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AOCDO-CDN Merger-Mania Is Moving Right Along, plus a Prize for a Name!! Ask the Board and Voting Members for AOCDO and CDN about the merger process and they’ll tell you that they’ve been to a lot of meetings. We’ve completed a flurry of strategic planning focused on our vision, mission and values for the new merged organization. A particularly active group is the Bylaws Committee which is defining governance and membership issues to prepare our legal documents. We appreciate the hard work of its members: Margaret Davidson (Community Connections of NE Oregon), Traci Manning (Central City Concern), Nick Sauvie (ROSE CDC) and Jim Moorefield (Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services, Corvallis). The Boards of CDN and AOCDO will be making formal recommendations in early June with members voting on the merger that month. A new organization will need a new name! You are invited to help us find a name that will best represent our united efforts to make affordable housing a statewide policy priority and to strengthen Oregon’s affordable housing industry. What are your suggestions? Please email Karen.
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Freeing Up $200 Billion in New Liquidity 03/20/2008 | Chicago Tribune Federal regulators have reduced the amount of capital that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must hold to cover possible losses, thus freeing up this money to buy more mortgages in a market that desperately needs more buyers, according to the Chicago Tribune. The agencies will make a $200 billion infusion into the mortgage market. As government sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are federally chartered to bring liquidity to the mortgage markets, ensuring that mortgage bankers and other lenders have enough funds to lend to home buyers at the lowest possible rates. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which regulates the two giant mortgage agencies, lowered capital reserve requirements from 30 to 20 percent. Earlier in March, the cap on the loan amounts for mortgages that the two agencies can buy was temporarily lifted. OFHEO now believes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be able to buy or guarantee $2 trillion in mortgages this year. While the agencies now have access to more capital to buy more mortgages, they are also making underwriting stricter so that borrowers with lower credit scores have to pay higher interest rates and put more money down. Florida Housing Applicants Dispersed by SWAT Team in Early March By: Emmanuel Lopez The SWAT team of the Boca Raton Police Department, clad in riot gear, forcibly dispersed more than 2,500 persons who gathered in hopes of receiving a Housing Choice Voucher at the local housing authority on March 12. The Boca Raton Housing Authority had advertised that it would hand out 600 applications for the Section 8 housing vouchers starting at 9 a.m. on March 12. People came from as far as Jacksonville, Fla., and Georgia to apply for the federal rental subsidy that would provide them with decent apartments at about one-third the market rate. Housing Choice Vouchers are made available to households whose income is at or below 30 percent or 50 percent of the Area Median Income, according to the program rules of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Residents started to gather as early as the night before applications were to be made available. By morning, there were more than 500 people camped out in front of the housing authority, mostly women with small children in strollers and several older residents in wheelchairs. Before noon, officials told hundreds still in line that they only had enough applications left for those with disabilities, or only 100 of the original 600. As the crowd rightfully became angry, police moved in and told them to "leave or face arrest." Two people were arrested and nine needed medical attention for conditions that included seizures, fainting and diabetic shock. One of the arrested was Angelica Rivera, a 28-year-old African American medical worker with five children ranging in age from 3 months to 11 years. When police told the crowd to leave, she stood face-to-face with SWAT team members in full riot gear. When they told her to go home, she told them "If I go home, then in a couple of months I won’t have a home for my family." She was charged with disorderly conduct, disobeying a lawful order and resisting without violence. If convicted of any of these charges, she will not be eligible for a Section 8 voucher due to the criminal background check that is required as part of the application. Police spokeswoman Sandra Booneberg was quoted in the Palm Beach Post as saying: "We think we handled it with restraint. We had good communication with the people … and we avoided any negative issues." Those who were seeking housing, however, were left with the bitter reminder that the police serve and protect only the wealthy, not the poor or those in need of assistance. Rivera noted: "They were all coming in with plastic shields as if we were criminals, as if we did something wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong, needing help is not a crime." "We’re all working people and we’re all bitter right now," said Deborah Davis, 37. "To be turned away like this hurts." (Palm Beach Post, March 13) Racist ‘shortage’ amidst abundance Of the 600 applications, the authority can accept only 200—and that is just to get on the waiting list for housing. Boca Raton had not offered vouchers since 2005. Other cities have not offered them for several years. West Palm Beach, Fla., where many in the crowd came from, closed its voucher waiting list in 2002. At that time, they had gathered more than 5,500 applications in two weeks. Six years later, housing officials are calling applicants