September 14, 2016
The
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INSIDE
Week in Review
This page
Sponsored by:
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L OCAL N EWS
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O PINION
M ETRO
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Photo by M ark W ashington J r ./t he P ortland o bserver
Miracles Central, a new affordable housing complex in the Lloyd District opens to people impacted by
homelessness, poverty and addictions. Pictured at Thursday’s grand opening ceremony are Robert
Lyday (from left), one of the first residents to move into the 47-unit building, Michael Booker, Miracles
Club executive director, and Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman.
Housing Miracles
Recovery-based groups open new apartment
A Portland non-profit serving
people impacted by homelessness,
poverty and addictions, joined a
drug and alcohol recovery-based
organization focused on Port-
land’s African-American commu-
nity to open a new, 47-unit hous-
ing building in the Lloyd District.
The grand opening celebration
on Thursday by Central City Con-
cern and the Miracles Club drew a
large group of supporters, includ-
ing speakers J.W. Matt Hennessee
of Vancouver Avenue First Baptist
Church and Portland City Com-
missioner Dan Saltzman.
Miracles Central, 1306 N.E.
Second Ave., is a new six-story,
$12.9 million apartment building
that will include on-site support-
ive services for residents includ-
ing recovery support. It adds to
the existing Miracles Club hous-
ing stock which exists above the
Miracles Club at 4200 N.E. Mar-
tin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ed Blackburn, Central City
Concern executive director, said
the expansion of housing services
focused on local residents was
a great example of community
partners working together to fill a
need.
“We want to serve the people
who live in the neighborhoods
where we build. Miracles Central
has diverse base of residents who
C ontinued on P age 5
Section 8 Housing Wait List Opens
Applicants
have just 4
days to apply
Arts &
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ENTERTAINMENT
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
C ervante P oPe
t he P ortland o bserver
For the first time in four years,
Home Forward, the low-income
housing provider for Portland and
Multnomah County, has opened
the Section 8 waitlist to applicants
in need.
Also known as the Housing
Choice Voucher program, the ap-
plication window opened Tuesday
by
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and will only stay open through
Friday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 p.m. Be-
cause of the relatively low turn-
over rates in affordable housing
options and the random lottery
system of selecting new tenants, it
will take from two to three years
to fulfill new and older applica-
tions, officials said.
Not everyone who applies for a
voucher will get one. Only 3,000
people who apply will make the
waitlist. The last time the list was
open in 2012, about 21,000 people
applied.
Qualifications for Section 8 in-
clude meeting low income guide-
lines, passing a criminal back-
ground check and having at least
one family member that is a U.S.
citizen or legal resident.
In order to meet income guide-
lines, the household must earn less
than 50 perfect of the average in-
come. Those that have been diag-
nosed with a terminal illness and
have a life expectancy of one year
or less can apply for Section 8 pri-
ority status. Call 503-802-8333
for more information.
Applicants apply online during
this week’s application period. To
apply and find information, visit
homeforward.org/node/287/view.