The City of Portland is hosting its first Community Budget Forum tonight, February 22, at Cleveland High School (3400 SE 26th Ave, at Powell).  Affordable Housing NOW! is asking supporters to come and speak up for housing.

AHN supporters have done some incredible advocacy during the last three City of Portland budget cycles, helping secure nearly $24 million in City's general funds for housing programs provide affordable options for working families earning low wages and folks on fixed incomes, including programs that prevent homelessness, offer housing stability and security to people who have been living on the streets, and preserve existing affordable housing.

But as successful as we have been, most of the funding we have secured has been 'one-time' funds that require annually advocacy because the funding approval is just one time.  

This year, we have an opportunity to secure approximately $5 million in ONGOING general funds.  In other words, we have an opportunity to win City Council approval to make important housing programs an ongoing budget line item from here forward!

But if we are to succeed, we need your help!  Please join AHN's in our 2007 Ongoing Opportunity budget advocacy effort. 

Community Budget Forum

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Community Fair 6:00-6:30 PM

Budget Workshop 6:30-8:30 PM

Cleveland High School Cafeteria 

3400 SE 26th Ave (at Powell) 

Accessible entrance on SE Franklin St

Parking in lot, Bike Parking, Bus lines 9, 10, 66

This Forum will feature a "round robin" format.  The City will have 10 or more tables set up; each representing different service areas and Council initiatives.  Commissioners, along with bureau directors, will participate in discussions at the various tables.  Participants will move among the tables (about 15 minutes per table) to get an overview of what is being proposed for the budget and provide comments, share priorities, note any concerns, and ask questions.  All input will be recorded and shared back with the community, the Council, and Bureau directors following the forum.

 *For public transportation information, go to www.trimet.org <http://www.trimet.org> 

Affordable Housing NOW! is a coalition of over 40 organizations and hundreds of individuals whose goals are to secure new resources for affordable housing for the Portland Metro area by building a movement large enough to make funding for affordable housing for people with low incomes a political priority in the Metro area. To learn more about Affordable Housing NOW!, go to: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html

Senate Finance and Revenue Committee Hearing on SB 38 Feb 26;
Housing Alliance Asks You to Call Your Senator and Representative TODAY

This just in: Oregon Senate Finance and Revenue Committee will hold a hearing on SB 38, the Housing Alliance’s bill dedicating an increase to the Document Recording Fee to fund affordable housing, on Monday, February 26 at 8:30 am.  The Housing Alliance will have a panel presenting testimony at the hearing. There will also be a limited opportunity public testimony.

To find out more about the hearing, please contact Alison at NPF: (503) 226-3002 X102.

Call Your Senator and Representative TODAY

Whether or not you think you can make it to the hearing, the Housing Alliance is asking supporters to call your senator and representative and ask for their support of SB 38. The Housing Alliance made a big impact during lobby day. Now it's time to pick up the phone and remind each and every legislator in Salem that we want them to vote YES on SB 38!

Please take a few minutes this week and call your State Senator and Representative! If you don't know who your legislators are, or need a phone number, click here and type in your address.

When you call, please:

1. Talk briefly about the need for affordable housing in your community, and

2. Ask the Senator or Representative to vote YES on SB 38!

Pick up the phone today!

The Housing Alliance brings together advocates, local governments, housing authorities, community development corporations, environmentalists, service providers, business interests and all others dedicated to increasing the resources available to meet our housing needs to support a common statewide legislative and policy agenda. To find out more about the Housing Alliance, go to: http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/

PDC Commission to Consider Final Set Aside Income Guidelines Feb 28

PDC Commission meeting to consider proposed income guidelines for the 30% Urban Renewal Housing Set Aside will be held on February 28 Kaiser Permanente's Town Hall 3704 N. Interstate Ave from 8 am-11am.  The PDC Commission will be considering the second iteration of a staff recommendation for the income allocations, which would set the following guidelines for distribution of the set aside resources:

·       48%-65% to rental housing serving households below 30% MFI

·       19%-40% to rental or homeownership serving households between 31%-60% MFI

·       7%-25% to homeownership for households between 61%-100% MFi

·       0-13% to community facilities serving low income people

To read the full second iteration of staff recommendations, click here.

To see a comparison of the first and second staff recommendations, click here.

For more information, contact Leah Greenwood, PDC Housing Policy and Development Manager, at (503) 823-3299 or via email.

New Analysis Finds Oregon Hit Hard by Cuts in President’s Budget for 2008

Oregon would lose $123 million in federal funding next year for a wide range of public structures, including K-12 education and Head Start, under the President’s budget for 2008 according to a report released by the Washington, DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The funding cuts, scheduled to deepen in future years under the President’s proposal, would force Oregon to either raise taxes to compensate for the lost federal funds, or reduce basic public services.

The analysis prompted criticism of the President’s budget by Governor Kulongoski, advocates for Oregon children, and OCPP.

Read the rest of OCPP's news release, New Analysis Finds Oregon Hit Hard by Cuts in President’s Budget for 2008, including links to the full report and state-by-state tables.

RFP Out for the Schools, Families, Housing Community Grants Program Admin

City of Portland's has issued an RFP for the Schools, Families, Housing Community Grants Program Administration.  The City of Portland is seeking proposals from qualified partners to design and administer the small grants program fund for community initiatives that engage community members with public schools.  BHCD is looking for an organization with the technical and administrative capacity as well as the capacity to engage and support a broad array of stakeholders in this granting process.

