Housing Alliance: Hearing on HB 3551, Doc Fee for Housing, Continues Today; House to Vote on Bill Increasing Tenant Protections in Condo Conversions

For the second consecutive day, the Transportation & Economic Development Subcommittee of Ways and Means is holding a hearing on HB 3551, the Housing Alliance Bill that would harness a $15 increase to the state document recording fee to fund need housing programs serving working families, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and others left behind by Oregon’s housing market.

At yesterday’s hearing OHCS Director Victor Merced and Deputy Director Rick Crager opened testimony with an overview of how the funding from HB 3551 would expand current HCS capacity to meet housing need.  Following the OHCS testimony, Senator Avel Gordly addresses the committee, describing HB 3551 as one of her highest priorities for the session. A panel of six members of the Housing Alliance then talked about specific programs that would be funded by HB 3551 and how HB 3551 would leverage private and other funds for essential housing programs.  The only testimony in opposition cam from a representative of the County Assessors.

Take Action!

Members of the Transportation & Economic Development Subcommittee of Ways and Means need to hear from you today.  Please email the Senators and Representatives listed below and urge them to support housing opportunity by supporting HB 3551. IF you have emailed members of this committee before, please do it again.

Sen. Betsy Johnson, Chair: sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us 


Rep. Carolyn Tomei, Vice-Chair: rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us 


Sen. Gary George: sen.garygeorge@state.or.us


Sen. Rod Monroe: sen.rodmonroe@state.or.us


Sen. Joanne Verger: sen.joanneverger@state.or.us


Sen. Doug Whitsett:sen.dougwhitsett@state.or.us


Rep. David Edwards: rep.davidedwards@state.or.us   


Rep. George Gilman: rep.georgegilman@state.or.us


Rep. Bruce L Hanna: rep.brucehanna@state.or.us    


Rep. Chip Shields: rep.chipshields@state.or.us        

HB 3186 up for Vote on House Floor Today

Housing Alliance bill HB 3186 is expected to pass out of the House this morning.  HB 3186 would ensure tenants get the full 120 days notice before they have to move, as well as a 60 day notice of the opportunity to buy their unit, the event that their apartment building was converted to condominiums.

Oregon's housing boom has led to apartments across the state converting to condominiums at record rates. State law requires residents be given 120 days to find somewhere new, but a loophole in the law means some only get 30 days.

"People are getting squeezed out of apartments they've lived in all their lives and not given the proper 120 days notice that one portion of the law requires," said Representative Chips Shields. “What good does it do to have a 120 day notice if the day before, or the day after, people can be subject to eviction simply with a 30 days, no-cause eviction notice?"

If HB 3156 passes out of the House, the bill will head to the Senate.

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/

Call Your Federal Representative TODAY: Housing Trust Fund Vote May 17-18

Help make a National Housing Trust Fund a reality! Support H.R. 1427, GSE Regulatory Reform Legislation, which includes money for an affordable housing trust fund.

The House is expected to take up H.R. 1427 on May 17 and 18.

The bill contains a provision to reserve $500,000 a year from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a dedicated source of funding for the National Housing Trust Fund. 

Call Your Representative and urge him/her to

·                Vote YES on H.R. 1427.

·                Vote NO on any amendment to strike the Affordable Housing Fund.

·                Vote NO on an amendment to strike the language that reserves the funds in the Affordable Housing Fund for the National Housing Trust Fund.

·                Vote NO on a "motion to recommit" that would send the bill back to the Committee.

Please use this toll free number, 877-210-5351, for the congressional switchboard and ask to be connected to the housing staffer for your Representative.

Please email us at outreach@nlihc.org to let us know the outcome of your call. And thank you for your support! Support H.R. 1427, GSE Regulatory Reform Legislation, which includes money for an affordable housing trust fund.

Call Your Representative Today! Take Action!

The House is expected to take up H.R. 1427 on May 17 and 18.

The bill contains a provision to reserve $500,000 a year from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a dedicated source of funding for the National Housing Trust Fund.  (For more information on GSE legislation click here.)

Call Your Representative and urge him/her to

·       Vote YES on H.R. 1427.

·       Vote NO on any amendment to strike the Affordable Housing Fund.

·       Vote NO on an amendment to strike the language that reserves the funds in the Affordable Housing Fund for the National Housing Trust Fund.

