10A • COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • JULY 3, 2018
from A1
LIVE
home market in Cottage Grove
was so brutal. We stopped try-
ing aft er a year and half of not
passing inspection or getting
out bid by developers.”
Vreeland and her family
of four now pay $650 in rent
in a market that, according
to the latest data, continues
to climb out of reach for the
average worker. According
to the National Low Income
Housing Coalition report
“Out of Reach,” released late
last month, the average Ore-
gonian can no longer aff ord
a one-bedroom apartment.
Th e report focuses solely on
the state of Oregon and while
Portland rent prices continue
to dominate the news cycle,
more rural counties reported
similar housing hardships.
According to the report,
an individual in Lane Coun-
ty making minimum wage
($10.75 an hour) must work
52 hours a week to aff ord the
average rent for one-bedroom
apartment in the county.
Of the 146,692 households
reported in Lane County, 41
percent of them are classifi ed
as renters.
“It’s a real struggle,” said
Cottage Grove resident Kasi
Quimby. “My husband works
full-time for a local business
here in Cottage Grove but we
are tired of trying to make it
work — so we are trying to be-
come self-suffi cient.”
Aff ordable housing is de-
fi ned as housing payments
accounting for at least 30
percent of a family’s budget.
In Lane County, 30 percent
of the area’s median income
is $531 per month. Th e Qui-
mbys current-ly pay $600 a
month for a duplex in town,
and have for 11 years, but now
hope to move into a tiny house
on family property. However,
they have found the permit
process at the county diffi cult
to navigate.
A governmental rental
reasonableness
assessment
reports that, for East Lane
County, the fair market rent
for a one-bedroom apartment
is $715, meaning that the
price falls within the current
market price. Th e fi gure, how-
ever, does not include the cost
of utilities.
Cottage Grove City Coun-
cilor Mike Fleck has been a
vocal advocate for developing
housing in the city for several
years. In 2017, he approached
executive director of the area’s
chamber of commerce to form
a committee to examine the
from A1
UTILITIES
to continue operating the
treatment plant and some of
the funds required to make
updates to infrastructure.
“One of the issues, and I
think Salem’s problems they’re
having, and we’ve had to some
extent too, and then you look
at Flint, MI, those are issues
housing crisis. Eventually, he
teamed up with planning and
development director Faye
Stewart. Th e pair invited local
realtors and developers to dis-
cuss the barriers to developing
housing in the city.
“Th e number one issue was
actually how diffi cult it was to
go through the city process,”
Fleck said, noting that Stew-
art has since streamlined that
process.
Building additional housing
units, however, may not alle-
viate the need for aff ordable
housing. A new development
on Highway 99 headed by
Hayden Homes consists of
separate housing units, with
a one-bedroom in the devel-
opment is currently listed at
$995 a month. Meanwhile,
popular Real Estate websites
list just one home for rent
in Cottage Grove — a 600
square-foot space advertised
for $700 a month.
Homes for sale in the area
are listed anywhere from
$199,000 to over $500,000.
According to Victoria Pala-
cios, housing case manager
for Community Sharing, a
local food pantry that helps
individuals meet basic needs
and that is headed by Fleck,
the majority of individuals she
sees in her offi ce are paying
well over 30 percent of their
income in rent.
“Right now, rents in Cottage
Grove are not that much lower
than in Eugene,” she said, not-
ing that if individuals opted
to commute to larger cities to
work, they still had to contend
with transportation costs and
wear and tear on their vehi-
cles. She also noted that, in
her experience, the majority
of salaries in Cottage Grove
are made up of several part-
time positions rather than a
single, 40-hour per week job.
Th e Sentinel checked with Th e
Cottage Grove Area Chamber
of Commerce but it did not
have statistics detailing avail-
able positions within the city
or what those positions paid
per hour.
“Th e big employers are
Weyerhaeuser, the City of
Cottage Grove, PeaceHealth,
Packtech and the school dis-
trict,” Fleck said.
United Way of Lane Coun-
ty President Noreen Dunnells
previously spoke to Th e Sen-
tinel regarding the housing
crisis in Oregon and stated
that a single adult has to make
$11 an hour to survive, not in-
cluding funds for emergencies
such as a broken limb, car re-
pair or unexpected jump in a
utility bill.
that show why it costs money
to run water systems,” Meyers
said.
In May of this year, Salem
issued a health advisory, warn-
ing residents not to drink the
city’s water aft er algae blooms,
carrying and dangerous toxin,
were found in the water sup-
ply. Last month, the same al-
gae was found at Dorena Lake
which feeds Cottage Grove’s
water supply. Th e city’s drink-
“It’s the water, power and
food,” Quimby said. “Th at’s
killer. But you need those
things to survive.”
