Clackamas Housing Advocacy Network (CHAN)

The Clackamas Housing Action Network (CHAN) is an association of housing developers, social service providers and concerned individuals. Since forming in 2003,  CHAN members have worked together to increase public awareness of Clackamas County’s housing crisis, to advocate for needed resources to make housing more affordable, and to coordinate housing supporters.  CHAN’s goal is to find solutions so that all people in our County have a place to call home.
 
CHAN's goals are:

• to increase public awareness of affordable housing issues,
• advocate for resources to meet housing needs, and
• to increase participation by people concerned about housing needs in the county.
  
  

Increasing Public Awareness

CHAN members would like to meet with your organization, church or business to talk about housing needs and offer solutions that increase housing opportunities.  CHAN offers the following trainings:

• The Housing Pinch: The basics on why regular people are being priced out of Clackamas County and what we can all do to help
• Affordable Housing Tools and Technical Assistance
• Who is Homeless in Clackamas County and Why
• Fair Housing Rights and Responsibilities
  
  

Advocating for Needed Resources

You can get in the loop on local advocacy efforts by joining the CHAN list serve. CHAN works with local, regional, state and federal elected officials as well as private foundations and financial institutions to help secure needed resources for housing.  CHAN is also an active member of the Oregon Housing Alliance, a statewide coalition working to secure more resources for affordable housing. CHAN can help you join the advocacy effort and make a difference in Clackamas County.  To sign up for the list serve, email Brian.

Helping Coordinate Housing Supporters 

CHAN members meet monthly to share information and improve coordination between nonprofit housing developers, local government and agency staff, service provider organizations and community members concerned about housing.  The meetings are open to the public and CHAN welcomes new members.

CHAN members believe that to succeed in life, everybody needs a place to call home.  The comforts of home are increasingly out of reach for far too many people in Clackamas County.

Get Involved!

To join CHAN and help open the doors of housing opportunity in Clackamas County, please come to the CHAN monthly meeting. CHAN meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 9:15 am at the Oregon City Fire Station.  For more information, please call (503) 654-1007 and ask for Martha.  You can join our list serve by emailing Brian.

The Community Housing Fund
Building Affordable Solutions

An Affordable Place to Call Home
The Community Housing Fund is a community-based non-profit in Washington County whose mission is to secure new sources of capital to assist in the construction and rehabilitation of  housing affordable to working families and those living on fixed incomes in the County. While Washington County is a wealthy “engine of growth,” there are thousands in this community who struggle to meet monthly rents or are unable to afford their first home. Out goal is to raise $10 million dollars over the next ten years to help finance 1,000 new units of housing to provide options for these low-income working families, people with disabilities and special needs, and others shut out of the mainstream housing market.

Responding to Community Needs
A recent study by Washington County and the City of Beaverton states that one in five households in the county lacked affordable housing in 2001 and that nearly 7,000 households were paying more than half of their income for housing (most of us pay about 25%). Growth, rising housing costs and emphasis on new construction are contributing factors to the affordable housing crisis.

The Community Housing Fund was born after the Vision Action Network, a local non-profit that facilitates community-based problem-solving, convened a group of housing experts to create a plan modeled after successful housing trust funds in other parts of the nation. The Fund is a response to the community's call for action.

New Sources of Funding
The Fund is capitalized from a broad-based contribution campaign that brings together members of our community who value affordable housing, including individuals and families, the faith-based community, businesses, civic groups, government, and private foundations. Fundraising efforts focus on generating new sources of income that will not compete for existing funding available for affordable housing projects.

The Fund recently reached the $1 million mark in funds raised since first employing full-time staff in 2005!!! We receive base budget support at $1/resident/year from the Cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro ($85,000 each) and an annual operating grant from Washington County ($110,000). Our operating budget is approximately $200,000. To date, we have made 4 grants totaling $85,000 and 6 loans of $147,000 to support 8 different projects and more than 400 units. We have also worked with the faith community to help raise $20,000 to assist the emergency shelter network meet a recent budget shortfall.

Innovative Investments
The primary activity of the Fund is to operate a revolving loan fund targeted at predevelopment lending to primarily non-profit community development corporations embarking on housing initiatives to serve populations at or below 60% of AMI. Our loans are unsecured, have no fees or charges, bear an interest rate of 3%, and are generally repayable in 24 months. Uses typically include securing options on land, contracting for architectural drawings or legal analysis, soil sampling, and other costs of due diligence. Outcomes expected include rental housing production/preservation, creation of special needs housing, and access to homeownership. The Fund strives to be innovative in our approach to deliver flexible capital to the housing market to leverage, complement and support existing affordable housing efforts. Our resources are available on an “as needed basis” rather than only at specified times of the year.

More Information is Available. Please contact:

Ramsay Weit, Executive Director
The Community Housing Fund
3700 SW Murray Blvd., #190
Beaverton, Oregon, 97005
http://www.thecommunityhousingfund.org/
503.846.5794
Fax: 503-846-5793

Washington County Housing Advocacy Group (HAG)

The Housing Advocacy Group of Washington County consists of individuals representing various development corporations, service providers, and advocacy groups interested in promoting the availability of affordable housing throughout the Washington County area. 
 
Washington County HAG Meets Monthly at Beaverton City Hall

To achieve that goal, HAG coordinates advocacy efforts with policy makers at all levels of local government, works in partnership with other groups concerned with affordable housing and resident services, and provides resources to educate the public and elected officials about the need for affordable housing. For printable version of the HAG Legislative Agenda, click here.
 
It is time for local governments in Washington County to support affordable housing by:

1. Making affordable housing a top concern in policy and planning decisions.
Ensure that any new development includes a percentage of affordable housing (North Bethany, South Hillsboro and Bull Mountain,). Use urban renewal and transit-oriented development funds to promote affordable housing along commuter rail line. Encourage County Departments to specify resource commitments to Bridges to Housing.

2. Allocate additional financial resources to housing development.
Fee waivers and tax abatements will make possible projects that otherwise would not be financially viable. These tools can also help lower rents to help serve our most vulnerable citizens.
Build a $10 million Community Housing Fund (which will help CDCs build and remodel 1,000 affordable housing units in the next ten years) by allocating new resources through base budgets of local jurisdictions and an allocation of the County’s Real Estate Transfer Tax.
 

Get Involved!

Homes for All Endorsement Campaign:
Washington County HAG has to collect signatures in support of the above priorities. If you would like to endorse the campaign, please print off the pamphlet and mail or fax it in. If you would like to help collect signatures, please contact Terrie Hendrickson via email or 503-223-4041.
 
Monthly Meetings:
The Washington County HAG meets 8:30 am the first Thursday of every month at Beaverton City Hall (4755 SW Griffith Dr., Beaverton). If you are interested in more information, you can sign up to be part of the HAG Yahoo group or contact Terrie Hendrickson via email.