·       Vote NO on a "motion to recommit" that would send the bill back to the Committee.

Please use this toll free number, 877-210-5351, for the congressional switchboard and ask to be connected to the housing staffer for your Representative.

Please email us at outreach@nlihc.org to let us know the outcome of your call. And thank you for your support!

For more information on the National Housing Trust Fund click here.

More Fed Housing: Budget Resolution Process Moves Forward, SEVRA in House

(From the National Low Income Housing Coalition) The House and Senate have appointed members of the conference committee to reconcile differences in the two chambers’ budget resolutions to finalize the federal budget resolution for FY08, the blueprint for Congressional spending. Both the House and Senate passed their own budget resolutions earlier in the year.

The goal of the conference committee is to have a budget resolution approved prior to May 15 when the House appropriators plan to start their funding allocation process.

The House budget resolution includes $418 billion in discretionary spending, about $8 billion more than the Senate and much higher than the President’s request of $393 billion. Advocates are working to ensure that the conferees accept the higher House number.

The budget resolution sets the overall spending limits and funding framework for the appropriations bills, which actually fund federal programs including housing.

Representative David Obey (D-WI), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, announced that he plans to have all 12 appropriations bills through the House by July 4. 

The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) has sent letters to the Chairs and Ranking members of the House and Senate appropriations committees urging them to provide adequate funding in FY08 for HUD programs during the committee’s 302(b) allocation process, in which funds are parceled out the individual subcommittees. The 35 organizations, including NLIHC, that signed the May 8 letters argued that a substantial funding increase is necessary to begin to make up for the years of underfunding. The letters can be found at www.nlihc.org/doc/CHCDF07LetterHouse.pdf and www.nlihc.org/doc/CHCDF07LetterSenate.pdf.

Housing Advocates Support SEVRA Bill

Forty organizations, including NLIHC, sent a letter to members of the House Financial Services Committee lending strong support for H. R. 1851, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2007 (SEVRA). The May 4 letter asserts that SEVRA is a good government bill that stabilizes the voucher program. The SEVRA bill is expected to be considered later in May by the Financial Service Committee. The letter can be found at www.nlihc.org/doc/SEVRA-signon-letter.pdf.

Housing Discrimination Complaints in US at Record High in 2006

(Ruth Mantell, MarketWatch) -- A record number of Americans are complaining about housing discrimination, with disability and race as the leading reasons for filing a complaint, according to the government's annual fair housing report released in April.

In 2006, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Fair Housing Assistance Program agencies received 10,328 housing discrimination complaints, up 65% from the 6,270 complaints received in 1996, according to the report.

Although only a small fraction of those who think they have experienced discrimination actually file a complaint, HUD sees the record level as an accomplishment, according to Kim Kendrick, HUD's assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity.

"We think it's due to our enforcement and education and outreach...getting the word out," Kendrick said. "People have more faith in their government...they want to file complaints with us. Getting more complaints shows you that the education is working."

For fiscal 2006, HUD said the basis of 40% of the complaints was disability, 39% was race, with familial status and national origin each accounting for 14%. Other reasons for complaints included sex, religion and retaliation. Complainants most often alleged discrimination in the terms and conditions of the sale or rental of housing, or refusal to rent.

The number of complaints should rise again, Kendrick said, noting that the aging population could translate to more disability complaints. More complaints could lead to improved housing service for consumers, she said.

"The more complaints we get, the more realtors and real estate agents we get to talk to. The more housing providers we get to talk means these issues won't reoccur," Kendrick said.

Although education is important to help uphold the Fair Housing Act -- which prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status -- enforcement is key, experts said. The act also requires HUD to investigate complaints, and attempt to conciliate.

In fiscal 2006, the share of HUD complaints that closed with a determination of no reasonable cause was 40%. Conciliation, or settlement, the second most common way in which HUD closed complaints, representing 36% of all closures. Also, HUD referred 1% of complaints to the Department of Justice, and another 1% resulted in a charge. The other 22% met with an administrative closure, which occurs in instances such as those in which a complaint is withdrawn, or a complainant doesn't cooperate or can no longer be located.

John Taylor, president and chief executive of National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit aiming to unite efforts to increase private capital in traditionally underserved communities, said he'd like to see federal agencies such as HUD spend more time on enforcement.

