Co-Chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee Rank Housing Alliance $100 Million for Homes 2nd Most Important Priority for 2007 Session

This morning, March 22, in Salem the Co-Chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee released their budget for 2007-2009 and gave a huge boost to the Housing Alliance’s $100 million agenda!  Representative Mary Nolan, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, announced that affordable housing is the second most important priority in the Co-Chairs budget this session (education was first) and stated the Committee’s support for our $100 million agenda.

"We are proposing a $100 Million program for affordable housing around the state," said Rep Nolan, a Democrat from SW Portland.  "Some of that money comes from general funds, lottery funds and some from public purpose charges.  And we are asking you to consider a $60 Million increase in recording fees to help that program succeed."

This is a HUGE development for the Housing Alliance agenda.  The Co-Chairs’ budget sets the spending limits and spells out the priorities of the committee that holds the Legislature’s purse strings.  The Housing Alliance is having an effective impact and raising the profile of affordable housing. We still have a ways to go, but we should celebrate this accomplishment and thank our leaders in Salem. Great work, everyone!

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/

Portland City Council to Ratify Set Aside Income Allocations April 5

The Portland City Council plans to ratify the income guidelines approved by the Portland Development Commission for urban renewal housing set aside income guidelines at a Council meeting on Thursday, April 5 at 3:00 pm.  The set aside, which has received unanimous support from Mayor Tom Potter and the rest of the Council since it was introduced in April 2006, will provide housing opportunity for residents of urban renewal areas at risk of being priced out of their neighborhoods. 

“We eagerly await the Council’s ratification of this historic commitment to housing,” said Michael Anderson, Communication Director with the Community Development Network.  “Though the passage of the set aside is as exciting, the housing the set aside will provide is the real story.  We look forward the set aside implementation and all of potential good we can do to in communities around Portland.”

To read the approved income allocations, click here.

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

HUD Releases FY 2007 Income Limits; Median Income Drops in Portland MSA

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its median income figures for fiscal year 2007.  Data for the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton MSA (click here) shows a $3,100 drop in the median income for a family of four from FY 2006 data. The Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA MSA contains the following areas: Clackamas County, OR; Columbia County, OR; Multnomah County, OR; Washington County, OR; Yamhill County, OR; Clark County, WA; and Skamania County, WA.

Despite the drop in area median income, for the second consecutive year HUD did not change the data for 80% AMI, 60% AMI, 50% AMI or 30% AMI. AMI levels are used to set rents in most affordable housing projects that use tax credits.

HUD’s FY 2007 AMI data is bad news for both tenants and affordable housing providers.  For tenants, the failure to adjust AMI levels to the 2007 median income denies a potential reduction in rent.  For affordable housing providers, including CDC’s, the flat AMI levels create income gap between project revenue and expenses, because the financing for affordable housing projects assumes that projects rents will INCREASE by 2% annually.

Governor Kulongoski, Key Oregon Leaders to Speak at 07 Housing Conference

Salem will be the center of attention on April 24 and 25 as affordable housing advocates from around the State of Oregon will gather to discuss the tools and strategies at the 2007 Oregon Housing Conference.  Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will host the conference. Affordable housing advocates and others will have an opportunity to participate in discussions and listen to well-known Oregon leaders during the 2007 Oregon Housing Conference in Salem on April 24 and 25, 2007 including Governor Ted Kulongoski, Treasurer Randall Edwards, Representative Jeff Merkley and OHCS Director Victor Merced.

The Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) is moving forward with a pilot program to provide Fairview Oaks residents with public housing rental assistance and self-sufficiency services. 

Forty of HAP's 328 units at Fairview Oaks apartments will be converted from affordable rental housing to public housing. Residents of these units will receive the help that public housing provides for a fixed period of time. The major components of this initiative include rent subsidies, supportive services, and self-sufficiency programming. Eligible households that volunteer for the program will pay just 30 percent of their income in rent, with an opportunity to redirect the amount over $350 per month into an individual escrow account. After five years, the household receives the full escrow savings and exits the program to allow other tenants to participate.

"It is our experience that lessening the rent burden, coupled with services and a 
means of saving and building assets, helps households establish a stronger and more stable financial footing," said Steve Rudman, HAP's executive director. The agency is in the process of selecting a service provider for the program.

Fairview is one of several pilot projects under HAP's Opportunity Housing 
Initiative (OHI), an expansion of the agency's successful GOALS family self-
sufficiency program. HAP's objective is to increase the number of households 
working toward economic independence with a goal of leaving housing 
assistance.

Read more about plans for OHI at Fairview Oaks 

Portland Justice for Janitors Campaign has launched an online media campaign with new video "1 Building, 2 Lives,” which covers downtown janitors' campaign and explores broad issues that affect many in the Portland community. To view the video, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5xTK5srt4w

Original content explores how Portland's changing dynamics and development affect the lives of low-wage workers in the community.

