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December 6, 2017
Terence Keller
A full Service Realtor
• List & Sell your House
• Find your New Home
• Help you Invest
• Find you the Best Loan
• Help with Pre-Sale Prep
• Hold Open House to sell your home
Portland is my Town
Call Terence Keller
503 839-6126
Liberty Group Realtors Inc.
terencekellersr@gmail.com • Oregon License 200306037
Chicago-Style
Steppin
Fun, Healthy Social
Dance for Couples
and Singles.
Weekly Classes
www.groovinhighsteppers.com
Denise Johnson 503-819-4576
Hernandez Williams 206-683-4101
Co-Founders and Instructers
Affordability for Now
C ontinueD froM p age 3
thousands of affordable housing
units across the state, according to
TIm Collier of Home Forward and
Denis Theriault of the Multnomah
County Office of Homeless Ser-
vices.
Multnomah County alone
could lose close to $200 million in
funding that would affect close to
1,800 housing units in the county,
officials said.
“The GOP tax bill is cruel and
backwards,” said U.S. Rep. Earl
Blumenauer, D-Ore. “As Port-
land and cities across Oregon face
housing crises, this bill would
bankrupt critical programs that
support affordable housing and
families who need it most, all
while giving massive tax breaks
to the rich.”
The Block 45 project will pro-
vide 220 housing units to folks at
60 percent or below the area me-
dian income—that’s $44,820 a
year—and 20 “deeply affordable”
housing units to folks at or below
30 percent of the area median in-
come. The building will also set
aside housing units specifically for
survivors of domestic violence. It
will also provide resident services,
community space, and the ground
floor will contain a retail store,
Calhoon said.
The estimated construction
cost of $284,600 per unit did raise
some eyebrows when it was ap-
proved last week, but the price
will be worth it for a building that
lasts 100 years and is sustainable,
according to City Commissioner
Nick Fish who disputed claims
from outside contractors who said
Networking for Jobs
C ontinueD froM p age 2
downtown.
An open house was held earlier
this month in a networking event
for members of the public to learn
about the county’s capital con-
struction projects.
It began with introductions
from project managers, contrac-
tors, subcontractors, pre-appren-
ticeship and apprenticeship ex-
perts each describing a substantial
need for many kinds of workers
and skill sets: pipefitters, truck-
ers, caulkers, carpenters, masons,
laborers, sheet rockers, sheet met-
al workers, project engineers and
3-D modeling experts, among oth-
er vital roles.
“We’re looking for people who
have experience and those who
don’t have experience. We’re
willing to train and teach,” one
apprenticeship manager said.
The event was co-hosted by
Hoffman Construction, JE Dunn
Construction and Construction
Apprenticeship and Workforce
Solutions.
Both the Multnomah County
Central Courthouse Project and
the Gladys McCoy Health Depart-
ment Headquarters in Old Town/
Chinatown have broken ground
and set ambitious goals to provide
opportunities for apprentices and
for minority, women, service-dis-
abled veterans and emerging small
businesses.
“We’ve put some things in place
so we can achieve those goals,”
said Faye Burch of FM Burch and
Associates, an equity and inclusion
consultant. “We’re taking responsi-
bility for developing these job op-
portunities and people.”
Opportunities exist for people
as young as 18 years old, Burch
stressed. Prospective candidates
they can build Block 45 for half
the proposed price.
Fish was critical, however, of
plans that did not offer permanent
supportive housing with social
services for homeless folks and
added an amendment that orders
housing officials to meet once
again with a proposal to include
supportive housing—the funding
for which is yet to be determined.
Located on the western half of
a block bound by Northeast Grand
Avenue, Hassalo, Sixth Avenue
and Holladay, Block 45 has stood
vacant since the city bought it
back in 1989.
The property is ideal for public
transport, within easy reach of the
downtown corridor by streetcar
and Max line.
“It’s going to do a lot of great
things,” Calhoon said.
can have a high school diploma
or a GED and can enter the field
through pre-apprenticeship pro-
grams like Constructing Hope,
Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., Port-
land Youthbuilders Program or
Portland Opportunities Industrial-
ization Center.
Trainings range from six- to 12-
week classes. After basic training
classes, students work on actual
construction projects to discover
areas of interest. Some programs
have direct entry to union and
non-union work.
“Apprenticeship is a pathway
for many out of poverty, and an
opportunity to be self-sustaining
for minorities and women,” Burch
said. “These are jobs that pay a
competitive wage with opportuni-
ty for growth.”
For more information on Con-
structing Hope call 503- 281-
1234, Oregon TradesWomen call
503-33-.8200, Portland Youth-
Builders call 503-286-9350.