Letter to the Editor: Thankful

Ten years ago, we lived in Wishram for $275 a month…

When we got to The Dalles, we thought we had a place to move into. Little did we know there was a housing crisis everywhere. The person living in the place we were going to move into never moved out because they could not find a better place.

On top of this, with no doctors and nurses anymore, my health was waning fast. We were going to public health two times a day trying to figure out my pills, so the last resort was to put me in a nursing home in Hood River.

Then the (Eagle Creek) fire broke out and, with all the evacuations, the nursing homes quickly filled to capacity, leaving me near death. But, thanks to Liz, Rachel and Deb at Mid-Columbia Center for Living, we were able to get food and water, and taken to meet Corene Stewart of the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council.

She worked tirelessly to try to get us housing in a market that was already strained. She put us in emergency housing until we got permanent housing, keeping us out of the 100-plus degree weather at the worst time of the fire.

Those seven days in emergency housing saved our lives. Thank you very much!

I have sent MCCAC a check for $20 and a note to Stewart saying that all anyone needs to do to succeed is work hard, be responsible, communicate and think positive!

Raymond Kase

The Dalles