whose numbers are in the 2,800s. The slow process of assisting low-income families in attaining better living conditions is not due to a lack of housing in South Florida. The number of vacant housing units in Palm Beach County increased by more than 10,000 between 2006 and 2007, or from about 79,000 to 89,000 empty units. This amounts to about 14 percent of all housing units in the county. In the South Florida tri-county region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach County, there are more than 2.4 million empty units, or about 11 percent of all housing units. With such an abundance of housing, why does it take six years to assist only a small percentage of people in comparison to available units? Because it is not a question of production; it is a question of distribution. Landlords are not obligated to accept the federal voucher and the paperwork that comes with it. The program itself has "maximum payment standards," set between 90 and 110 percent of the Fair Market Rent set by HUD for urban and rural areas across the country. More importantly, the housing market is part of a highly speculative industry where those who own the housing will sell or rent only to obtain maximum profits, not to meet the needs of the community. Michael Prysner, the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s candidate for Florida’s 22nd Congressional District (which includes Boca Raton), noted that the housing crisis is not only absurd, but also criminal: "A quick glance at the picture on the front page of the Palm Beach Post the day after this incident shows the racist nature of this crisis: a large crowd of mostly African American men and women seeking assistance turned away by a few heavily armed police officers. "This is just one example of a national crisis where assistance by federal, state, and local governments goes only to the banks and lenders who started the problem. Because this is clearly a political problem, it shows us, workers, that we need to struggle and fight against those who profit from our suffering." Nationwide, PSL candidates have adopted the slogan "People Over Profits." The scope and breadth of housing struggles that have set in motion tens of thousands of people provide ample evidence that this slogan represents an idea whose time has come.
OCDC Operating Support and Capacity Building Grants Applications Due May 5 The Neighborhood Partnership Fund is pleased to announce the availability of operating support and capacity building funds for Oregon Community Housing Development Organizations and Community Development Corporations. The 2008-2009 application for funding from the Oregon Community Development Collaborative (OCDC) is attached. The application will be available soon on NPF's website . Please note this funding announcement is being sent to a broad audience, and also that the eligibility requirements and funding availability have changed since the 2007-2008 grant cycle. Please be sure to check the eligibility requirements within the application for funding prior to preparing a proposal. Applications are due Monday, May 5, 2008 by 5:00 pm. Please contact Amy Fauver at 503-226-3001 x102 or by email with any questions. Oregon Homeownership Forums Begin Statewide Starting in April Everyone deserves access to homeownership, and focusing on first-time homebuyers is a great source of business for lenders and Realtors. Sometimes a slight drop in the monthly house payment is all an individual needs to qualify to purchase their first home. Join other local attendees to: · Hear an update on the current state of homeownership in your area · Learn about available down payment assistance programs, including Oregon Housing and Community Services' Purchase Assistance Loan (PAL) program, that can help you qualify first-time homebuyers · Share your challenges and successes in helping homebuyers become homeowners · Discover the resources offered by your local housing center and how you can collaborate with them to increase homeownership · Receive an update on foreclosures in Oregon and how you can assist distressed borrowers · Network with others interested in increasing homeownership in your area Scheduled forums include: April 10 -- Astoria April 14 – Coos Bay April 21 -- Bend May 19 -- Roseburg May 20 -- Medford May 21 – Klamath Falls June 6 -- Corvallis October 7 -- Eugene October 8 -- Salem All of the forums are free, but space is limited. Continuing education hours for Realtors may be available - contact your broker. Sponsored by Oregon Housing and Community Services, Oregon Association of Realtors and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. For more information and to register click here. Portland Schools Foundation Community Grant Awardees Include Hacienda, HSI The Portland Schools Foundation is happy to announce our Schools-Families-Housing (SFH) Community Grant awardees for our first round, and a huge thanks to all who applied. In addition, please check the Portland Schools Foundation website for more information on Round 2 of the SFH grants, due May 15, 2008. We congratulate… Human Solutions, Somali Resource Program Parkrose School District, Project Rebound 2008 Housing Authority of Portland, Humboldt Garden Community Engagement Program Community Alliance of Tenants, Tenant Family Stability Program Native American Youth Association, Native Community & Family Stability Project Hacienda CDC, Vamos! (Let's Go) Enrichment Program Oregon Tradeswomen Inc., Building Girls Project Key upcoming dates: · April 2, 2008 First round awardees announced and second round updated RFP released · May 15, 2008 Second round RFPs due · Mid- to Late June, 2008 Second round awardees announced. Check out the Portland Schools Foundation website for more project information on the awardees, recent press release for Round 1, the link to the updated RFP for Round 2, and more.
