Click here to view past articles in the News Archive
| AHN Action Alert: Write or Email City Council to Support Funding For Housing
Affordable Housing NOW! needs you to write or email the members of the Portland City Council and ask them to allocate new funding for affordable housing in the 2005-06 Budget. The whole Council currently supports a budget that includes $1 million in new funding related to the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, and Commissioners Sten, Adams and Saltzman support an additional $1 million for affordable housing. We need to at least secure this new $2 million! To do so, our action alert focuses on a fully funded HIF, and the Sten-Adams proposal for $2 million for affordable housing discussed at the March Budget Forum. Please write or email at least two members of City Council. In order of preference: Mayor Potter, Commissioner Adams, Commissioner Saltzman, Commissioner Leonard and Commissioner Sten. Talking points and email contact are below. Writing is better than email. For more info, go to: $2Million_in_Jeopardy. Please take action TODAY. Talking Points: Please use the following talking points. Any personal stories or information is a plus!
Mailing address: Portland City Hall Email Contacts: Mayor Tom Potter mayorpotter@ci.portland.or.us Affordable Housing NOW! is a movement of affordable housing advocates and tenants 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 low income people a political priority in the Metro area. Right now in Portland neighborhoods, hardworking people are not able to afford housing and still have enough money for groceries and other basic necessities. Seniors and people with disabilities are being left out in the cold by the escalating cost of housing. Affordable Housing NOW! believes that housing gives people an opportunity to build better lives. For our communities to be successful, community members need a place to call home. In 2004, Affordable Housing NOW! won $11 million from the City of Portland that will meet the housing needs of people at the lowest income levels. $11 million is a great start, but that funding is only for Portland, and a mere drop in the bucket for meeting the overall need. In other words, we are just getting started. To learn more about Affordable Housing NOW!, go to: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html Housing Justice Day Rally Against Federal Housing Cuts May 26 in Portland Portland Mayor Tom Potter will speak at a rally against proposed federal housing policy that would cut essential programs that serve working families, veterans, seniors and people with disabilities on Thursday, May 26 in downtown Portland. According to the Federal Reserve Bank, Oregon ranks 48th among states in rental affordability, often resulting in Oregon households being forced into horrible choices between paying for rent and utilities or paying for necessities, such as food, clothing and medicine. With these proposed cutbacks to proven housing programs, the impact on vulnerable Oregonians will be devastating. “Housing gives people an opportunity to build better lives,” said Sam Chase, Executive Director of the Community Network. “These proposed changes and cutbacks to federal housing programs will take away opportunity from Oregonians already forced to make do with barely enough income to get by month to month. This is very bad policy.” Among the proposed Federal policies that would negatively impact Oregon are cutbacks to the housing choice voucher program Section 8, slashing the Community Development Block Grant and shifting the program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Department of Commerce, and restructuring HUD rules for housing authorities to bait them into no longer serving the most economically vulnerable, as well as harmful cuts to public housing programs, HOME funding and highly successful youth programs. All of these proposed cutbacks and policy changes are a direct result of the Bush Administrations on going tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans (To learn more, click here). “We need our elected leaders to stand up for regular Oregonians,” said Julie Massa of the Oregon Food Bank. “Even at the current funding levels, income qualified seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and families working for low wages were not being served because these programs are chronically under-funded. To pull the rug out from under thousands more Oregon households to fund tax cuts for the rich is unacceptable.” The Rally, sponsored by Affordable Housing NOW!, Community Alliance of Tenants, Community Development Network, Elders in Action, Independent Living Resources, Mental Health Association of Oregon, NW Pilot Project, and Oregon Food Bank, will take place on SW 4th Avenue by Portland City Hall. The Rally begins at noon, and will last approximately one hour. To get involved with the Rally or if you have questions, contact Michael Anderson at (503) 335-9884 or mike@cdnportland.org. Federal Housing Update from National Low Income Housing Coalition Congress has adopted its budget resolution that sets the parameters for federal taxation and spending for the coming year. Congress has for all intents and purposes passed the budget resolution that President Bush asked for. It cuts both domestic discretionary spending and mandatory spending on programs that aid the poor including Medicaid and food stamps. This is the first time in three years that the Senate and House have been able to reach agreement on a budget resolution. Low income people would have fared better if there had been no resolution again this year. The budget resolution imposes discipline on the Congress that gives it cover when constituents demand that program funding be maintained or even increased. The opportunities for advocates to argue for their particular interests without doing harm to other essential federal programs have been severely diminished. We will be asked to make choices. “If you want full funding for your program, tell me what other program you want me to cut” will be the refrain that advocates will hear over and over again in the coming months. Here’s the answer. This is a predicament that Congress has created for itself by cutting taxes over and over and over again - and again in this budget. There would be no necessity to impose these spending cuts if the budget resolution did not also provide for another $106 billion in more tax cuts in the next five years. And once again, the benefits of the tax cuts will accrue to the most well-off. Leaders of major U.S. religious denominations (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, and United Church of Christ) have denounced the budget and called on Congress to rescind it. In a joint press statement they said that “We believe our federal budget is a moral document and should reflect our historic national commitment for those in our own country who suffer from hunger, lack of education, jobs, housing, and medical care as well as concern for our global community.” They go on to say: “As we view the FY ‘06 Federal Budget through our lens of faith this budget, on balance, continues to ask our nation’s working poor to pay the cost of a prosperity in which they may never share. We believe this budget remains unjust.” Several members of Congress have signed onto letters to their colleagues to urging full funding for various HUD programs. Do not be fooled into thinking that these pleas are genuine. Any member of Congress who voted for the budget resolution voted to cut federal housing programs. Do not let them off the hook. The most benign explanation is that they are inconsistent or unformed. More likely, we are witnessing hypocrisy of massive proportions.
Budget Specifics: On April 28, Congress passed a budget resolution that will cap discretionary spending and cut funding for low income programs. The final budget, developed solely by Republicans, requires almost $35 billion in cuts to mandatory programs, which are to be implemented during reconciliation. Out of the $35 billion, $10 billion, over the next five years, is assumed to come from the Medicaid program. The Agriculture Committee has also been directed to find savings of $3 billion. These savings are expected to come from the food stamp program. These cuts are about half of what the House had requested and double what the Senate had requested. The budget conferees adopted the President’s discretionary spending levels of $893 billion, including $373 billion in cuts to domestic discretionary programs, outside of defense and international spending. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), this funding level is $23 billion less than FY05 levels, adjusted for inflation, and will require $212 billion in cuts over the next five years. Housing advocates can claim one small victory in the budget resolution. The conferees retained the Senate budget language that allows for the restoration of cuts to community development programs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The decision will still be left to Appropriators to actually use the increased funding for the CDBG program. The negotiated budget also includes $106 billion in tax cuts over the next five years. Out of the $106 billion, $70 billion are included in the reconciliation process. The reconciliation process requires certain committees to submit legislation that will mandate spending cuts in specific programs. The reconciliation process is used for cuts to entitlement programs and taxes. Committees have until September 16 to submit legislation for cuts to entitlement programs. Legislation for tax cuts does not have to be submitted until September 23. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities surmises that the bills have two separate deadlines to attempt to hide the fact that tax cuts are being given to the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Democrats argue that, if they had been fully involved in the budget process, the budget would not include such drastic cuts. The Democrats on the conference committee said at an April 27 press conference that they were not included in the process and they lambasted Republicans for not working on a budget in a bi-partisan manner.
CDBG Passes First Hurdle, But The Battle Has Only Just Begun: The House and Senate budget conference committee members came to an agreement last week on their nonbinding joint budget resolution, which provides guidance to the appropriations committees. The resolution, which now must be voted on in both houses, sets spending caps that Congress will be unwilling to exceed but provides only recommendations to the appropriations committees on how to allocate FY 2006 funding. The budget resolution calls for $843 billion in total discretionary spending, mirroring the President's request. On top of $106 billion in tax cuts over the next five years, the resolution calls for $212 billion in cuts over five years in discretionary domestic programs. For FY 2006 alone, the resolution recommends $30.5 billion in mandatory spending cuts in programs such as Medicaid, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The agreement does provide nonbinding advice to the appropriators to increase funds for Community and Regional Development (including CDBG and a host of other community development programs) by $1.5 billion over the President's request. This recommendation would restore economic and community development programs to their FY 2005 level. But that would require cuts to other programs, since the overall discretionary spending cap was not increased. Therefore, despite support for CDBG and other programs in the budget resolution, the fate of these programs remains uncertain and is now in the hands of the appropriators, who still must divide up the total amount of FY 2006 spending among all the appropriations subcommittees. What You Can Do: The real work for affordable housing and community development advocates has just begun. In this restrictive federal funding environment, it is important to enlist nontraditional allies, such as your private sector partners, to carry the message to Congress that federal housing and community development programs are a priority and should be sufficiently funded. As Congress will be in recess this week, May 2-6, and again from May 30 - June 2, this is a prime opportunity to take your members of Congress on tours of your work. Tours help elected officials to see how programs they fund in Washington make a real difference to families in your communities.
