% 2012
L M a r t in L u t h e r K in g J r .
January II, 2012
Page 5
sp e c ia l e o i i ion
A Community for All Ages
Bridge
Meadows
mentors
foster kids
M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
A new housing community in
north Portland is dedicated to
changing the face of the foster
care system by bringing back
intergenerational living, where
older residents are mentors to
young people recently adopted
or awaiting legal guardianship.
Bridge Meadows is the only
urban housing community of its
kind throughout the nation. It
provides 27 affordable housing
units for “elders” who help care
for foster youth, who live in one
of the nine homes reserved for
adoptive families.
According to Amanda Dav­
enport, Bridge Meadows devel­
opment director, there are cur­
rently more than 8,000 children
in Oregon who are part of the
foster care program.
“A lot of kids end up aging out
of the system,” she said. “So we
are looking for creative innova­
tive solutions to get these kids
permanent placement by adop­
tion or legal guardianship.”
Although planning began in
2004, Bridge Meadows opened
its doors in April 2011, founded
on the belief that a community of
caring, connected and em pow­
ered individuals can heal and
enrich the lives of each other.
Tenants come from a variety of
backgrounds before moving onto
the property, said Bridge Mead­
ows Executive Director and psy­
chologist Dr. Derenda Schubert.
“The expectation of the fami­
lies who move in here is that they
will adopt, or have adopted, at
least three to four children over
a four year period,” she said.
The two-acre complex is lo­
cated on land that once housed
the former John Ball Elemen­
tary School in the Portsmouth
neighborhood. While designated
as affordable housing for elders,
there isn’t an income restriction
for the families who wish to live
within the community.
Adoptive families are often
referred by the Department of
by
photo by
M indy C ooper /T he P ortland O bserver
A young boy and his mentor enjoy from a recent holiday celebration at north Portland’s intergenerational housing
community Bridge Meadows. Opened since last April, the affordable housing community provides support for both
the elderly and foster and adoptive youth.
Human Services, where they
learn about Bridge M eadows
through their case workers.
“We explain this is a commu­
nity, and there is a lot of interaction
with one another,” Schubert said.
The elderly, who must be 55-
years or older, are expected to
become part of the Bridge Mead­
ows living environment.
All tenants living in the units
are required in their leases to
volunteer at least 10 hours each
week to support the lives of the
youth and their families.
“Building the community be­
gins before people come to live
here,” Schubert said. “As we
interview them, we explain what
it means to be a member of this
community, and there are ex­
pectations of involvement and
support for the children and their
families.”
Davenport said Bridge M ead­
ows elders are very vibrant and
continued
on page 8
I love you I love you I love you I love you
WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE
ASSOCIATES ne
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a c e WOMEN'S HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATES.
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RECOMMENDED BY BABIES ALL OVER THE PORTLAND METRO AREA.