Strength in Numbers: REACH Volunteer Spring Workday a Success Six homeowners living on a low income received help during the 1st Annual Spring Workdays, a new event for REACH Community Development’s Community Builders Program. The Spring Workdays help pool the use of donated materials and skilled labor for a variety of projects throughout Portland. From March 11th-15th, a total of 23 repairs were completed by 27 volunteers to help seniors and disabled homeowners live safely in their homes. After spending nearly a year in a nursing home recovering from a devastating infection, Deanna Rausbeck returned home to a new life --- in a wheelchair. Her inability to walk and confinement to the indoors was challenging for Ms. Rausbeck, a self-described hard worker. “I contacted REACH because I needed a way to get outside, and my yard was so overgrown,” said Ms. Rausbeck. Employees of Rejuvenation lent their skills to help with carpentry projects and yard cleanup. Ms. Rausbeck now has a new wheelchair ramp and can enjoy the restored peace of her garden. Guy and Bobbie Gourneau are raising 8 children in a modest home in the Lents neighborhood next to where Guy grew up. Moss grows on the exterior walls of their small house, which also needed gutters and major repairs to the front porch. With help from donated gutters and downspouts the home is better protected from water. The new enclosed front porch has added more interior space. “It’s like a new room,” said Mr. Gourneau. “The kids love to play in it.” The Gourneaus are pleased with all the repairs and are looking forward to sprucing up the exterior this summer with free paint from the REACH program. Spring Workday volunteers also built a handrail, installed a gravel driveway and cleaned up the yard for an elderly woman and her son. Projects for other homeowners included home and plumbing repairs. Material and/or labor donations worth $3,776 made the Spring Workdays possible. Craftwork Plumbing donated fixtures for two homes and one of their plumbers donated his free time. Montavilla Sheet Metal provided free downspouts and gutters for the Gourneau home. Other local community partners included Portland Fire and Rescue, h2meyer photography, Rejuvenation, Bureau of Development Services, Neighborhood Inspection Team, and Metro. Thanks to sponsors and volunteers REACH serves over 200 homeowners annually. The Community Builders Program provides free home repairs for homeowners with low income due to age or disability throughout Portland. The program keeps seniors safe in their homes and avoids the displacement of longtime residents from their neighborhoods.