*Video examines the ultra-wealthy Portland real estate barons who turn their back on struggling immigrant workers in their buildings - while shelling out big money for vanity landmarks and politicians like George W. Bush and Rick Santorum.

*Campaign tells the stories of individual janitors who fled civil war in the developing world to have to fight for respect on the job in their new country.

*The video launch is the Justice for Janitors' campaign first step in building an online presence for the Portland janitors fighting for the American dream.

*Janitors in downtown Portland work for Servicemaster Swan Island (NYSE:SVM) cleaning the Rose Garden, Memorial Coliseum and buildings owned by local real estate firm Melvin Mark Companies. Forced to work part-time without health insurance, many earn only about $28 dollars a day.  Most are immigrants from Latin America and other parts of the world.

To address their deplorable working conditions and win respect on the job, they have been struggling to form a union with SEIU’s Justice for Janitors campaign.  Their company and the wealthy real-estate barons that hire them have refused to address these concerns, even after several strikes and the strong support of many prominent local leaders.

For two decades, SEIU’s Justice for Janitors movement has helped low-wage workers achieve social and economic justice and earn broad-based support from the public as well as religious, political and community leaders. More than 200,000 janitors in more than 29 cities throughout the United States have united in SEIU, America’s largest union of property services workers.

Enterprise On Line Event: Demonstrating Housing Developer Pro 3.0 March 27

Announcing a Live Online Event from Enterprise Community Partners: Demonstrating Housing Developer Pro 3.0 Tuesday, March 27, 2007, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm.

Housing Developer Pro 3.0 is a software tool for nonprofit housing development corporations and city housing departments.  Originally developed by Enterprise Community Partners, it is used by people who administer single-family and small multifamily housing rehabilitation programs or development efforts. HDP3 is specifically designed for Rehab Specialists to meet their need to quickly and efficiently create cost estimates and bidding documents. We’ll demonstrate how HDP3 automates the process of defining and quantifying the work required and produces the documents that you need when you need them. 

Read more about this and other Live Online Events on our website: http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/training_and_events/webinars/default.asp

Street Roots & Dignity Village Benefit with Artis the Spoonman & Jim Page April 5

Street Roots & Dignity Village would like to invite you to a special night of music and fun with Artis the Spoonman & Jim Page. We would love to see you at the show! It promises to be great fun!

What: Benefit for Street Roots/Dignity Village with Jim Page & Artis the Spoonman

When: Thursday April 5, Doors open 7:30PM, show starts 8:00PM

Where: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St.

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased through Street Roots at 503-228-5657, or at the Clinton Street Theater Box Office

Artis the Spoonman: The spoonman is a living myth. From the bars and streets of Seattle, San Francisco, Manhattan, Sydney, London, Dublin, Munich and Singapore, to the theatres of Broadway, the stages of international and national television and the recording studios of Frank Zappa and Soundgarden his spell bounding, faster than the eye can track spoon playing will change your life or at least your ideas on cutlery. Referring to Artis the Spoonman Frank Zappa said, "You haven't got a commercial bone in your body."

Jim Page: Jim is one of the most talented, and respected songwriters to ever come from the Pacific Northwest. Jim has been on the scene for more than twenty years and his reputation continues to grow. He has shared the stage with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Michelle Shocked, Leftover Salmon, and Mickey Hart. Robert Hunter says, "If Jim Page aint the bastard son of Woody Guthrie I'm T-Bone Walker"

We want to give a special thanks to The Portland Mercury for sponsoring the event!

To check out our poster go to Rocket Poetry at http://rocketpoetry.blogspot.com/ or to Street Roots at http://www.streetroots.org/index.phpto

To purchase or reserve tickets call Street Roots at 503-228-5657, or go to the Clinton Street Box Office at 2522 SE Clinton St.

NPF Training: Board & Staff Roles in Financial Management April 19

Nonprofit affordable housing and community economic development is a tough business. Successful organizations must develop Board and management capacity to evaluate financial choices and understand the financial consequences of activity in housing development, asset and property management, resident services, economic development projects, and fund raising activity.  

This new full day workshop is designed for Board members, Executive Directors, and Financial Managers of community development corporations. We'll look at State of Oregon and IRS requirements and expectations for Board oversight and the information and skills Board members will need to have to provide effective leadership for their CDC. We'll also examine key staff functions and the ways CDCs assign responsibility for monitoring financial performance and achieving financial outcomes. We'll also explore financial decision-making as it applies to executive directors, fiscal managers, housing developers, asset managers, fundraisers, and program managers.

