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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2017)
Page 6 June 21, 2017 New Prices Effective April 1, 2017 O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $49.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 An Assault on the Least Among Us We cannot let our neighbors go hungry S uZanne W aShington With President Trump’s budget, Congress has now seen his plans for low income Americans, and Congress must wholly re- ject his vision in their own upcoming budget. The scale and size of the pro- posed funding cuts are not just staggering: they would shred de- cades of federal bipartisan sup- port to ensure that the least among us - especially poor, elderly, and disabled Americans -- can main- tain basic standards of living, like food to eat and a roof overhead, as well as the ability to maintain their health and dignity. Having enough food to eat is a real problem for our nation’s seniors: the National Council on Aging estimates that 10.2 million older Americans (15.8 percent of people age 60+) faced hunger in 2014. Thanks to funding from the Older Americans Act, which par- tially funds Meals on Wheels Peo- ple, we are able to delivery fresh, by nourishing meals to 5,000 older adults every weekday. Many Meals on Wheels pro- grams also rely on both Commu- nity Development Block Grants and Community Ser- vice Block Grants. The president’s budget elim- inates the CDBG pro- gram, which will have a devastating impact on the ability to serve and deliver meals. It is the combination of funding sources that allows Meals on Wheels pro- grams to feed our most vulnerable elders. Making it even more difficult for our participants to get the nu- trition they need, Trump’s budget also dramatically shrinks and al- ters SNAP (food stamps), another key source of nutrition for our low income seniors -- and for more than 676,00 Oregonians statewide. Trump’s budget not only cuts $193 billion from SNAP over the next 10 years, it also ends the fed- eral commitment to provide food assistance to low income people by shifting 25 percent of SNAP’s cost to states over 10 years. The cost to Oregon alone would be more than $1.8 billion. If, as is likely, our state could not fill the hole created by these cuts, states would be allowed to slash bene- fits, including eliminating the min- imum benefit -- currently $16 per month. This would result in 57,000 people in Oregon, mostly elderly and people with disabilities, losing SNAP benefits altogether. Even with the support of Meals on Wheels People, we know it’s not enough for many of our par- ticipants and they rely on the ad- ditional support of SNAP to make sure they have enough to eat every day. Norma, who lives alone in a small home in southeast Portland, survives on her income from Social Security. She relies on both SNAP benefits and her daily meal deliv- ery from Meals on Wheels People for the majority of her food. If one or both are eliminated, Lois will go hungry. We cannot let this happen to our elderly neighbors. Adding insult to injury, Trump’s budget doesn’t just eliminate food assistance for seniors -- by break- ing his promise not to cut Social Security and slashing Social Se- curity Disability Income and Sup- plemental Security Income by $72 billion over 10 years, this budget cuts a critical source of income for some of our participants. These benefits are essential for people with disabilities who can’t earn a living wage. According to Federal Center on Budget and Policy, just over 95,000 working-age Orego- nians with disabilities (3.8 per- cent of Oregon’s 18-64 year olds) received SSDI and/or SSI in De- cember 2015. We see every day how this net of services created with bipartisan support over the years ensures that our clients can be healthy and live independently with dignity. Meals on Wheels People depends on more than just federal funds to make our program work -- our local and state governments con- tribute their share, as do more than 450 volunteers who show up ev- ery weekday to help their neigh- bors in need. Far too many Americans are just one illness or one accident away from financial disaster or physical incapacity. Congress must not ignore the evidence that these programs work. Congress must propose a budget that pro- vides a reliable foundation our community’s health and well be- ing for anyone facing disability, illness or old age. Suzanne Washington is the executive director of Means on Wheels People.