People of Color/Immigrant and Refugee Candidates Forum April 10 Who will you vote for? Come meet the Candidates of Multnomah County and City of Portland before you cast your vote! The People of Color/Immigrant and Refugee Candidates Forum will be held: Thursday, April 10,2008 from 6:00PM to 8:30PM at Oregon League of Minority Voter's Headquarters, 2225 N. Lombard (and N. Omaha), Portland, Or This event is sponsored by: Oregon Action, Latino Network, Portland Chapter NAACP, Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Oregon League of Minority Voter's, Center for Intercultural organizing, Community Alliance of Tenants, Urban League of Portland, and The NE Coalition of Neighborhoods For more information: Oregon Action at 503.282.6588 Childcare and Translation is available upon Request Lents Home Buying Fair: Learn How to Buy Your Own Home April 12 The Lents Homeownership Initiative (LHI) and Kelly SUN Community School presents the 3rd annual Lents Home Buying Fair. This FREE event will be held on Sat., April 12 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Kelly Elementary School, 9030 Cooper St., Portland. The fair is open to anyone wanting to learn about buying their own home. Lenders, Realtors, title companies, developers, home buying counselors, businesses, and non-profit organizations will provide plenty of helpful information about their services and programs. The highlight of the day will be a drawing for a $4,000 down-payment assistance grant to be given to a qualified potential homebuyer. Last year, Toni Hessen and her family won the grant and immediately used it to buy their first home. "Homeownership was in my mind and I wanted to do it but I wasn’t sure,” Hessen said. “Winning the grant at the Lents Home Buying Fair was absolutely perfect; it was great, I was so ecstatic. It helped me with a down payment to buy a HOST home.” At the fair, workshops on “How to purchase a home” and “What down payment assistance programs are available in Lents” will be presented in English and Spanish, with Vietnamese, Russian, and Mandarin translators available. In addition, there will be children’s activities, such as face painting, and a free lunch provided by Burgerville (first-come, first-served basis). LHI is a partnership of more than 40 community organizations that ROSE Community Development brought together in Lents. Launched in 2005, the LHI mission is to increase homeownership and improve the quality of life in the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area (LTCURA) through community involvement, outreach, and education. After three years, LHI has exceeded its initial goals by creating 200 new homeowners and completing 216 home repairs in LTCURA. LHI partner organizations also work to organize neighborhood cleanup weekends during the spring and summer and are working to develop Neighborhood Watch training sessions in hopes of establishing five Neighborhood Watch programs per year. Fair sponsors are: Portland Development Commission, Bureau of Housing & Community Development, ROSE CDC, Kelly SUN Community School, HOST Development, Umpqua Bank, Wells Fargo, Burgerville, Unitus Community Credit Union, Washington Mutual, Oregon Housing & Community Services, US Bank, Fred Meyer, and Bank of America. (Kelly SUN Community School is a collaborative effort of Portland Impact, Multnomah County, and Portland Parks & Recreation) What: Lents Home Buying Fair When: Saturday, April 12th from 10 am – 2 pm Where: Kelly Elementary School, 9030 SE Cooper Street (south of Foster Road off 92nd Ave.) Why: For the public to learn about home-buying information and resources in Lents. Notable: There will be a free raffle for a $4,000 down-payment assistance grant Questions: Click here or contact Amie Diffenauer at 503-788-8052 x105 or by email.
Elders in Action-NE Multi Cultural Senior Center Candidate Forum April 16 The Elders in Action Commission and the NE Multi Cultural Senior Center invite you to 2008 Candidates Forum on April 16, 2008, 1:00pm-4:00pm at the NE MultiCultural Senior Center (5325 NE MLK Jr Blvd Portland, Or 97211) Everyone is Welcome! This is your opportunity to find out the views of Candidates for Multnomah County Commission District’s # 1, 3 and 4 and for City of Portland Mayor, Commission positions #’s 1, 2 and 4. These positions are critical to ensure that County and City services are available to allow seniors and people with disabilities to live quality and independent lives. Make sure you VOTE by May 20th as an informed voter! Contact: Maria Micozzi 503-595-7530 or by email for questions. Housing Opportunity Mayoral Candidate Forum On May 1st, a broad base of community organizations will be asking City of Portland mayoral candidates questions about homelessness and affordable housing. The Housing Opportunity Mayoral Candidate Forum is a tremendous opportunity to listen to candidates hoping to occupy the Mayor’s seat on Portland City Council. Following up on our successful collaborative forum on February 21st, affordable housing and homelessness advocates in Portland come together again to help educate candidates about the issues we’re passionate about. Street Roots, Sisters of the Road, JOIN, Coalition for Homeless Families, Affordable Housing NOW!, Community Alliance of Tenants, Community Development Network and a new sponsor, Oregon 211, have developed a list of poignant questions designed to get to the heart of a candidate's views on the