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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2015)
WWW . THESKANNER . COM A PRIL 22, 2015 P ORTLAND AND S EATTLE V OLUME XXXVII, N O . 29 For The Skanner website scan this QR code CENTS Pacific NW The Skanner News presents our new regional edition, featuring more news and local information. C HALLENGING P EOPLE TO S HAPE A B ETTER F UTURE N OW Why Your Rent Is Rising 25 $15 ON APRIL 15 Nationally more people than ever are apartment hunting LOS ANGELES (AP) — Living in an apartment? Expect your rent to go up again. Renting has gotten increasingly expensive over the last five years. The average U.S. rent has climbed 14 percent to $1,124 since 2010, according to commercial property tracker Reis Inc. That’s four percentage points faster than inflation, and more than double the rise in U.S. home prices over the same period. Now, even with a surge in apartment con- struction, rents are projected to rise yet another 3.3 percent this year, to an average $1,161, according to Reis. While that’s slower than last year’s 3.6 percent increase, the broader upward trend isn’t going away. “The only relief in sight is rents in the hottest markets are going to go up at a slow- er pace, but they’re still going to go up,” says Hessam Nadji, chief strategy officer at Marcus & Millichap, a commercial real estate services firm. The main reason: More people than ever are apartment hunting. Young people who have been living with their parents are increasingly finding jobs and moving out. Rising home prices are leading many long-time renters to stay put. In addition, most of the new apartments coming on the market are aimed at affluent tenants and carry higher-than-average rents. That’s especially true in cities where new buildings are going up in urban core areas, which means builders need to recoup higher land and development costs. Consider Denver, where rents have increased more than 5 percent a year since 2010 — 9.2 percent in 2014 — according to Marcus & Millichap. Of the 9,400 new apartment units added last year, 23 percent were in urban core areas. Competition for apartments means renters are less likely to be able to negotiate with landlords, or win concessions such as a free See RENT on page 8 INDEX News.......................1,3 Calendars ..............4,5 A & E ....................6,12 Housing ................7-10 Bids/Classifieds ........11 PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED Alex Veiga AP Real Estate Writer Desire Wilkens joined several hundred people for a march and rally on April 15 in support of the continued fight for a $15 an hour minimum wage. Similar rallies were held in 200 American cities and several other countries. Free Breakfast Program for Kids Pan Africanists take page out of the Black Panthers’ history book A dedicated Pan Africanist group in Portland is reviving a classic com- munity service project from the days of the Black Panther Party – a free children’s breakfast pro- gram. It starts on Monday, April 27, from 7 to 8 a.m. every Monday and Friday at the Columbia International Cup Coffee Shop and Café at 9022 North New- man Ave., in New Columbia. The All African People’s Rev- olutionary Party (A-APRP) Oregon Chapter has been work- ing for months to hammer out the project. The group says any child can participate, but fami- lies should register in advance so the cooks know how much food is going to be needed on each day. Part of the point is to work within the international struc- ture of the A-APRP to create local solutions to key problems facing the Black community, says organizer Ahjamu Umi. “It’s based on a strategy that we’re employing worldwide to create liberated zones,” Umi said this week. “Our definition of that is to create communities where people can come together and solve their own problems – we don’t believe the state is committed or even designed to do that.” That’s why the breakfast pro- gram will be offering a hot, nutritious breakfast for kids free every Monday and Friday morning – served at a local café owned by an African entrepre- neur — but that’s not all. Umi says the kids who come for breakfast will also be treated to African story-telling, African history lessons, cultural inspira- tion, and positive encouragement. “The breakfast is the first of several things we hope to roll out,” Umi says. “A Saturday school, some resources around counseling — including domestic violence counseling — so that people can learn to solve problems and not call the police.” The group says they chose See BREAKFAST on page 3 Crime Victims Rights Week Highlighted Multnomah County pushes for more funds, support in DV cases By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News L ast Wednesday, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners pro- claimed the week of April 19 – 25 to be National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The declaration is as an opportunity to pro- mote awareness of crime victims’ experiences and to push for greater protec- tions. The national theme for this years’ victims’ rights week is “engaging communities and empowering victims.” District Attorney Rod Underhill testified before the county board about the hardships of crime victims who are often overlooked and neglected. “Each year, thousands of residents of Multnomah County experience the trauma, pain, humiliation and personal and financial losses of being a victim of crime,” he said. Susan Walters spoke to the council about that after her estranged husband, Michael Kuhnhausen, hired a hit man to kill her. She survived the 15-minute deadly force encounter and ultimately killed her attacker, Edward Haffey. See VICTIMS on page 3
