On a warm October evening in 2013, twelve residents of Northeast Portland held a meeting at Velo Cult in Hollywood and hatched a plan that promises to enhance life for many seniors in the area. The idea was to create an organization that would keep older residents in their homes and engaged in their communities for as long as possible, largely by providing plain old-fashioned neighborly help from volunteers.
The organization created, Northeast Village PDX, will serve 18 neighborhoods that stretch roughly from I-84 north to the Columbia River and Northeast 15th Avenue east to 122nd (though the western border jogs). The Village is projected to be up and running in the fall of 2016, at which time full-service members will be able to make one call to book rides (the most frequently requested service nationwide) and get help with grocery shopping, light housekeeping, garden work, simple home repairs, pet care, and those pesky computer problems, as well as friendly visits and referrals to services Village volunteers can’t provide. In addition, every month full-service members and associate members (those who do not yet need services but want to support the Village) will have access to a robust menu of social and educational programs aimed at creating a meaningful Village community. While individual full-service members may pay up to $500 a month for services, that’s a fraction of the cost of an independent living facility, and it’s one more senior citizen able to continue to live in the comfort of his/her own home.
All this is happening as a result of hundreds of hours of volunteer planning by folks who believe in this program. They include a Coordinating Council, several committees, and some 300 individuals who keep up with developments through e-mails, an electronic newsletter, and attendance at monthly general meetings.
Northeast Village PDX is part of a growing national “Village” movement: 190 Villages that are already offering services and another 185 that are in development. In the greater Portland area alone there are seven Villages, one of which (Eastside, south of I-84) began providing services last fall. There is also a central organization, Villages NW, that provides 502(c)(3) tax exemption, insurance, cross-Village coordination, and other benefits to the seven.
The Village movement comes at a time when the need is great. Nationwide, 89 percent of those over the age of 50 want to take control of their “golden years,” to remain in their homes and neighborhoods, and living active lives connected to people of all ages. In Northeast Portland alone, there are some 10,000 seniors, many of whom are reluctant to ask neighbors and family members for help and may face the prospect of institutional living before they feel ready.
Residents of Beaumont-Wilshire who want to learn more about Northeast Village PDX, get involved in the planning work, volunteer, or become members are encouraged to visit the Village Website, nevillagepdx.org, and attend a general Village meeting, held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at Rose City Methodist Church, 5830 NE Alameda, just east of Northeast Sandy Boulevard and Northeast 57th Avenue.