Where should an evacuee go? Is Oregon a good choice?
 

A young man who fled New Orleans and Katrina has had it with hurricanes now that Rita gave us another scare. He is one of the people we are hosting in our Houston shelter, although now we have him in a hotel.

He is former military, was a cook at one time, is single, about 30, I would guess, and a great personality. Our church has been given a substantial amount of contributions, so we are able to offer him and others transportation (bus, usually) to anywhere in the U.S. that he would want to go for a new start, or to reunite with family.

He's excited by the prospect, but he has no family. He's not sure where he would like to go for a new start. His military experience took him to Norfolk, VA, but he is interested in other options.

I mentioned Portland, Oregon and the PNW, and he jumped at the idea. Before we all agree that's great, I'd like Fodorites' input:

What is the economy doing? Could a person with basic skills thrive?

Would an African American find a good social experience in the PNW?

Seeing that area as a tourist is one thing, but I am leery of making a recommendation based on my limited exposure to it -- regardless of how wonderful it was to visit.

Thanks for your feedback.

Jim

We have family in Portland and it appears that the unemployment rate is really high...
Texas is doing pretty good. Why not Austin? Dallas? Housing in Dallas can be cheap and there are so many restaurants... not to mention places like Central Market that hire tons of cooks and foodies.

This is really impossible to answer. It would depend so much on this persons flexibility and expectations. There is not nearly the percentage of African Americans in Portland or the PNW as there is in some other parts of the country, but many African Americans call the PNW home and love it.

As for unemployment rates, while Portland has a higher unemployment rate than average, there are jobs. Whether or not he could find one he likes will largely depend on his specific skill set and personality.
He's 30, has a great personality, and has served in the military. That will go a long way.

I think what you need to remember is that he will be free to change his mind, if he doesn't like it, and to go somewhere else. While it is nice to feel settled, one thing I've observed in life, is that about the only thing that is certain in life is change (besides death and taxes, of course).

I'd say with his experience to find a cooking or security guard position shouldn't be that difficult if he's willing to start with lower wages.

Looking for a job, he needs an address and phone number, looking for apartment he needs a stable income (work!) - this may be a problem.

Hi JimF, Faina is correct IMO but does your shelter have any connections in Portland that could help him relocate? Best wishes to you and this young man.

Jim,
May I suggest taking a look at http://www.city-data.com/

This website has a wealth of information (weather, employment, age, ethnicity, housing costs, education, health care, etc) on cities all across the US. This may help the young man get a clearer picture of any town he chooses.

My two cents? If he likes the idea of the PNW, consider Tacoma, Wa. Seattle has become horribly pricey otherwise I'd suggest that. But Tacoma is close to all that Seattle has to offer, has a lot of former military folks, and has a diverse population. It should not be too difficult to find an entry level job there, and if he should want to advance his education, there are many opportunities there.

I know you may already have this covered, but is it possible to contact a church of your denomination in that area (or whatever area he chooses) to see if they may be able to assist?

Wishing you all the very best,
Denise

Jim, Ashland is Food heaven. 100 eat places in a town of 20,000. A man of your guy's abilities should be in demand here, especially if he is adept at southern/creole/cajun cooking.
Shoot me an email:
[email protected]
and I'll see what's happenin' around town.
Bill

Jim,

I don't know about about Portland specificaly, but want to second the suggestion of you contacting a parish or diocese in your denomination in the area(s) that the young man is interested in. A great idea if you havn't already done so and likely to yield some good results.

Jim--That is really nice of you to help so much. I would suggest that he look to Seattle as well though. The military presence between OR and WA is night and day. WA has many bases, and in general the communities are much more likely to take an interest in a Veteran. We have lived in both areas, and my DH is retired military, so my comments are based on our personal experiences. Anyway, the bases have a lot of transition assistance for helping people find civilian jobs. If either you or he have any other questions about this, just let me know and I would love to help.

Another point for the Pacific Northwest is that I don't think there are a lot of the hurricane survivors here and there are plenty of people who want to feel like they are doing something to help. I agree with others that Tacoma might be a good choice as it has a lot of military. Again, I agree with others, the church connection would be a great way for him to get started here.