issues. Please join us for this exciting event on Monday, May 1st from 12pm - 1:30pm at First Unitarian Church (1011 SW 12th Ave. in Portland). Portland Neighborhoods Prepare for Recycling Roll Carts New recycling roll carts are coming to Portland neighborhoods between May and July. The heart of the new system is replacing the two yellow recycling bins currently used with a single roll cart. All material currently placed in the yellow bins can be combined in the roll cart, except glass. A lid keeps recyclables dry and sturdy wheels make the cart easy to set out. The carts also are easier and safer for trash haulers to collect, since mechanized trucks can tip the carts into the truck. Glass should be placed in one of the remaining yellow bins. Last August the Portland City Council adopted the residential portion of the Portland Recycles! Plan which includes changes that will help people recycle more by making it easier and more convenient. Here's what you need to know: § Between May and July, you'll receive your new roll carts (one for recycling, one for yard debris) and an information packet. § Everything you currently recycle - paper, cans, cardboard, scrap metal, plastic containers - can be mixed together in the recycling roll cart, except glass. § Glass bottles and jars still need to be kept ON THE SIDE! You'll be able to use one of your old yellow bins for your glass. § You'll be able to recycle some plastics at the curb that you haven't previously been able to: yogurt-type tubs, plastic buckets and rigid plant pots. (Sorry, plastic lids and plastic bags still are not allowed; these cause problems for the recycling processors.) § The large roll cart has a lid to keep your recyclables dry - you may find you only need to set your cart out for collection every other week. In July, your garbage bill will go up by about $2.60 a month to help pay for the new carts, double the yard debris volume and greatly expand plastics recycling. Elements of the Portland Recycles! Plan Faced with a growing waste stream, a stalled recycling rate and concerns about energy use and global warming, the Portland City Council set the following goals for Portland's waste and recycling system: § Zero growth in the waste stream. § Increase the recycling rate to 75 percent by 2015. § Make the whole system more sustainable. § Reduce toxics and greenhouse gases. The Office of Sustainable Development, working closely with citizens, recycling advocates and solid waste industry representatives, created the Portland Recycles! Plan. New roll carts for recycling and yard debris, and the addition of more plastics, are included in the first phase of the Plan. The Plan also calls for using 20 percent biodiesel fuel in collection vehicles and installing diesel filters to reduce pollution. To learn more about the Portland Recycles! Plan click here. Residential recycling fundraising opportunity: The Office of Sustainable Development is gearing up for the residential recycling roll cart roll out campaign and is interested in working with diverse community groups to help spread the message. Moving to roll carts and adding more accepted plastics will increase the volume of recyclables and help reduce global warming pollution. Waste prevention and recycling are key elements in the fight against global warming. Portland's residential recycling has already reduced emissions by an amount equivalent to taking 35,000 cars off the road. This is a grassroots canvassing effort, asking groups and volunteers to go door-to-door and engage community members in conversations about the recycling changes and roll carts that are coming citywide between May and July. We have targeted some neighborhoods based on low participation, high contamination, and/or accessibility/density issues. Participating community organizations will receive approximately $2.00 per conversation. Targeted timeline is April 26-June 28. Two options regarding the door-to-door outreach: 1) Community groups, associations, organizations, etc pick certain days to organize a canvassing day and go out together; meet at certain time and place for short training and then head out for a 4 hour time block and then meet back up at a designated time and place (for example, 1 or 2 Saturdays a month from 11-3). 2) Individuals associated with a group or organization receive instructions and all the OSD provided materials and go out to an area on their own time and return walking lists to designated person or place whenever they are done (could be a two week period, or a month, but will give them a deadline). Knowledgeplex: Low-Cost Rentals Seen as Key Economic Tool From West Coast to East, civic leaders are looking to affordable rental housing to revitalize or sustain municipal economic growth. In Springfield, Ore., city officials hope the affordable housing development completed and the two more contemplated will prime the pump for higher-income housing to move into the still depressed downtown, reported The Register-Guard. In November, a $7.4 million 33-unit apartment building developed by the St. Vincent dePaul Society of Lane County opened to predictions that it would fuel steady improvement downtown. A similar complex, which opened in Eugene in 2003, has put more “eyes on the street,” making the downtown safer and more attractive to retail, said a city official. For full article, by Jack Moran of The Register Guard click here. The Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., City