For more information, please go to www.portlandonline.com/bhcd/, or contact Daniel Ledezma via email or at (503) 823-4136.

Proposals are due no later than Friday, March 9, 2007.

On March 1, 2007 at the Best Western Mill Creek Inn in Salem, the Oregon DHS Addiction and Mental Health (AMH) Division is holding a workshop addressing Community Living Options: Building Housing, Homes and Communities.  The workshop is for mental health service providers and administrators, housing providers, residential service developers, consumers, family members, advocates, and others who want to address housing needs of people with serious mental illness, including those with co-occurring addiction disorders or other health care needs.

This one-day workshop will feature:

v     Identifying our shared challenge:  assisting people to move from crisis situations, hospitalization, homelessness, and correctional facilities to stable, integrated and supportive living options.

v     Information on anticipated housing development opportunities during Phase II of the Oregon State Hospital Master Plan and other Addictions & Mental Health Division housing initiatives.

v     “How-to” discussions on…

§       documenting local housing needs and defining appropriate populations;

§       planning responsive housing development strategies;

§       deciding between structured/specialized and supportive housing models;

§       finding a suitable site and fostering community acceptance;

§       design considerations and budget documents;

v     Hope, recovery and successful community living through use of evidence-based and promising practices.

No Registration Fee. For registration information, contact Stephanie Tyrer at 503-945-6811, or via email.

7 CEUs approved by ACCBO

The Waterwise Landscape Workshop for Property Mangers & Landscaping Contractors will take place from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2007 at Tualatin Valley Water District Auditorium.

The workshop will feature Dave Snell of SK Associates, an expert in irrigation efficiency with more than 30 years of industry experience. Dave is a Certified Irrigation Designer, Certified Irrigation Auditor, Licensed Irrigation Contractor and a Licensed Backflow Tester. For the past 18 years, Dave also has been the irrigation design instructor at Clackamas Community College.

Topics will include the top “water wasters” plaguing today’s commercial landscape irrigation systems, tips about native plants, healthy soils, and water-efficiency requirements that property owners and managers can include in their contracts with landscape contractors. Following the symposium we will open from 2:00-5:00pm for a water efficient irrigation technology vendor fair featuring knowledgeable distributors with products such as ET irrigation controllers and soil moisture sensors. There is no fee for the workshop or vendor fair, and morning refreshments and a free lunch will be served to registered attendees.

Registration for the workshop is required as space is limited. First come, first served.  To register, contact Steve Carper at (503) 848-3064 or via email.

Vendor Fair/Product display is open to all. Registration deadline is February 28, 2007.

The Tualatin Valley Water District Auditorium is located at 1850 SW 170th Ave., Beaverton, 97075. See http://www.tvwd.org for driving directions. Please do not park in “15 minute” customer spots - Thank you! 

Lewis & Clark Law School Environmental Justice Advocates Conference Mar 16,17

The Environmental Justice Advocates organization of Lewis and Clark Law School is hosting ‘EJ: IS IT ALL TALK?’ a two day conference on March 16 and 17 in Portland.  All are welcome.  Admission is free.

Friday, March 16 at Lewis and Clark Law School

OPENING: EJ at Lewis & Clark- Past and Present

MORNING SESSION 1: Teaching EJ in Law School

MORNING SESSION 2: Roundtable: What is the future of EJ at Lewis and Clark?

LUNCH

AFTERNOON SESSION 1: Practicing EJ Law, I

AFTERNOON SESSION 2: Practicing EJ Law, II

Saturday, March 17 at Moore Street Community Center

OPENING: 10 Years of Environmental Justice in Portland

MORNING SESSION 1: Tribal EJ Issues

MORNING SESSION 2: Regional EJ Networks

LUNCH

AFTERNOON SESSION 1: EJ IN Portland’s Economic Development

AFTERNOON SESSION 2: Local EJ Update

Lewis and Clark Law School is located at 10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland, Oregon, 97219.  For more information, go to  http://www.lclark.edu/org/eja/conference.html, or send an email, or call (503)768-6717

Community Alliance of Tenants Renters Rights Hotline Training March 24-25

The Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is looking for volunteers to staff our Renters' Rights Hotline. Based in NE Portland, the hotline gives renters from throughout the state accurate and detailed legal information about our rights, practical suggestions on how to protect them, compassion and appropriate referrals. We counsel dozens of tenants a day, many of whom are at immediate risk of losing their housing.

The next volunteer training will be Saturday, March 24th from 9am-2pm and Sunday the 25th, from 2-6pm.

This is a GREAT opportunity to learn about our rights under the law and how to protect them. Plus, the time commitment is very small (4 hours a month).

Please contact Ari via phone (503) 460-9702 or email for more information or an application.

OHCS Seeking Nominations for Excellence in Housing Awards by Mar 15

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is soliciting nominations for the 2007 Excellence in Housing Awards.  Individuals, organizations or projects that have made an impact on their communities during the previous 12 months are eligible to be nominated. Nominees must have been instrumental in creating and/or supporting affordable housing, implementing housing-related programs, or helping others solve housing problems. Housing awards will be awarded in five categories: Housing Revitalization, Integration of Services into Housing, Preserving Affordable Housing, Special Needs Housing (Small Developments), and Special Needs Housing (Large Developments).  For the purposes of these awards, small developments are defined as 10 or fewer units and large developments are defined as above 10 units.  The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2005.  Nomination forms are available at http://www.oregon.gov/OHCS/SAS_ExcellenceAwards.shtml.