B u fi l d fi n g H o p e C fi n c o D e M a y o F u n a n d H om e s L eg end a ry f e s t fiv a l Ou r sp e c fi a l op en s S a tu rd ay S e e Lo ca l N ew s , pag e 3 fo cu s on hou s fing QR c o d e f o r P o r t l a n d O b s e r v e r O n l fi n e ‘C fi ty o f Ro s e s ’ S e e fin s fid e , pag e s 3 -5 V o lum e XL IV Numb e r 19 E s t a b l fi s h e d fi n 1 9 70 www . p o r t l a n d o b s e r v e r . c om W e d n e s d a y • A p r fi l 2 9 , 20 1 5 C omm fi t t e d t o C u l t u r a l D fi v e r s fi t y PHOTO BY O L IV IA O L IV IA / T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER A young job see ke r , L yd fia Pa t t on ( le f t ) , ta l k s t o He len Huang o f the O regon Hea l th Au tho r fi t y abou t a va fi lab le po s fi t fion s du r fing the annua l U rban League o f Po r t land Job Fa fi r . E conomy fimp rov e s , bu t find fing wo rk s t fi l l d fi ffi cu l t BY O L IV IA O L IV IA T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER Un emp loym en t r a t e s h av e fin a l ly fin ch ed down som e b r fing fing hop e th e e conomy fi s fin a l ly ch ang fing fo r th e b e t t e r , bu t find fing wo rk fi s s t fi l l a s t rugg l e fo r m any p eo- p l e , e sp e c fi a l ly tho s e t r ad fi t fion a l ly d fi s adv an t ag ed fin th e job m a rk e tp l a c e . N ew figu r e s show O r egon ’ s job l e s s r a t e d ropp ed f rom 7 .4 p e r c en t to 5 .4 p e r c en t l a s t mon th , ov e r a l l . Fo r b l a ck and L a t fino commun fi t fi e s , th e un emp loym en t r a t e h a sn ’ t b e en c a l cu l a t ed y e t , bu t fi f p r ev fiou s p a t t e rn s p r ed fi c t any- th fing , un emp loym en t fi s s ev e r a l po fin t s h figh e r fo r p eop l e o f co lo r . Th e un emp loym en t r a t e w a s n e a r ly 14 p e r c en t fo r b l a ck R ebound on Job s O r egon fi an s du r fing mu ch o f th e l a s t y e a r , w fi th L a t fino s t r a fi l fing b eh find a t 9 .6 p e r c en t , l e av fing job s e ek e r s f e e l fing s tu ck and e sp e c fi a l ly con fu s ed . “Th fi s fi s no t som e th fing th a t ’ s n ew , ” s ay s D av fid Cook , an e conom fi s t w fi th th e O r egon Emp loym en t D fiv fi s fion . “Th e g ap h a s a lw ay s b e en th e r e . H fi s to r fi c a l ly sp e ak fing , th e un emp loym en t r a t e fo r b l a ck s h a s a lw ay s b e en h figh e r th an th e ov e r a l l popu l a t fion . ” A s th e Am e r fi c a n e conomy boun c ed b a ck f rom th e G r e a t R e c e s s fion o f 2008 , th e g ap b e tw e en wh fi t e and b l a ck w e a l th con t finu e s to w fid en . A c co rd fing to an an a ly s fi s o f F ed e r a l R e s e rv e d a t a by th e E conom fi c Po l fi cy In s t fi tu t e , th e m ed fi an n e t wo r th o f wh fi t e hou s eho ld s w a s $134 ,280 fin 2004 , comp a r ed w fi th $13 ,450 fo r b l a ck hou s eho ld s . By 2009 , th e m ed fi a n n e t wo r th fo r wh fi t e hou s eho ld s h ad f a l l - en 24 p e r c en t to $97 ,860 , bu t th e m ed fi an b l a ck n e t wo r th h ad f a l l en a whopp fing 83 p e r c en t to $2 ,170 . Th e U rb an L e agu e o f Po r t l and , a non -p rofi t o r g an fi z a- t fion th a t fo cu s e s on c fiv fi l r figh t s and th e su rv fiv a l o f b l a ck and m a r g fin a l fi z e d commun fi t fi e s , fi s a t th e fo r e f ron t o f h e lp - fing p eop l e o f co lo r find emp loym en t . A t th e g roup ’ s annu a l job f a fi r l a s t w e ek , s ev e r a l r ep r e- s en t a t fiv e s o f bu s fin e s s e s and gov e rnm en t a l ag en c fi e s c am e to th e t ab l e to h e lp p eop l e o f co lo r a c c e s s job s a f t e r a r e - c e s s fion th a t h fi t th em h a rd e r th an anyon e e l s e . Ov e r 78 v endo r s adv e r t fi s ed po s fi t fion s to hund r ed s o f job s e ek e r s . R e ed Co l l eg e , O r egon Pub l fi c B ro ad c a s t fing , th e O r egon H e a l th Au tho r fi ty , and th e C fi ty o f Po r t l and w e r e among th e do z en s o f comp an fi e s r e a ch fing ou t to th e commun fi ty . Th e O r egon H e a l th Au tho r fi ty w a s h appy to announ c e th a t th ey h ad mo r e job s th fi s y e a r th an fin p r ev fiou s y e a r s . C ONTINUED ON P AGE 16