By Ryan Cruse, In-Home Services Manager

On a recent job in North Portland, In-Homes Services Technicians Wai Ming Tang and Josiah Bloomfield  made fast and smart moves when they entered a clients home and smelled a potential natural gas leak (which smells like rotten eggs or sulfur). They immediately aired out the house out, called Northwest Natural’s (NWN) emergency hotline, and helped get the client and her dog safely outside.

The source of the leak was a 40 year old stove, which the NWN technician wrote up as unsafe for use. Like many other low-income seniors, buying a new stove was a serious hurdle for this client, but a new stove had officially become critical. Thanks to funding from the Portland Housing Bureau’s Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area, CEP was able to purchase and install a gently used safe working stove for her.  She couldn’t be happier!

While our funding from the City allows us to provide this kind of help to seniors in North Portland, there is need all over the city for improving the safety and well being of our senior citizens. If you would like to donate to support these programs, visit our Donation Page.

MLK Day with Hands-On Greater Portland

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’

– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

For the past few years, we have partnered with United Way, Hands-On Greater Portland to provide direct service volunteer opportunities over the Martin Luther King. Jr. holiday weekend. This year, we hosted two large groups of 15 people over two days. Together, we weatherized four homes and provided/installed: 31 storm window kits, weatherstripping on eight doors, numerous outlet and light switch gaskets, and energy efficient light bulbs. The volunteer groups included middle school and high school students and their families, as well as adults from the community who wanted to participate in the national weekend of service. Each person was eager to contribute their full energy to the projects, helping us exceed our work goals! We ended each day taking time to reflect on the work we all do in our communities, and how we can continue to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service.

CAL Students Weatherization Day!

January was a busy month for In-Home weatherization group volunteer days! Early in the month, we teamed up with students from the Center for Advanced Learning (CAL) in partnership with the Adopt-a-Grandparent program in Gresham. CAL students are a determined group, ready to take advantage of the learning opportunities provided by direct community service. Five students joined us on a Saturday morning to weatherize five windows and brave the cold weather to apply weatherstripping on two doors in a North Portland home. That afternoon, the group took their newly honed skills to provide similar services in a senior’s home in Gresham. This project was a great opportunity for us to double our impact by helping provide the training to bring weatherization services to people outside of our direct service area, while empowering students to expand their skill sets!

DIY Thermal Imaging with a Smartphone

Thermal imaging cameras can cost a pretty penny, but clever minds are working on a new way to make this information more accessible to the average person, empowering you to make more informed decisions about weatherizing your home, and it’s not that far away!

<iframe width=”853″ height=”480″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/GI4i_2CgjaQ&#8221; frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>

For more information, check out the blog post on treehugger.com

Elaine’s Story

Ardy at work

Author/interviewer: Ardy

Elaine is a Community Energy Project In-Home Service client that found out about us through our volunteer program when they were canvassing the Kenton neighborhood. She lives in a small, one
bedroom house that she bought 30 years ago and is very proud that she just paid it off. During this time she did bookkeeping for non-profits but because of the economy has not been able to find a job. She is enjoying her current job providing caregiving services two days a week. She has community involvement and a purpose for her life including her church and close friends whom she interacts with.

Born in Massachusetts, Elaine and her family moved to California when she was 11. She came to Portland specifically to attend Portland University. A lover of Portland what she likes most is the
weather and the people. She really likes the clear changes in seasons that we get in this region of Oregon and finds the people open and friendly. What she dislikes the most is Portland International
Raceway. Living in the Kenton neighborhood the noise from the racing is tiring. In fact, about 10 years ago she was very involved with the community to have the track moved from its’ current location.

As a final question to Elaine, we asked her “What words of wisdom could you give us from your life experience? Her answer was one that was a theme throughout the conversation. “Stick with your friends and keep relationships open. New friends are nice but it’s the old friends who will be there for you”.

 

Farewell to Perry Cabot

Perry helps paint CEP’s new mural

After seven years, CEP is bidding farewell to their ‘lead guy’, Perry Cabot, as he moves on to a new opportunity with Multnomah County Leadline.

Perry began his tenure at CEP as a part-time Lead Poisoning Prevention Coordinator, teaching basic lead classes in both English and Spanish. In time, he created a second-level lead class, Lead-Safe Home Projects, teaching participants how to conduct small lead-paint disturbing projects in a safe manner. In tandem with this, he reinvigorated a dormant program – HEPA vacuum lending. Now any of our lead participants can learn the basics about lead poisoning prevention, conduct a small project lead-safe, and can borrow a HEPA sealed vacuum cleaner to conduct safe cleanup for their projects – all at no additional cost to themselves.

Perry did not rest on those accomplishments. When the EPA put into place new requirements for contractors to conduct lead-safe work, Perry stepped up and CEP became one of the first agencies in the state to provide RRP training for contractors. He has also conducted dust testing and other lead reduction services.

Personal experience working with families suffering the effects of lead exposure lens Perry the ability to provide solid context to contractors and other interested parties. His skill and knowledge have grown so profound that, at this point, he has become a point-person from those all over the state for advice and expertise on lead. It was inevitable that he would eventually be recruited away.

For seven years we have enjoyed Perry’s wit, humor, (and grammar corrections); his mandolin playing and his famous “chocolate log” dessert. He’s provided honest insight, thoughtful feedback, and warm energy all these years, and we will all miss him dearly. That being said, we are equally happy for him as he uses his skills on a larger playing field and begins this new chapter in his life. We send him with our warmest wishes.

CEP Hoodies and Tees!

Items so new they have that “new hoodie smell”: Unveiled at our Bridge the Gap fundraising event, CEP now has some great new logowear. All shirts and hoodies are unisex have a beautiful volunteer-created design on the back that expresses warmth, community, and environmental protection, with CEP’s logo embedded within. Design was placed by high-quality, local screen printer. Sales from CEP logowear goes to support our programs. Stop by or email us for more information! Tees are $20, hoodies $40.

Charcoal gray v-neck tees, also by American Apparel, are soft and stylish, with a mid-level V that works for men as well as women. $20.

This soft, heavy-weight crewneck shirt made by District Threads looks great on men and women. $20.

Charcoal gray hoodies (unisex) are warm and unbelievably soft, with long sleeves and a flattering cut for all shapes and sizes. Made by American Apparel, these hoodies normally run $46 in the store, but CEP is selling ours for $40 even. Once you put it on, you won’t want to take it off!