Local News
Mens Meeting
NPI
Brian Stewart, vice president for commu-
nity relations and corporate responsibility,
said JP Morgan Chase is committed to sup-
porting development initiatives in high-
need
communities,
particularly
The donation is an
occasion to
remember that banks
also do good things
communities of color.
“The goals of JP Morgan Chase philan-
thropic giving is to really catalyze meaning-
ful change in high-need areas that we
serve,” Stewart said.
The project’s success depends on collabo-
ration between the City of Portland, the
PDC, small business owners, neighbors and
corporate funders, he added.
“So as you can see this type of initiative
will take the combined efforts of a lot of
people working diligently together. As a
funder we’ve been able to help convene
other funders to learn more about the oppor-
tunity and I would encourage them to join
us in supporting this effort.”
Commissioner Amanda Fritz said banks
have taken big hits to their reputation in the
wake of the economic crisis. So the dona-
tion is an occasion to remember that banks
also do good things.
“It’s important for us to recognize that
banks are really useful,” she said. “They
help us save money. They help us invest in
our communities, and when they’re good
community partners they help us be suc-
cessful and provide for our community. So
that’s important and I very much appreciate
the donation from Chase.”
If the project succeeds, it could encourage
other similar efforts, Fritz said.
“This is a pilot project, at least in my
mind. So if this is successful in the prosper-
ity initative districts then we can do more.”
Youth
PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED
continued from page 1
A group of 25 men came together Aug. 4, at Vancouver Avenue First
Baptist Church, to bridge the gulf between church and street. Convened
by Royal Harris, who works with gang-affiliated offenders, the group
included church leaders, outreach workers and men with experience of
street gang culture. Some of the men had known each other for decades;
others were meeting for the first time. The conversation looked at the
reasons for mistrust between church and street leaders, as well as ways to
build trust and productive relationships. Humor was never far from the
surface although, or maybe because, the men did not avoid difficult
topics. The men say the conversation will continue. Full story will be online
soon.
continued from page 1
State University in 2010, found that more
than 75 percent of those who take part in the
program stay free of felony convictions.
For all crime, the study found, the rate of
reoffending for CPR alumni is 32 percent
compared to 50 percent for all high-risk
young offenders in Multnomah County.
And when you consider that the 50 percent
figure includes the CPR group, the numbers
look even better.
“We actually brought that number down;
we dropped the average,” Sevos says.
“Because our group is a subset of the larger
group.”
CPR starts behind the walls of three pris-
ons: Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon
State Correctional Institution and Columbia
River Correctional Institution. High-risk
young offenders are offered a chance to join
the program, but participation is completely
voluntary. CPR works with 58 men at a
time, taking in about 6 new participants a
month.
Once in the program, the men take part in
cognitive behavioral therapy sessions,
designed to change negative, or criminal,
thought and behavior patterns. For six
months before they are released, they spend
at least six hours a week working with
parole officers, counselors and mentors to
set goals for themselves and plan for
release.
Then, on the outside, they continue in the
program for a year, attending groups, meet-
ing with case managers and following
through with their plans. And most gradu-
ates continue to stay in touch with the pro-
gram, returning to touch base with staff,
mentors and newly released participants.
Leaving prison behind is not easy. Young
men with felony convictions struggle to find
jobs.
Marina Poltorak, transition coordinator
for the CPR program, says financial insecu-
rity and unemployment are the reality for
most of the men.
“Surviving the process of not getting a job
is the biggest challenge, with the economy
the way it is and their history of incarcera-
tion,” she says. “A lot of the young men I
meet have never had an above board job,
and they almost never have high school
diplomas.
About 40 percent of CPR participants are
fathers, Sevos says. They want to support
their families, but the reality of the jobs
market makes that impossible.
“Sometimes the women are the ones who
help them survive,” she says. “That is one
of the things that helps stabilize them: if
they can get jobs.
“Most of the men are very under-
employed. They find work but it’s very low
income. We call those survival jobs.”