State and Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005: Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO) has introduced HUD’s “State and Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005” (SLHFA) in the Senate (S. 771) on April 13, 2005 and Representative Gary Miller (R-CA) introduced companion legislation, H.R. 1999, in the House on April 28, 2005. SLHFA will drastically change how affordable housing programs operate and reduce the number of extremely low income families and individuals - those with incomes below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI) – who will benefit from public housing and the Section 8 voucher program. WE MUST STOP THIS BILL! SLHFA will make the following changes in Public and Assisted Housing, among others: Income Targeting: SLHFA allows 90% of vouchers to go to households with incomes up to 60% of area median. Nationally, 84% of severely cost burdened households have incomes below 30% of area median income. Today, at least 75% of voucher must go to households with incomes below 30% AMI. The bill represents a mismatch between known housing needs and use of federal resources. Rents: In both the public housing and voucher programs, the bill would allow rents to no longer be tied to incomes, which currently keeps rents affordable to low income people. The bill would allow housing authorities to establish their own rent policies, which may or may not be affordable to people with low income households. Time Limits The bill allows housing authorities to establish time limits for participating in the voucher program. Portability: The bill greatly restricts portability and poses other serious fair housing and civil rights problems. On portability, only certain housing authorities could port voucher to other authorities, and even then only with a written agreement. Enhanced Vouchers: Currently, residents are protected with enhanced vouchers if owners of HUD multifamily properties prepay on their mortgages or opt out of renewing project-based Section 8 contracts, Under SLHFA, enhanced vouchers will only be good for one year then they are converted to regular tenant-based vouchers. Over 60,000 tenants with enhanced vouchers would be forced to move and find housing they can afford with a regular voucher. Moving to Work Any housing authority could apply to be a Moving to Work site. As such, most housing requirements would no longer apply or could be waived (except for public housing demolition/disposition rules). A housing authority’s funds could be transferred and/or merged between the public housing operating and subsidy funds and the voucher program. See NLIHC website for more information on this legislation’s impact on low income families. Please report back on your calls to Craig Stevens at craig@nlihc.org. Oregon Center for Public Policy: Economic Growth for Whom? In the last year, Oregon added 58,600 jobs, with gains in most major industries. Job seekers are finding more advertisements for available jobs, and fewer Oregonians are filing for unemployment benefits. These and other statistics tell us that the economy is improving, in general. But Oregonians don’t live “in general.” We care about specific people. Is economic growth improving my life, my sister’s life, or my friend Scott’s life? Many economists and politicians will tell you that economic growth is automatically good for everyone. “Look, the economy is growing again! Be happy, people!” But it’s not necessarily true that what’s good for CEOs is good for supermarket checkers. Why should you care about general economic growth if your own salary remains stagnant and your health care costs keep rising? Over the last generation, the benefits of economic growth in Oregon have gone disproportionately to families and individuals already well-off. That trend has left most Oregonians either desperately treading water in a world with more financial risks, or sinking under the weight of poverty or debt. During our last period of economic growth, from 1992 to 2000, the richest one percent of Oregon households collected 24 percent of all gains in adjusted gross income. In total, these richest Oregonians added $7.7 billion to their incomes during the 1990s boom. The new income that went to the top one percent easily surpassed the new income that went to the entire bottom three-fifths (60%) of households. Middle-and lower-income Oregonians would be better off today if the benefits of economic growth during the 1990s had accrued more equitably. The average middle income family would have had $3,220 more in 2000 if their income relative to the wealthiest one-percent of Oregonians had stayed the same during the nineties boom. The poorest households would have had $700 more if they had not fallen further behind. The richest one percent would have averaged $258,000 less, but they still would have had average incomes of $483,000. There was a similar pattern during the expansion that followed the economic downturn of the early 1980s. From 1983 to 1990, the richest one percent of