As noted below, Portland is receiving 1,000 evacuees from Katrina’s devastation.

There is an apartment right across from mine that has been empty for two months.

So I composed this letter to the manager of the complex, and today I will be going door-to-door at my complex encouraging others to sign on.

######## Apartments – Residents and Management
PLEASE Help Hurricane Katrina evacuees NOW!

Dear Sir:

I am certain that you are aware of the recent devastation of the City of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We are all Americans and we all feel the loss and suffering that is occurring in that great American city.

Many of us ache in our hearts and wish desperately that we could do something to help the victims of the worst national disaster ever on American soil.

I encourage every resident of this community at the Glenbrook Apartments to heed the call of Governor Kulongoski and give our money, time, and blood to organizations like the Red Cross (1 800 HELP-NOW), Northwest Medical Teams (1 800 959-HEAL), and Mercy Corps (1 800 852-2100).

However, you may not realize that we here in the Portland area can do even more to help. As reported on the local news, Portland will be receiving 1,000 evacuees from the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. I also encourage you, as manager of this housing complex, to contact the State Department of Human Services (503-872-6873) and offer one of your empty apartment units to shelter a family for a short period of time while Human Services helps to provide them food, employment, and permanent housing.

I understand that ######### Apartments is a business and needs to make money. I don’t ask that all your vacant apartments be provided for evacuees, just one. The unit across from mine has been vacant for two months — you are losing money on it already. By donating it to house an evacuated Louisiana or Mississippi family, you may be able to claim a tax deduction and you would be making a world of difference to one traumatized family.

I ask any other member of the ######### Apartments community who agrees with this sentiment to sign this letter and forward it to the management of ######### Apartments.

Sincerely,

Russ Belville
Resident, ######### Apartments

UPDATE 9/6: My earnest commenters noted that I shouldn’t give out my physical address on the Internets, lest I be a victim of identity theft. As if someone else wants to be “Radical” Russ; they can have my lousy credit and debt! 😉 But seriously, thanks, now you’ve made me paranoid!

I’ll be postering my complex today with fliers from HurricaneHousing.org and dropping one off at the management. My neighbor downstairs (an immigrant named Mark who says, “this George Bush has got to go!”) has already signed one of my letters and my wife is canvassing the complex today to get more signers.