The average cost of the CPR program is
about $6,100 per person. That’s peanuts
compared to the cost of incarcerating an
chosis, the EASA team includes: Falk, an
intake coordinator, caseworkers with cultur-
al expertise, nurses, an occupational thera-
pist, and a jobs specialist. And you won’t
have to worry about paying for services or
medications. The service is free to those
who need it.
Based on research from Australia and
New Zealand that shows early intervention
improves long-term outcomes, the program
is one of more than a dozen EASA centers,
set up across Oregon to reach out to youth
and their families having a first experience
with mental illness.
“One young man was out of school for a
year,” Janz says. “Now he’s back in high
school and he just went to the prom.”
What kinds of symptoms are we talking
about?
The basic definition of psychosis is a loss
of contact with reality. It can include symp-
toms such as: feeling paranoid and anxious,
confused thinking, odd and unusual beliefs
or behavior, changes in perception such as
having hallucinations or hearing voices,
racing thoughts, and extreme mood
changes.
“You’re looking for a change in a person’s
thoughts or behavior, things that are more
odd, unusual, bizarre and out of the ordi-
nary,” Falk says. “Sometimes people have
symptoms but they don’t voice them, so
they look more depressed than anything
else. You might see grades going down or
isolation.”
Medication isn’t always necessary. Previ-
ous generations of doctors and mental
health professionals believed a psychotic
illness meant you had to take medicines for
life – even though the side-effects could be
devastating. That’s not true.
“The message wasn’t accurate, and it was
very discouraging,” Falk says. “Now we
can say: ‘This can, and hopefully will, get
More than 75 percent
of graduates do not
reoffend
offender. The Portland State study said that
for each class of 58 men, CPR potentially
saves society $1.35 million.
CPR is funded by Oregon’s Department
of Corrections, Multnomah County’s
Department of Community Justice and
some smaller private grants. For the next
two years, its mentor program is guaranteed
funding through the federal, “Second
Chance” program.
Volunteers of America also partners with
SE Works, Metropolitan Family Services
and the Constructing Hope pre-apprentice-
ship trades program.
Just like other teens and 20-somethings,
these young men want to make their own
decisions. They want to have nice clothes,
stylish shoes and cell phones so they can
text with friends.
“Can you imagine not having a cell phone
at that age,” Sevos says. “They can’t buy
that nice watch, and they have no money for
clothes. It’s the bling and the flash, and hav-
ing stuff. They don’t have parents who will
put that on their credit cards.”
As felons, these young men have to fight
their way up from the bottom of our socie-
ty. At the July graduation, counselors,
parole officers and mentors spoke about
how hard they worked to do so. One man
worked two part-time jobs. Sometimes they
have to distance from family and friends to
stay out of trouble. All of them had to con-
sistently attend meetings and follow their
recovery programs.
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
EASA
continued from page 1
“But up to 75 percent will never have
another psychotic episode, if you can treat it
early with wraparound family services and
support.”
That’s exactly what EASA is set up to do.
The goal is to reach young people with psy-
chotic symptoms before they reach a mental
health crisis. And it works. Former clients
have gone on to graduate from school build
successful careers and become parents.
“We’ve learned a lot about how to miti-
gate symptoms,” says Robert Janz, EASA’s
team leader. “What we are really geared to
do is to get people back into the normal pat-
tern of their lives. So we focus on things
like going to school, playing music, what-
ever their interests are. We’ve had skate-
boarding as part of our plan.”
The EASA team offers information, sup-
port and hope. Made up of experienced
mental health professionals who have
helped hundreds of people deal with psy-
better for you. And you’re not alone.’”
Falk says today’s medications are an
improvement on the past. Nevertheless, he
uses them sparingly.
“The general philosophy is to use the low-
est amount possible for the least amount of
time possible,” he says.
That’s another reason to contact EASA
early in the illness. It’s easier to keep med-
ications to a minimum. Once in hospital,
patients usually are given high doses of
medication to bring their symptoms under
control.
“What I do then is keep people on the
meds, unless the side-effects are too bad, for
a few months,” Falk says. “Then I gradual-
ly reduce them.”
Read the rest of this story online at
www.theskanner.com
August 8, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 3