Council voted to amend the city’s general plan to allow a 166-unit apartment complex on a site formerly zoned for commercial use only, reported the San Bernardino County Sun. Thirty-three of the apartments will be market-rate. The development is the second affordable-housing project to be approved on the same street in three months, an “indication that the city considers affordable housing a priority,” the article said. The city’s redevelopment agency recently produced a marketing video boasting of the affordable rental options in the city. It will be shown on cable television and at local meetings. New Study Finds Disabled Housing Needs Twice as High as HUD Estimates The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force has released the results of a new study that estimates that 1.2-1.4 million very low income non-elderly disabled households without children had worst case housing needs in 2005. This range is more than twice the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s estimate of 542,000 non-elderly disabled households published in HUD’s most recent worst case housing needs report to Congress, Affordable Housing Needs 2005 (May 2007) The CCD Housing Task Force study – The Hidden Housing Crisis: Worst Case Housing Needs Among Non-Elderly Adults With Disabilities – analyzed data on the housing of persons with disabilities from the 2005 American Community Survey to estimate worst case needs among non-elderly adult renters with disabilities. Worst case needs, a concept designed to count the number of renters with acute needs for rental housing assistance, are defined as unassisted renters with income below half of their area’s median family income who either pay more than half of their income for housing or live in severely substandard housing. The study was conducted for the CCD Housing Task Force by Dr. Kathryn P. Nelson, who was the principal author of HUD’s first eight reports to Congress on Worst Case needs. In addition to improving estimates of worst case needs among non-elderly households with disabilities without children, the study found that 0.9-1.0 million families with children with worst case needs in 2005 had non-elderly adults with disabilities in the household. Thus, overall, the study finds that almost half of the nation’s 4.7 million non-elderly households with worst case needs include adults with disabilities. The remaining 1.3 million worst case households have elderly heads or spouses. More information about this study, including the assumptions and adjustments made to estimate worst case needs from the ACS and other national data sets, will be available on Wednesday March 5, 2008, click here. Census Bureau Releases Comprehensive Atlas with Housing Maps A new Census Bureau comprehensive atlas of the U.S. presents data from 1790 through 2000, with most maps showing county-level detail. For free atlas click here or $165.00 from the U.S. Government Printing Office, via website or 1-866-512-1800 (toll free). National Multi Housing Council Gives Industry Outlook in Annual Report The National Multi Housing Council’s 2007 Annual Report examines the foreclosure crisis, saying it will make 2008 a difficult year for apartment firms thanks to more competition from formerly for-sale housing units now operating as rentals, significant credit disruptions, and a potential recession. However, long-term demographics are on the side of the apartment industry as echo boomers move into their renting years, the report says. The report explores how this youth demographic will likely change the industry’s product, its location, and property management. The report also summarizes the council’s legislative and regulatory accomplishments for the year, information on new NMHC guidance documents and benchmarking surveys, and a 2008 meetings calendar. To access the annual report, click here. Study Cites Successes Increasing Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless The Corporation for Supportive Housing has released the third in a series of evaluation reports highlighting the systems change efforts of the Taking Health Care Home initiative. The initiative has been operating since 2004 in Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Los Angeles, Portland/Multnomah County, Ore., and Seattle/King County, Wash. The initiative aims to create and expanded supportive housing for chronically homeless people by creating and expanding development relationships, the funding pipeline, and policy tools. According to the report, in the participating communities, 1,500 permanent supportive housing units have opened since 2004, representing a 12 percent increase in the number of supportive housing units available. Funding for supportive housing in the communities increased from $1 billion in 2004 to $1.4 billion in 2007, a 43 percent increase. To access the report, click here. Grants Offered to Develop Treatment Systems for Homeless People Nonprofits, local governments, and tribes can apply by May 29 for new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funds that can be used for services linked to housing, though not for housing costs. Click here. Contact Joanne Gampel, SAMHSA, 240-276-2895 or via email. MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing Overview - A grant of $40,000 for first-place winners; $30,000 for second-place and $20,000 for third place, in each category - Free registration to the annual Enterprise