Th e average city water bill
in Cottage Grove is $113 and
includes wastewater and wa-
ter treatment. In December
of this year, Emerald People’s
Utility District (EPUD) issued
an apology aft er customers
complained of higher than
average power bills. Th e com-
pany cited its new tiered-rate
system that charges individu-
als who use more electricity a
higher rate per kilowatt.
In a statement issued by the
company, General Manager
Scott Coe said the company
did not clearly communicate
the change in rate charges and
would off er assistance pro-
grams for those unable to pay
their December bills. In June,
the company released a state-
ment noting that the tiered-
rate system would continue.
“I make too much for food
stamps,” Vreeland said. “But
we oft en struggle with fi lling
our pantry.” Th e family utiliz-
es Community Sharing’s food
box program.
Vreeland and families like
hers, who are fully employed
and do not qualify for assis-
tance programs because their
salaries price them out, were
the subject of a report by
United Way earlier this year
titled the “United Way Asset
Limited, Income Constrained,
Employed (ALICE) report.”
In Cottage Grove, 53 percent
of the city's 3,937 households
qualify as ALICE households
or fall below the poverty line.
Four of the 12 other cities
in Lane County (Florence,
Oakridge, Springfi eld and
Westfi r) have a higher per-
centage of struggling house-
holds.
ALICE families, by defi ni-
tion, earn an income that does
not fall below the federal pov-
erty line ($11,880 annually)
but does not meet the basic
cost of living. In Oregon, 42
percent of households quali-
fy as ALICE households with
58 percent of jobs in the state
paying less than $20 an hour
and 60 percent of those jobs
paying less than $15 an hour.
Th e current waitlist for a
unit in the only HUD-ap-
proved housing complex in
Cottage Grove, River Terrace,
is approximately a year long.
For section 8 vouchers that
allow renters to rent units in
any building or house that ac-
cepts the program, opened for
10 days in May and re-ceived
over 4,600 applications in
Lane County. It’s not expected
ing water was not aff ected.
“Folks who have lived here
for 30, 40 years, they remem-
ber going to a restaurant and
the cups were brown,” Meyers
said. “Th at was so you couldn’t
see that the water was a little
brown. Now, we can have clear
glasses. It’s not rain water and
river water we’re drinking any-
more; we have to treat it.”
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to open again until next year.
Community programs like
Community Sharing help to
fi ll in where families fall short
aft er paying rent, a mortgage
or for families whose strug-
gles are more severe. Th e city
has also taken an interest in
the housing crisis with Fleck’s
housing committee, set to
hold additional discussions
this fall, and continued con-
versation about the cost of de-
veloping in the city.
Th e Cottage Village Coa-
lition also works to alleviate
housing pains and built its
mission on the desire to help
those in danger of becoming
homeless. Initially, the coali-
tion worked toward housing
homeless but shift ed its focus,
citing individuals who earn
a social security check every
month that totaled an average
of $750. Th e project, fund-
ed by a grant from the Mey-
er Memorial Trust and other
donations and grants, will
feature 13 tiny homes on 1.1
acres on Madison Ave.
Th e place where it’s real-
ly critical and sometimes
life-threatening is people
looking for shelter they can
really aff ord,” said Bruce
Kelsh, head of Cottage Village
Coalition. “Th e Oregon Hous-
ing and Community website
indicates that the greatest
stress and greatest wait time is
for studio and one-bedroom
apartments.”
S entinel
C ottage G rove
www.cgsentinel.com
@
cgsentinel
@cgsentinel
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Cottage-Grove-Sentinel
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Worship
Directory
DRAIN:
HOPE U.M.C.
