for you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible. —Lewis Carroll Resources LOCAL RESOURCES Profiles of Portland- Area Community Self- Help Groups The groups highlighted here represent a cross-section of some of the more interesting and innovative self-help organizations currently active in Portland. Operating in different parts of the city and addressing a wide range of local concerns, these groups all perform an important community education function and all are heavily dependent on the volunteer energy and personal commitment of their members and supporters. Many other worthwhile local self- help activities are listed in the section which follows. by Scott Androes, Tanya Kucak and Steve Rudman West Hotel 127 N.W. Sixth Portland, OR 97209 503/224-7718 Burnside Community Council 313 E. Burnside Portland, OR 97214 503/231-7158 "There's always someone here who'll listen. There's always someone who understands your problem because she's been through it herself," Karen Thun- derhawk, manager of the West Hotel, explains. Sponsored by the Burnside Community Council, the West Hotel opened in spring 1980 as an emergency shelter and single-room occupancy, low-income housing facility for homeless women and women in crisis—battered women, rape victims—and their children. People A conversation at the West Hotel from all over Portland, mainly from the downtown Skid Row area, helped prepare the building for occupancy. The hotel runs on a tight budget. "Everything in this building has been donated to us," Karen points out. Aside from the paid manager, the hotel is staffed entirely by volunteers, most of whom live at the hotel. Both the crisis line and the front desk are staffed 24 hours a day. "So far the hotel has been able to break even, with the residents supporting each other," Karen affirms, "and without having to shut down the emergency shelter." The normal $85-$95 per month rent is waived for women in the nine out of 25 rooms reserved for the shelter. "Women usually come into the shelter and move into the hotel. We try not to turn anyone away, because if they're referred to the West Hotel it's the last resort," Karen says. "If you don't get help here, there's nowhere else to go." At the hotel women find safety and support. As many as 30 or 40 people live in the hotel at any time. It's a community environment; "The support network is really great. People help people without bureaucracies or red tape," Karen maintains. "We all work together so the hotel will run smoothly. How the hotel runs is up to the residents. It's what they make it to be." Often, the women plan celebrations such as Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Rap sessions, individual counseling and group counseling help the women gain control of 67 Judith Rafferty
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