Fairview Housing Trust Focus of Latest Oregon Perspectives Issue

The latest edition of Oregon Perspectives, a publication of the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, is out now. This season’s issue focuses on The Fairview Housing Trust and what important home improvements have been brought to people as a result of this very important resource. This valued program is now being eyed as a potential budget cut. Read more here.

Bill Lynch’s spot-on opening letter from the issue:

Trust is built on promises kept. The Fairview Community Housing Trust Fund was built on a promise by state policymakers that Oregon would have a sustainable resource to enhance the safety and independence of individuals with developmental disabilities living in their own homes or their family homes. But now the state is openly talking about breaking that promise.

The idea of the trust fund was simple. Take the proceeds from the sale of the Fairview Training Center property and create a fund that would generate interest. Turn the interest into small grants to modify private homes so those homes are more accessible and safe for the people with developmental disabilities who live there. This is not charity; it’s a wise investment that helps keep people in their own homes so they do not have to enter much costlier state services.

They say desperate times call for desperate measures. There’s no question the state budget is facing desperate times, but some of the desperate measures being considered to fill the budget hole are indeed questionable. Even if the entire amount in the Fairview Community Housing Trust Fund were used to balance the state budget, that amount wouldn’t even begin to tip the scales. In the meantime, we would wipe out a self sustaining resource that costs the state nothing but has the potential to make a big difference in the lives of thousands of Oregon households. In fact, it already has for more than 1,000 households.

In this issue of Oregon Perspectives, you will hear from trust fund grant recipients from all over the state who say the small amount of money they received to modify their homes has had a huge impact on the quality of their lives.


We have no reason to doubt they are telling the truth, and they should have no reason to doubt we will
keep our promises.

Self Advocates Needed for SAAL Connection

A request from the Self Advocates as Leaders:

Hello, My name is Judy Cunio. I am the Self Advocacy Coordinator for the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities. As part of my job, I am the editor of The SAAL Connection (formerly known as The People First Connection), a publication of Self Advocates as Leaders. The SAAL Connection features stories written by and for self advocates.

I am writing this message because, as many of you know, the state does not have enough money to continue doing everything that it’s currently doing. So that means each agency needs to cut back on the money they spend on services.

But you can help us get policymakers’ attention by sharing your personal story!

We are looking for stories from self advocates about the type of support you get, what it means to you, and what life would be like without it. People can write their own stories or get help from someone to write it. The people who have to make the hard budget decisions don’t always understand the real harm that budget cuts will do to the people who need the services most.

If you would like to help, I invite you to share your story with The SAAL Connection, which is read by many people, including some legislators and other policymakers.  We plan to put together collections of stories and the more stories we collect from around the state, the greater impact we will have.

We would like to have stories in by August 1, 2010.

Please e –mail your stories to me:   Judy.a.cunio@state.or.us

Or postal mail:   540 24th Place NE, Salem, OR, 97301

Or you can call Marcie Tedlow at 503-725-8129