131 W “A” St. Drain, OR
541-315-1617
Pastor: Lura Kidner-Miesen
Fellowship & Song: 11:30am
Potluck Lunch: 12:00pm
Worship: 12:30pm
Delight Valley
Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Rd. East
541-942-7711
Pastor: Bob Friend
Two Services:
9am - Classic in the Chapel
10:30am - Contemporary in the
Auditorium
COTTAGE GROVE:
6th & Gibbs Church of Christ
195 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3822
Pastor: Aaron Earlywine
Summer Service: 9:30 am
Christian Education:
Pre-K through 5th
www.6thandgibbs.com
First Baptist Church
301 S. 6th st • 541-942-8242
Interim Pastor: Reed Webster
Sunday School 9:30am
Worship Service 11:00am
Youth Wednesday 6:30pm
cgfi rstbaptist.com
Calvary Baptist Church
77873 S 6th St • 541-942-4290
Pastor: Riley Hendricks
Sunday School: 9:45am
Worship: 11:00am
The Journey: Sunday 5:00pm
Praying Thru Life: Wednesday 6:00pm
First Presbyterian Church
3rd and Adams St
541-942-4479
Pastor: Karen Hill
Worship: 10:00am
Sunday School: 10:00am
www.cgpresbynews.com
Calvary Chapel Cottage Grove
1447 Hwy 99 (Village Plaza)
541-942-6842
Pastor: Jeff Smith
Two Services on Sun:
9am & 10:45am
Youth Group Bible Study
Child Care 10:45am Service Only
www.cgcalvary.org
Hope In The Grove
700 E. Gibbs • 401-855-5668
Pastor: Wayne Husk
Sunday services:
Worship: 9am
Coffee Fellowship: 10:15am
Bible Study: 10:30am
Center for Spiritual Living
700 Gibbs Ave. (Community Center)
Rev. Bobby Lee
Meets Sunday 3:00 p.m.
cslcottagegrove@gmail.com
Church of Christ
420 Monroe St • 541-942-8565
Sunday Service: 10:30am
Cottage Grove Bible Church
1200 East Quincy Avenue
541-942-4771
Pastor:Bob Singer
Worship 11am
Sunday School:9:45am
AWANA age 3-8th Grade,
Wednesdays Sept-May, 6:30pm
www.cgbible.org
Cottage Grove Faith Center
33761 Row River Rd.
541-942-4851
Lead Pastor: Kevin Pruett
www.cg4.tv
Full Childrenʼs Ministry available
Service: 10:00am
Hope Fellowship
United Pentecostal Church
100 S. Gateway Blvd.
541-942-2061
Pastor: Dave Bragg
Worship: 11:00am Sunday
Bible Study: 7:00pm Wednesday
www.hopefellowshipupc.com
“FINDING HOPE IN YOUR LIFE”
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
and St. Philip Benizi
Catholic Churches
1025 N. 19th St.
541-942-3420
Father: Joseph Hung Nguyen
Holy Mass:
Tue-Thu: 8:30am; Sat:5:30pm
Sun: 10:30am
Confession: After daily mass,
Sat. 4-5pm or by appointment
St. Philip Benizi, Creswell
552 Holbrock Lane
541-895-8686, Sunday: 8:30am
St. Andrews Episcopal Church
1301 W. Main • 541-767-9050
Rev. Lawrence Crumb
“Church with the fl ags.”
Worship: Sunday 10:30am
All Welcome
Seventh-day Adventist Church
820 South 10th Street
541-942-5213
Pastor: Kevin Miller
Bible Study: Saturday, 9:15 am
Worship Service: Saturday, 10:40
Mid-week Service: Wednesday, 1:00
Trinity Lutheran Church
6th & Quincy • 541-942-2373
Pastor: James L. Markus
Sunday School & Adult Education
9:15am
Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Comm. Kitchen Free Meal Tue & Thur
5:00pm TLC Groups
tlccg.com
United Methodist Church
334 Washington • 541-942-3033
Pastor:Lura Kidner-Miesen
Worship: 10:30am
Comm. Dinner (Adults $5,
Kids Free)
1st & 3rd Monday 5-6:00pm
umcgrove.org
Non-Denominational
Church of Christ
1041 Pennoyer Ave
541-942-8928
Preacher: Tony Martin
“VICTORY” Country Church
Sunday Bible Study:10:00am
Sunday Worship:10:50am & 5:30pm 913 S. 6th Street • 541-942-5913
Pastor: Barbara Dockery
www.pennoyeravecoc.com
Worship Service: 10:00am
Message: “WE BELIEVE IN
Old Time Gospel Fellowship
MIRACLES”
103 S. 5th St. • 541-942-4999
Pastor: Jim Edwards
CRESWELL:
Sunday Service: 10:00am
Join in Traditional Christian Worship Creswell Presbyterian Church
75 S 4th S • 541-895-3419
Rev. Seth Wheeler
Adult Sunday School 9:15am
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am
website www.creswellpres.org
Worship With Us!
• Implants
Our Worship Directory is a weekly feature
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• Financing
would like to be a part of this directory,
1325 Birch Ave.
Cottage Grove
birchavenuedental.com
541-942-2471
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please contact the
Cottage Grove Sentinel
@ 541-942-3325