Income-Based Housing: The 'Holy Grail' of Resettlement

     It's no secret--finding affordable housing in Portland is tough. Paying rent and utilities with only refugee benefits could have been the 13th labor of Hercules.We all know refugee families are struggling to cover their rent each month and that they are desperate for more affordable housing--so what can we do about it?

There is no immediate solution but there is a place to start: HousingConnections.org 

      HousingConnections is a website run by the Portland Housing Bureau where landlords can list affordable properties. Even more critical to our clients, HousingConnections regularly updates a list of income-based properties (places where a resident pays 30% of their monthly income for rent--i.e. if they have no income they will pay nothing) with open wait lists. To search for these units you simply go to housingconnections.org, click on "search housing" and fill out the search fields based on family size, location, etc. [see snapshot of their website on the right]. Under "availability" search for "No units available--waitlist open" and check the box for "income-based rent." A list of properties will appear that, when clicked, will give links to property management companies and their applications.   

     As you can imagine, income-based units are in high-demand-- wait lists for units are only opened if the expected wait-time is less than 2 years. Getting a family on a wait list will not solve their immediate financial troubles but it will start the process whereby they can eventually get into affordable housing. Depending on the size of the family it could take 1-2 years before their name reaches the top of a wait list. This is why it is important to get a family onto numerous wait lists as soon as possible. (Note: the open wait lists on housingconnections.org changes from week to week).

     We have had some great successes with getting families into income-based rent. Last month a Burmese family of 9 moved into Kateri Park and they are only paying $35/mo to stay there. The family can now use their TANF benefits to pay for utilities and buy shoes and school supplies for their seven kids while Dad searches for a job. And do you remember Deborah (her interview is a few posts back)? she just moved to New Columbia Villa where not only are they paying next-to-nothing in rent but they have access to parks, a grocery store located in the complex, after-school activities, and more-accessible ESL classes. Again, it was not easy to get families into these places but once they got there it made a world of difference. Contact me (Sarah) or Jeanne if you have any other questions about applying for these places.   

     

New Drop In Center!

     Great news!  The Refugee Resettlement Program has opened a weekly drop in center.  All refugees, not just those resettled by Catholic Charities, are invited to bring their questions, problems and confusions  to the fourth floor of the Catholic Charities building every Friday, from noon to three.  

     Staff and trained volunteers (interested?) are on hand to help with reading mail, refilling prescriptions, completing forms, applying for low-income housing, learning how to write checks and money orders, calling landlords, explaining the health care system (as if that were possible…), practicing English and keeping the kiddos amused with stickers and crayons.  Tea is served…in china cups, no less.  We’re off to a slow start:  one week we saw seven people, the next none.  But the word is getting out, and we expect to be busy from now on. 

     So, if someone in your refugee family (or any one of their friends) needs more help than you can provide, send them to the Friday drop in center.  No need to make an appointment…everyone is welcome… to drop in.

An Interview with Deborah Mayom

(courtesy of Jordan Pahl)

"I had the opportunity in December to sit down with Deborah, a refugee from the Sudan who is being helped by Catholic Charities.  Her story is saddening, and yet inspiring.

She came to Oregon with her family (herself, six daughters, and one son) from Kenya one year ago.  Originally from the southern part of the Sudan (what is now South Sudan, as of July 2011), she had left Sudan for Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and then left Ethiopia for Kenya in 1992, where most of her children were born and they stayed until they came to the United States.  As I sit on her couch across from her, accompanied by Sarah (a Jesuit volunteer with Catholic Charities) she describes the journey: the flight from Nairobi to Chicago, the flight from Chicago to Oregon, how the expedition took two days.  She says that it was cold when she got here, and she had no coat.  She began applying to come to the United States in 2006 – it was now December 8^th, 2010, and she and her family were finally here.  She tells me how she cried from happiness.

Deborah and her youngest daughter

Deborah was resettled in Portland by the Kurdish Human Rights Watch—Catholic Charities took over her case shortly after her arrival. She was shown her apartment – her new home – by her family’s resettlement case manager, who showed her how to lock the door, how to work the shower, how to use the refrigerator, how to operate the microwave.  She even did not know what a case manager was – all of these new things were thrust upon her, her first day settled her new country.  She learned how to use all of her new appliances, and learned how helpful the case managers could be – finding things for you, working with you to get help, finding someone you can ask for help.  She also learned to deal with disappointment: case managers, as helpful as they are, are not perfect, and her Kurdish Human Rights Watch case manager would frequently promise things but would not be able to follow through, sometimes not at all and sometimes not for a very long time.

One of the most important aspects of American life the Catholic Charities case managers have been able to help Deborah with is school for her children.  Deborah and the children explained to me the differences between an American and an education in Africa: there is no good education there, there are no English classes, there are a few books, and they mostly taught in Swahili.  As different as the schools are between Kenya and America, the children hardly remember their first day of school: they could not understand anything said to them and stayed quiet, unless they were speaking to the few fellow students who spoke Swahili.  The children simply described everything in America as “good,” whether it is food, education, medicine, or anything else. 

Deborah, decorating her first Christmas tree

Communication is difficult for the entire family.  Deborah herself has taken three English classes – one at Mount Hood Community College, one from IRCO (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization), and one other through DHS.  The first meets a few times a week, but the IRCO class met every day of the week, and they assign practice work for every night.  One of the most difficult parts, Deborah told me, is studying—it is tough with the children distracting her while she is trying to learn how to read.  She did not write at all in Africa, so learning to read and write in a completely different language is even more difficult.  She speaks an amazing – at least in comparison to most Americans – number of languages: Swahili, Dinka (the language of the Dinka people who come from the western area of what is now South Sudan), some Arabic, and Nuer (another tribal language of South Sudan).

            Currently Deborah hopes that one day she can bring her mother to live with her family here in the United States.  Details of where her mother was before are unclear, but she does have Deborah’s two nephews with her in Kakuma now.  Deborah worries that if certain people find out about where she is living her mother might be killed--currently she does not even know if her sister is alive or dead.  Deborah expressed her regrets about not knowing her own mother; it has been so long since she saw her that she does not remember her at all.  She simply wants her family to be together in the United States.

            Deborah said to me that she is going to live here until her hair is white, but she has “hope, hope, hope” that she can one day bring her mother here too. We wish Deborah all the luck in the world; she certainly deserves it."

Resources for Refugees

Catholic Charities in Portland is a great place for families to find resources, especially during these cold winter months.

At the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement offices, there is a master list of all the different resources for families around the city.  Here is a taste of what is out there:

Human Solutions – helps families with energy and water costs 

SnoCap Charities – helps families (especially those with children) get food and clothing if they live east of 82nd ave. 

Fish Emergency Service – helps with rent and utilities and also has a small clothing closet for those who live within certain boundaries. 

Most places do, however, require some sort of documentation in order to receive their services.  Here are some of the documents that may be required at the various organizations around Portland:

1. Photo ID
2. Social Security numbers
3. Birth dates
4. Income verification
5. Current power/water/heating bill
6. Shut off notice (for power/water/heating)
7. Proof of residency 

Not all organizations require all of these documents, and not all organizations provide the same services.  If you  know someone who may need their assistance, please contact Jeanne Toal here or Sarah Dupont here.