Senior Affordable Housing Dwindling; Awareness, Ideas & Action Needed!

In these uncertain economic times with gas prices soaring and affordable housing at a minimum it is hard for working families and individuals to make ends meet and have a standard of living that is rewarding. This same dilemma is also faced by are senior citizens who often times have limited income resources and limited opportunities to strive to live a more fulfilling life.

With the housing market collapsing and the City of Portland going condo crazy, affordable housing for seniors is dwindling as the price of current rent keeps rising. More and more seniors are being forced out of their current places of dwelling because they can’t afford the rising cost of rent or live in an apartment complex that has been sold to developers who want to build more condominiums that will not benefit those most in need.

Of the many seniors that I have driven, I hear many of the same complaints about the price of rent going up and up, sometimes as much as 20-25% in a year. Most all retired seniors are living on a fixed income either from pensions, savings and social security checks that often times is just enough money to get them from one month to the next.

In addressing this problem there is a need for all of us to be aware of the dire situation that our clients at Northwest Ministries and the general community at large are facing. By being more aware of the affordable housing problem that senior citizens are up against we can begin to think of different ways to create a public awareness of the problem in hopes of generating ideas to put into action; to develop the political will to create fairness in a housing market that is discriminatory to lower income citizens.

NWPM to conduct survey of older adults downtown & in NW Portland

This summer NWPM is doing a survey of older adults in downtown & NW Portland to identify needs and interests around community resources and activities. We hope to complete at least 250 by Sept. 1st 2008. If you are over 60 & would like to be surveyed , please be in touch to schedule a time. Volunteers are also needed to help with this effort.
It is a fun way to meet neighbors and share information. The timing is very flexible, but a 90 minute training is required before getting started. In October we’ll report on the results. Contact Kelly Caldwell, NWPM Volunteer Manager at 503-413-5530 or Kelly@nwpm.org to learn more.

Beth Israel volunteers pitch in for NWPM

On May 4, more than 260 members of Congregation Beth Israel participated in “Mitzvah Day”—a day of community service. Two of their projects directly benefited Northwest Portland Ministries.
In planning the day’s activities, event chair Carole Barkley, a past president of the NWPM board, enlisted the help of our volunteer coordinator, Kelly Caldwell. “It was really nice to be able to have Kelly involved,” said Carole. “I had no idea how I was going to find enough community projects for that many volunteers on a Sunday!”
With Kelly’s help, ten projects were lined up—among them pulling ivy on trails in Tryon Creek State Park, working in two community gardens, picking up litter in the neighborhood, doing “fix up” at Friendly House Community Center, and holding a food drive to benefit the NWPM emergency food box program.
“The food drive was an obvious choice,” Carole noted, “because Beth Israel is one of the sponsors of the food-box program.” Team leaders Eve Rosenfeld and Jane Netboy passed out grocery bags and flyers after services and set up collection barrels on the synagogue campus. On Mitzvah Day, a team of volunteers sorted and organized food and other grocery items into more than 60 bags and boxes for transport to the food-box pantry.
Meanwhile, another team of volunteers prepared a mailing for NWPM’s annual fund drive. Under Kelly’s direction, they stuffed, labeled, and stamped 900 letters to our organization’s supporters and friends.
At the end of the day, volunteers–some of whom had been transported to and from their work sites via NWPM vehicles—gathered on the synagogue lawn for a party, complete with live music. “This was a good example of how NWPM and a religious congregation can work together to benefit the community,” said Carole. “We plan to do it again!”

Daisy the Dog!

Daisy the Shih Tzu is well known dog. Her frisky energy makes it easy for two footed creatures to engage in social connection & conversation. That is great, because her owner Nikou is just a bit shy. Originally from the Middle East, Nikou lived in France and was a world traveler before settling down to become a psychiatric nurse for many years. Today Nikou has no living relatives in this country, so her companion animal of several years is essentially her family and her best friend. When she had a stroke last year, her recovery process and medications left her so dizzy that it made it hard for her to exercise Daisy enough. Her stress and anxiety about her beloved pet’s needs was slowing down her recovery process.
NWPM volunteers stepped up to keep this cute little dog walked and well cared for. Over a several month period, five different volunteers befriended this fascinating lady and her fuzzy friend. The dedicated participation of a high school student, who stopped by regularly after her classes at the Metropolitan Learning Center, made all the difference.
As Nikou got better, she decided to move her little household downtown. On moving day in early May, a NWPM volunteer brought over a pick-up truck to transport her furniture & other items the 20 blocks to her new apartment. Small teams of people helped her with both packing and unpacking. She wanted to live in a building exclusively with older adults. Her new location on the South Park blocks makes it very easy for her take her dog outside and also nearby all their daily needs. Nikou is extremely gratefully for the help that allowed Daisy, to be well cared for during her health crisis, and for the support during her recent housing transition. Sometimes a team approach is needed to keep our elderly neighbors independent & connected!