Oregonians increased their share of all income in Oregon from 7.9 percent to 10.6 percent. In 1990, the average middle-income household would have had $2,100 more, in 1990 dollars, if the richest one percent had not seen disproportionate gains. “Who benefits from economic growth in Oregon?” is a policy question for both employers and elected government officials. In the last generation, employers nationally have raised executive pay much more rapidly than worker pay. Elected government officials, meanwhile, have largely ignored the rising inequality around them. Instead, they have added insult to injury by rewarding the richest with a disproportionate share of tax breaks. State and local taxes in Oregon increased as a share of income for the lowest-income Oregonians between 1989 and 2002, stayed about the same for middle-income families, and were cut for the richest. We can always do things differently. So far, though, it doesn’t look good. The Oregon Employment Department reported last fall that wage inequality in Oregon is on the rise again. Meanwhile, the Legislature is debating rolling back the minimum wage for some workers and cutting the income tax on capital gains for wealthy investors. Economic growth is necessary but not sufficient to improving the financial health of Oregon’s families. When someone tells you that the economy is growing, ask, “For whom?” Michael Leachman is a policy analyst with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, which uses research and analysis to advance policies and practices that improve the economic and social opportunities of low- and moderate-income Oregonians, the majority of Oregonians. He can be reached at mleachman@ocpp.org, at P.O. Box 7, Silverton, OR 97381, or by phone at 503-873-1201. Beehive Buzzing: High-Speed Internet Access as Eligible Operating Costs When the Governor passed Executive Order 02-02, and then Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) required that all tax credit housing be wired for high-speed Internet, it was clear that State housing programs were looking towards the future. Yet, there were concerns about that wiring tax credit being one more “unfunded mandate”. The issue was that while the wiring of the housing could be a part of basis, thereby addressing the capital costs, the ongoing costs of monthly ISP service and network maintenance expenses were new costs to the project. However, OHCS has confirmed that both monthly ISP and network maintenance are eligible costs for operating budgets. Working with One Economy, Betty Markey and Bob Gillespie confirmed that these costs were always considered by the department as eligible. In the next CFC, One Economy has suggested the following language be explicitly written: “Monthly ISP costs and maintenance costs associated with a high-speed residential data network or eligible costs in a project’s operating budget”. Hopefully this will make the integration of high-speed Internet into housing projects more cost effective and will enable housing agencies to further promote its use. About the Beehive: The Beehive is the pride and joy of the One Economy Corporation. One Economy is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. We created the Beehive to be the place to go for information and resources around the things that matter in our lives: money, health, jobs, school and family. And, we'd like you to have a little fun while you're here so, we're throwing in some games and quizzes to keep it interesting. The Beehive is just part of what One Economy does. We also work with owners and developers of affordable housing across the country. We help them connect people to computers and the Internet. The way we see it, when people have access to the Internet and can connect to good resources like the Beehive, they have the power to change their lives. To find out more about the Beehive, go to: http://www.theBeehive.org/ 13th Annual Annie Ross House Spring Garden Festival May 7 Join Northwest Housing Alternatives for the 13th Annual Annie Ross House Spring Garden Festival and Plant Sale on Saturday May 7th, just in time for Mother's Day. When: Saturday, May 7th, from 8:30am until 3pm Where: Annie Ross House, 2316 SE Willard St, Milwaukie (just south of the Milwaukie HS) More Information: Terrie Darling, 503-654-1007 * Plant Sale - Choose from a large selection of hanging baskets, flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees * Kid's Korner - Gift making activities, games and prizes * Silent Auction - Including gifts for the garden * Food and Garden Vendors * Entertainment and Shopping * Help Landscape the Shelter Grounds - Bring gloves and tools and help spruce up the yard and gardens at the shelter and transitional housing units Proceeds from the Spring Garden Festival and Plant Sale go to Annie Ross House programs. Annie Ross House provides shelter and services for homeless families with children in Clackamas County; and offers low-cost rentals to help families transition out of homelessness. Annie Ross House is where families succeed!