Workshop topics will include:

·       IRS and State of Oregon expectations of CDC board members

·       Financial information boards need for effective oversight and decision-making

·       How to evaluate the financial health of your CDC

·       Executive director, fiscal manager, housing developer, and asset manager roles in financial management

·       Financial management challenges in LIHTC projects, single asset entities, and home ownership programs

Board member participation is critical!  Board members will receive free lunch, a primer on financial statement review that can be used for 'training lessons', and other fabulous prizes!

PRESENTERS

Leon Laptook has been in the affordable housing field for 25 years, as a manager and director of public and non-profit agencies serving the low-income community. He has expertise in housing development, land use, and providing training and technical assistance to CHDOs and community-based organizations. He has managed the federal housing and redevelopment programs for the City of Corvallis and prior to co-founding the CDLC was the Deputy Director for a large community action agency in the Portland area.

Kay Sohl, Co-founder & Executive Director of TACS is a public accountant with degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and Reed College in Portland.  She has also done additional study at Antioch College and Portland State University.  Kay has been with TACS from the beginning and has provided vision and essential leadership in the development of consulting and training for non-profits. Today she is recognized widely for her ability to communicate technical and financial information to diverse, non-technical, or non-fiscally trained groups.  Kay's professional expertise encompasses financial management, strategic planning, organizational development, and board and fund development. She has successfully consulted with the boards and managers of over 3,000 non-profit organizations throughout the Northwest.

There are only a few spaces available so register early!

LOGISTICS

Class Date & Time:  Thursday, April 19, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Location:  Kateri Park Community Room, 3640 SE 28th Ave, Portland

Meals:  For those electing to pay the meal fee, morning coffee, pastries & fruit and a buffet lunch will be provided.  Please be sure to check the meals option box on the registration form and include payment with your registration.

Cost:  Free for the workshop.  Continental breakfast and lunch option is $20

Registration Deadline:  April 5

Cancellation: If you are unable to attend a session that you have registered for, please email Ann Warnock as soon as possible so that your space may be given to someone else.  Thank you!  

To register, click here for the registration form. Please use one form per participant.  You may email, fax or mail your completed form to:

SYMPOSIUM: Managing the Business Side of Homeownership Programs May 9

NeighborWorks® Training Institute presents Taking Care of Business: Managing the Business Side of Homeownership Programs in Phoenix, AZ on May 9, 2007.

The affordable homeownership industry has grown significantly in the last decade. Today, partners have higher expectations and customers require faster and more convenient access to services. The organizations that will be successful in managing these demands are those that monitor their performance against key industry benchmarks.

Symposium Fee

The symposium fee is $145 and includes all materials, plenaries, workshops, light continental breakfast, luncheon with featured speaker, and the NeighborWorks Training Institute networking reception that evening. Registration fee not included.

Register soon! The pre-event registration deadline is April 16.

On-site registration begins May 6 at the Hyatt Regency.

Sponsored by: Freddie Mac

Nominate Excellent Projects! Increased Prize Money from MetLife Foundation

In partnership with the MetLife Foundation, Enterprise offers the MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing. The awards program recognizes 501(c)(3) community-based or regional nonprofit organizations and Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities that excel in property and asset management or provide housing to people with special needs. This year, MetLife has increased the first place prize money from $25,000 to $35,000 in unrestricted funds for winners.

Awards are made in two categories: Supportive Housing, and Property & Asset Management.

First place winners receive $35,000 


Second place winners receive $15,000 


Third place winners receive $10,000

Keep in mind: The application has been simplified, and past winners in the Property & Asset Management category can reapply two years after their award, if they apply for a different property.

Applications must be submitted online no later than midnight, Friday, May 4, 2007, and supporting documentation must be mailed to Enterprise Community Partners national office in Columbia, Md., postmarked by May 4.

The symposium is designed to provide you tools, case studies, and best practices to help improve oversight and management of your homeownership program.

For guidelines and the application, click here.

Enterprise Taking Applications for Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellowship

Enterprise Community Partners announces that applications are available for four Rose Architectural Fellowship opportunities beginning in September. The Frederick P. Rose Architectural Fellowship, established by Enterprise in 1999, creates partnerships between emerging architects and community-based organizations to direct the skills and passions of the architects in the service of low- and moderate-income communities. The Fellowship also honors the late Frederick P. Rose, a prominent developer and philanthropist who believed in the value of good design and the spirit of public service, and encourages architects to become lifelong leaders committed to sustainable community development.

Fellowships are available with:

Ø      The Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation in Bronx, N.Y.

Ø      Providence Community Housing in New Orleans, La.

Ø      Farmworker Housing and Development Corporation in Woodburn, Ore.

Ø      Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership in Slayton, Minn.

Applicants with diverse educational, professional and personal backgrounds, including minorities and individuals from disadvantaged communities, are encouraged to apply. The New Orleans Fellowship, sponsored by Capital One, begins as early as May 1 with applications due April 1. All other Fellowships start on Sept. 1 with applications due April 15. 

More information and applications.