In the Puget Sound area there are quite a few places, not just Tacoma, with bases to help. The larger bases are in Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, Whidbey Island, and on the Kitsap Peninsula.

It appears about 500 evacuees have made their way to Portland, without the federal government's help. We were expecting 500-1000 evacuees, and set up a shelter to house them, only to be told they wouldn't be arriving. It's kind of disappointing for some of us. But Portland *is* a long way away from the Gulf Coast, and we don't have a large black population, so perhaps the federal government felt we were not a suitable choice. That said, the evacuees who *are* here are getting tremendous help from the Red Cross, churches, and individuals who have helped. I think mms is making a good point when she says Tacoma might be a better bet, since there is a greater military presence there. I'm sure wherever this young man decides to relocate he will find more help and kindness than he imagines. Bless you for helping, Jim, and let us know if we can give you any more information.

Hello, JimF
Have you ever thought of Montana, we have no sale taxes here, no bad nature problems, and there's an airforce base in Great Falls. With your exprience I don't believe you'd have a hard time finding work here. You should think about it, you'd have hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and anything else you can possibly think of. Well we in Montana wish you the best and our hearts go out to all, who has suffered loses from the hurricanes.
God Bless You

Hello! I've lived in WA state all of my life, and will be moving to another state very soon. Here's my impression of the place:

My recommendation: Don't come to Seattle.

There's a ton of unemployment and homelessness here. The only exception is if this gentleman has a 4-year college degree. Even with that degree, the competition is fierce and grads are always compared to the University of Washington graduates.

The weather is another problem. It's dark here most of the year unless Mt. St. Helens is puffing (which keeps the area nice and sunny).

I've heard and read of discrimination against minorities in the news. NAACP, the Seattle police, and police from surrounding areas have been fighting for a few years now. And it's a field day for civil rights lawyers because of constant false arrest charges. The police here do charge a person with a crime without any evidence. As a Latina American, I've experienced a ton of racism here including being false arresting (which I fought against and won in court), and I'm a medical professional!

--Kadiya

P.S. -- Cost of living is way to high in Tacoma-Seattle, WA area.

If he does decide on Portland area (which includes Vancouver, WA), perhaps your church could contact the Beautiful Saviour Lutheran Church on Mill Plain in Vancouver. They are very active in this type of community issue...many of the church members participate regularly in Habitat for Humanity, sponsoring immigrants from former Yugoslavia (obviously, the young man you know is not in that kind of situation, but the church does understand what newcomers in somewhat precarious circumstances have to go through).
Good luck! Vancouver is less expensive than many Portland neighborhoods.
Philadelphia is another possibility. It has a very lively restaurant scene, there are probably decent opportunities for a cook, it has a large African-American population, etc.

Reading this thread I think one of the best recommendations has been made by BTilke and that you should consider that whether or not your own "faith" which shouldn't be intruding anyway coincides with that of the institution recommended.

Here are the church's address and contact info (sorry, I spelled it wrong, we've moved to the UK and British spellings are starting to creep into my vocab).
Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
12513 E Mill Plain Blvd.
360-254-9243

One more note, while you don't say what kind of cook this young man is, if he is more of a "short order" or "family meal" type of cook rather than gourmet chef, he should contact Elmer's Family restaurants. They are a popular Western U.S. restaurant chain, with several branches in the Portland area* (including one about a block from the Lutheran church I mentioned). They do GREAT breakfasts, FYI, homecooked stuff, perhaps someone from your church could contact their HR department so his resume and application are fast-tracked rather than lost in the shuffle.

http://www.elmers-restaurants.com/employment.html

*Not exactly Elmer's shining hour, but the Tonya Harding plot to bash Nancy Kerrigan was "cooked up" at the Elmer's on 82nd (SE, I think) in Portland.

Thanks for all these suggestions. I will meet with him today and discuss these ideas. I am not familiar with the type of cooking he did, but I suspect it was one of many vocations and perhaps while he was in the military.

Thanks so much!

Jim