Conference - A commemorative plaque presented at the conference - A press release, issued locally and nationally, announcing your accomplishments - A profile of the winning project on the Enterprise Resource Database™ on Enterprise’s website - An announcement on the Enterprise website with a link to the organization’s profile and website - The goals of the program are to: - Showcase models of excellence in the design and management of affordable housing and the operation of supportive housing for special needs populations. - Increase the understanding of how to achieve success in providing supportive housing for special needs populations. - Increase the understanding of the role of the owner, asset manager, property manager and tenants in developing, maintaining and operating housing. - Provide an unrestricted financial award for agencies that exhibit excellence in asset and/or property management and the provision of special needs housing. - Disseminate model supportive housing and property management programs. For more information click here. The Future of Food in Oregon - a presentation by Ken Meter April 24 Imagine a food and agricultural economy in Oregon that is strong, thriving and sustainable. Imagine Oregon producing sufficient food to feed its population and a stronger overall economy. Ken Meter, farm and food system analyst from Minnesota, helps communities and states achieve goals such as these. Meter studies existing food systems and creates reports using hard economic data to demonstrate the importance of developing local, sustainable food systems. Meter’s work has strengthened local food initiatives in 29 regions across 15 states. His groundbreaking studies, "Finding Food in Farm Country," document economic losses suffered in America’s farm communities. “I’m eager to be a part of the savvy local food efforts that have made the Portland metro area a national leader,” Meter says. “Despite solid progress in building a local food economy, Oregon’s farmland is losing acreage.” This is a tremendous opportunity for people to learn about the importance of strengthening Oregon’s sustainable local food supply,” says Ann Forsthoefel, director of agency relations at Oregon Food Bank. “Meter moves people from being passive recipients of the food system to active participants working toward positive change,” says Sharon Thornberry, OFB’s community resource developer. Ken Meter will present “The Future of Food in Oregon,” Thursday, April 24, 7:30 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of Christ, 1126 S.W. Park Ave., in Portland. Meter will present a picture of the food system in the Northwest to inspire people to take action to improve it. OFB will accept food and cash donations at the door. TownHall: Truths about Homelessness in the Beloved Community April 26 Senator Avel Gordly and Sisters of the Road invite you to a Town Hall “Truths about Homelessness in the Beloved Community” “…the number of Parkrose School District students who are homeless. As of today (March 18), that number is 198, although our district liaison tells me that he is identifying 4 or 5 new students each week, for the last 2 or 3 weeks.” -- Kathy Keim-Robinson, Director of Student Services, Parkrose School District (Senate District 23) Panelists: Patrick Nolen, Sisters of the Road Kathy Keim-Robinson, Director of Student Services, Parkrose School District Bob Grovenberg, Homeless Liaison, Parkrose School District David Leslie, Executive Director, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Pastor Mark Knutson, Augustana Lutheran Church Israel Bayer, Director, Street Roots Eddy Barbosa, Resource Specialist, Street Roots Civic Action Group Saturday, April 26, 2008 10 a.m. to 12 noon Great Room, Mt. Tabor Hall Portland Community College, Southeast Center Support Civil Rights in Housing, Celebrate 40 Years of the Fair Housing Act April 30 The Fair Housing Council of Oregon invites you to a celebration of 40 years of the Fair Housing Act: “Fasten Your Seat Belts-It’s Been a Bumpy Ride.” Join the Fair Housing Council of Oregon on April 30th for a rare opportunity to explore Portland’s hidden history of housing discrimination and find out the latest on fair housing challenges in Oregon today. The event, entitled Fasten Your Seat Belts-It’s Been a Bumpy Ride, will feature a lively bus tour of locations of discriminatory history, a panel of experts addressing housing discrimination today, and a performance by the dynamic Sermonettes Gospel Singers. The event will be at the Ambridge Event Center in Portland, from 8:30 until 2:30 pm. The $40 fee includes lunch and other refreshments. Advance-registration is required and the registration deadline is April 14th. To obtain registration information, contact registration@fhco.org or Diane Hess at (503) 412-6000. The Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) is a nonprofit organization, which enforces federal, state and local laws prohibiting housing discrimination. These laws protect renters and home buyers from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, familial status, disability, source of income, marital status, sexual orientation and age. FHCO also educates tenants, housing providers, advocates, governments and community groups about fair housing rights and responsibilities and responds to complaints from individuals who believe they gave been discriminated against.
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