‘Look Here! Views From the Invisible Community’ Exhibit Opens May 22 Sisters Of The Road would like to invite you to the premiere of Look Here! Views From the Invisible Community, a multi-media exhibit showcasing the photographs and stories of people experiencing homelessness who chronicled their lives with disposable cameras. "It provides a view from the inside of homelessness in Portland," PhotoVoice participant Patrick Nolen says. "I hope that when people view my pictures, they'll think, 'This guy is just like me.' " On Sunday May 22, Sisters Of The Road will unveil this exhibit at the beautiful Native American Student and Community Center (710 SW Jackson Avenue) on the Portland State University campus. To get more information or to reserve tickets on-line, go to www.sistersoftheroad.org; or email marilyn@sistersoftheroad.org; or call Marilyn at (503) 222-5694 ext. 12. The Look Here! debut will involve two events. First, from Noon to 2 pm., Sisters will host a fundraiser, where for a $50 donation (half of which is tax-deductible) people can view the exhibit, enjoy a light brunch, and meet the photographers. Then the exhibit opens for general viewing at 2 p.m. that day. The suggested sliding-scale ticket price for the general viewing is $5-$10, although no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Both events welcome families and children. For a sampling of photos from the exhibit, check out the Sisters of the Road website at www.sistersoftheroad.org NPF Community Development Training: Critical Thinking, June 8–9 Thanks to the continued and generous support of Washington Mutual, the Neighborhood Partnership Fund (NPF) is pleased to present our 2005 Community Development Training Series, beginning with Critical Thinking, a course taught by Fernando Menéndez on June 8–9, 2005 in Tualatin. Critical Thinking Course Overview What are critical thinking skills? The ability to reflect on the assumptions underlying our actions and considering new ways of looking at the world and acting in it. In environments of complexity and change, in workplaces and organizations, critical thinking skills are increasingly essential to help sort out what is essential. The capacity to figure what is fundamental and not merely a symptom helps us make better decisions. The ability to discipline ourselves to think critically helps people, and the teams they work in, become more productive, effective, innovative and creative. In short, it improves productivity and performance. Learning Objectives At the end of this workshop, participants will have · Examined a model for how we think · Identified a variety of mental traps and obstacles that get in the way of our thinking · Practiced using a variety of tools and techniques for promoting critical thinking · Reviewed strategies for promoting critical thinking at the personal, team and organizational levels · Identified the relationship between critical thinking and improved organizational performance Who Should Attend: · Participants seeking practical approaches for overcoming seemingly intractable organizational issues · Those looking for new ways to make decisions and solve problems · Those looking for solutions to problems that are fundamental and not symptomatic · Those looking to build innovative and creative teams Registration Deadline: May 23, 2005 Logistics Location: Century Hotel, 8185 SW Tualatin Sherwood Road in Tualatin OR 97062. We will be meeting in the Century Room, which is located to the right of the hotel’s front desk. Directions: http://www.thecenturyhotel.com/locations.htm The hotel is just west of I-5 off of exit #289. Date: June 8–9, 2005 Cost: $150.00 per person Workshop Times: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Meals: Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided at the workshop. Cancellation Policy: If you are unable to attend a session that you have registered for, please contact NPF as soon as possible. Refunds, minus a $10 processing fee, will be given for cancellations occurring five business days prior to the day of the training. After that date, no refunds will be made. How to Register: Contact Ruth Adkins at (503) 226-3001 ext. 100, or via email at radkins@tnpf.org. Nomination for B of A Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Due June 30 The Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative recognizes and honors two non-profit organizations, five local heroes and five student leaders. Two non-profit organizations working in education, arts and culture or affordable housing/community revitalization are selected to receive “Neighborhood Builder” grants of $200,000 each. Notably, these grants can be used for capacity building and to cover operating expenses. Last year, Hacienda Community Development Corporation was selected as one of the two non-profit organizations to receive this award. In addition, five individuals working to better their community are selected for the local hero award, which includes a $5000 grant to the non-profit organization of their choice. Five high school students (Juniors or Seniors) who have demonstrated a commitment to volunteering in their community are selected for the Student Leader award, which includes a Bank of America executive mentor and a paid summer internship with Habitat for Humanity. For more information on the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative go to www.bankofamerica.com/foundation, or contact Rich Brown at richard.e.brown@bankofamerica.com. All nominations are done on-line. Non-profit organizations should apply directly for the Neighborhood Builder $200,000 grant awards. Any individual or organization can nominate a Local Hero and Student Leader. Deadline for all nominations in June 30, 2005. Winners will be announced in October. |
||||