. “They get tired and
go home,” says Mahadi.
Mahadi, immigrated with his fam­
ily to Dallas, Texas, expecting to
pursue his lifelong goal of playing
competitive soccer. However al­
ready in his 20s and lacking a formal
education, Mahadi says he “didn’t
get where he wanted” since most
professional soccer players emerge
through the college system. Yet, he
has still managed to travel and play
soccer all over the country, broad­
ening his experiences in a culturally
diverse America.
As his first-time coaching kids,
M ahadi is already known and
trusted by his players. In preparing
them for not only the upcoming
tournament, but “how to live life in
America,” Mahadi would like to his
players achieve what he arrived too
late in the game for; a future in
soccer and education.
AYOC acts not only as a link to
African immigrant but bridges the
cultural divide between immigrant
communities and the larger commu­
nity of Portland.
“Everybody wants to support
these kids,” said Alejandro “Alex”
Vidales, recreation coordinator fpr
Parks and Recreation’s Outreach
Services, who would like to expand
diversity in Portland’s sports recre­
ation programs.
Vidales sees the partnership as
an opportunity for Portland to wel­
come new cultures by sharing our
traditions with existing traditions of
the Somalian community, and what
better way to bring the two together
than a soccer match.
reports of what was actually found known through proactive efforts.
from the audit testing continues to
“Housing Discrimination is not
create political noise throughout the just a city problem,” Aguilera said.
community, stakeholders through­ “This is something that affects all of
out the community believe the action Multnomah County—quite frankly,
plan is a way to address the results the whole state.”
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