News for Participants and Residents

December 2011| Volume 6, Issue 3

Scholarship Opportunities for Assisted Residents

The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (PNRC-NAHRO) is pleased to announce its Scholarship Program for 2012.    

The Scholarship Program provides opportunities for graduating high school seniors, and those wishing to continue their education, who are residing in housing assisted by public housing agencies.  PNRC-NAHRO will award scholarships to eligible applicants within the Pacific Northwest region (including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska):  

Challenge College Scholarships
Scholarships for graduating high school seniors who will be going on to attend a four year accredited college or university, worth between $4,000 - $10,000 over 4 years.  

Community College Scholarship
One (1) Community College Scholarship (2 years, $2,000 total).  

Continuing Education Scholarship
One (1) Continuing Education ($4,000 total) for individuals who have been out of high school for four or more years with either a High School Diploma or G.E.D.  

These scholarships are for students who will attend accredited institutions full time and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.50.  For the Challenge and Community College scholarships, preference will be given to graduating high school seniors.  Additional eligibility requirements apply.  

Applicants will be judged based on their academic achievement (grades & college entrance exam scores), community involvement and service, extracurricular activities or work experience, their written motivational essay, and the neatness and format of the application.  Eligible applicants must attend an accredited institution full time and maintain a GPA of at least 2.50.  

Instruction packets and applications may be downloaded by clicking the links to each application above.  Completed applications must be turned in no later than February 17, 2012 to:

Washington County Department of Housing Services
ATTN: Gary Calvert
111 NE Lincoln Street, Suite 200-L
Hillsboro OR 97124

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

If you have questions about the scholarship program, please contact Gary Calvert via e-mail or at (503) 846-4784.

Spay & Save Offers Affordable "Fix" for Cats and Kittens

Do you – or someone you know – have a cat or kitten?  

The good news is that there is a very affordable new program for spaying or neutering your cat. Spay & Save will "fix" your cat for just $10.  

Most landlords (including the Housing Authority) require that cats be spayed or neutered. There are many benefits for your cat, as well. "Fixed" cats get in fewer cat fights, they don't yowl at night, and they live longer, healthier lives than cats that haven't been spayed or neutered. And of course there will be no more unwanted litters of kittens!  

To qualify for the Spay & Save  $10 rate, families or individuals have to currently receive government assistance such as Medicaid, WIC, Food Stamps, SSI, Section 8, Public Housing, or TANF.  

There are two Washington County sites to bring your cat for surgery. All surgeries are performed by licensed veterinarians. There is no limit on the number of cats one person can bring in.  

To make an appointment: Call 1-800-345-SPAY (7729) or 503-802-6755.  

Want to know more about the program? Call 1-800-345-SPAY or visit the Spay & Save website for more information.

Text4Baby

Free Text Support for Pregnant Women and New Moms

To help more pregnant women and new moms get information about caring for their health and giving their babies the best possible start in life, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) launched text4baby, the first free health text messaging service in the U.S.Text4baby supports moms by providing accurate, text-length health information and resources in a format that is personal and timely, using a channel she knows and uses. Over 85% of Americans own a cell phone and 72% of cell users send or receive text messages.

How Text4baby Works
Registration is easy and can be done online at the Text4Baby website or from your cell phone. Use your cell phone to text the word BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to the number 511411. You'll be asked to enter your baby's due date or your baby's birthday and your zip code.  Once registered, you will start receiving free messages with tips for your pregnancy or caring for your baby.

These messages are timed to your due date or your baby's birth date. If you are pregnant and your due date changes, text UPDATE to 511411 to enter your new due date. Once you have your baby, be sure to text in UPDATE with your baby's birthday so you keep getting messages through baby's first year.

If you want to stop receiving messages from text4baby, text STOP to 511411. To start receiving the messages again, you will have to enroll again by sending BABY to 511411 (BEBE to 511411 for Spanish messages).

Text4baby Messages are Free
Thanks to the support of  CTIA - The Wireless Foundation and participating mobile operators, all messages you receive from text4baby are free! Even individuals without a text messaging plan can get these messages for free. If someone has limited texts per month, text4baby won't take away from that limit. As long as you have service with one of the carriers listed below, text4baby is free for you:

• Alltel
• Assurance Wireless
• AT&T
• Bluegrass
• Cellular
• Boost Mobile
• Cellular South
• Cellcom
• Centennial Cellular
• Cincinnati Bell
• Cricket
• Metro PCS
• N-Telos
• Nex-Tech Wireless
• Sprint
• Nextel
• T-Mobile
• U.S. Cellular
• Verizon Wireless
• Virgin Mobile USA

Anchor It and Protect a Child

On average, one child dies every 2 weeks when a TV, piece of furniture, or an appliance falls on him, according to reports received by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) between 2000 to 2010.  In addition, CPSC staff estimates that more than 22,000 children 8 years old and younger were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries resulting from tip-over incident between 2008 to 2010.

The most common tip-over scenarios involve toddlers who have climbed onto, fallen against or pulled themselves up on furniture. About 70 percent of children's fatalities (169 incidents) involved falling TVs, and 27 percent (65 incidents) involved only furniture falling. The majority of fatalities where furniture fell by itself or fell along with a TV involved a chest, dresser, or a bureau. Often, these pieces of furniture have drawers that children can use to climb.

To prevent tragedies, follow these safety tips in any home where children live or visit:

• Anchor furniture to the wall or the floor.
• Place TVs on sturdy, low bases.
• Or, anchor the furniture and the TV on top of it, and push the TV as far back on top of the furniture as possible.
• Keep remote controls, toys, and other items that might be attractive to children off TV stands or furniture.
• Keep TV and/or cable cords out of reach of children.
• Make sure freestanding kitchen ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.
• Supervise children in rooms where these safety tips have not been followed.

For more safety tips you can use around your home, visit the Neighborhood Safety Network website.

Did you know?

FAIR HOUSING:  PROTECTIONS & RESOURCES

"Fair housing" refers to a set of federal, state, and local laws that deal with civil rights in housing.  These laws protect all of us.   Watch here for more information in future editions of this newsletter or visit the FHCO online.

The Fair Housing Council is a nonprofit serving Oregon and SW Washington.  Anyone may call the free Fair Housing Hotline at 800/424-3247 Ext. 2, or visit www.FHCO.org.