"Financial education is important, but first and foremost we need to protect consumers from unscrupulous people," he said. "Race discrimination continues to be at unacceptable levels. Those people who say race doesn't matter anymore...simply don't know what they are talking about."

Since fiscal 2003, HUD's fair housing staff has steadily declined 20% to 598 in fiscal 2006. During that same time period, funding for fair housing has remained fairly flat, dipping less than 1% to $110.5 million in fiscal 2006.

"For us it's a shame that Congress has not appropriated more money," said Shanna Smith, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, an organization that aims to end discrimination in housing.

To make best use of its resources, HUD is increasingly making Secretary-initiated discrimination investigations, which are initiated by the department, even if no one has filed a complaint. The investigations focus on housing providers, lenders, and others that HUD suspects of unlawful discrimination.

For example, in January of 2006 HUD began a Secretary-initiated investigation of allegations that the City of Manassas in Virginia tried to discourage Hispanics from living in the city by selectively enforcing an ordinance restricting households to immediate relatives. HUD filed a complaint against Manassas, and eventually referred its own complaint, as well as those from others, to the Department of Justice after conciliation efforts failed.

HUD has brought about 15 Secretary-initiated cases in the past 18 months, according to Bryan Greene, deputy assistant secretary for enforcement & programs with HUD.

"Whenever we have a chance to make a case we want to be proactive as opposed to reactive," he said.

The Portland Field Office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in conjunction with HUD’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, will present a FREE two-day grant writing workshop on May 30^th and 31^st, 2007 at the Portland HUD Office, 400 SW Sixth Ave. Suite 700, Portland. This is a basic level workshop designed to help emerging faith-based, community, and grassroots organizations learn how to prepare a successful grant application.

On-line Registration is Open NOW!  Attendance is limited, no more than two participants from any one organization, please.  Reserve your space by going to the following website:

 http://www.hud.gov/register

Select Oregon and click the Search for Events button.

Click the checkbox next to “Grant Writing Training for Beginners” and complete the application form.  Click the Register button.

That’s all there is to it.  You will receive a confirmation number.

If you have any difficulty registering, call Roy Scholl at 971.222.2604.

Participants will receive personal instruction from HUD staff on how to become more competitive for federal grants and on the organizational structure necessary to secure government funds.  This training emphasizes the general principles of grant writing, not the specific requirements of individual HUD programs.  Staff from other agencies will be present to discuss local grant opportunities. The agenda will include the following topics:

• The White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative
• Legal Do’s and Don’ts for Faith-Based Organizations
• Requirements for a 501(c)(3)
• Organizational Development
• Application Development
• Performance Measures

You are reminded that construction in the area of the Portland HUD Office is interfering with automobile traffic.  Please allow plenty of time to arrive and find parking.  You may wish to use the MAX light rail to come into the downtown area.  Our office is two blocks north of the Pioneer Courthouse Square stop.

WHAT:          Free Grant Writing Workshop

WHEN:          8:30am – 4:30pm, Wednesday, May 30, 2007

                  8:30am – 4:30pm, Thursday, May 31, 2007

WHERE:         Portland HUD Office

                  400 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 700

                  Portland, OR                 

WHO:            Beginner Grant Writers

Clackamas Community Land Trust 2007 Green-Built Dollhouse Show May 31, 2007 at the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City.

This is not your typical green building tour!

Come celebrate the green built dollhouses as we launch their tour bringing green building concepts to the community in a fun and accessible way.

The celebration will feature a hosted bar with local beer and wine, heary appetizers, fun sllent auction items. . . Plus. . . Six green built dollhouse will be auctioned!

$20 general admission.

Buy tickets on-line at http://www.clackamasclt.org

Thursday May 31, 2007  6 pm to 8:30 pm

Museum of the Oregon Territory

211 Tumwater Drive, Oregon City

Thank you to our sponsors: Washington Mutual Bank, Danielson’s Fresh Marketplace, Foster Pepper LLC, Chicago Title Insurance Company, PacFirst Mortgage and Coldwater Properties

A very special thank you to the Marylhurst University Interior Design students who designed and built the dollhouses.  Come see who won the award for the lightest ecological footprint, the best demonstration of easy to adopt green-building techniques, the most fun and functional, best use of environmentally responsible material, best use of renewable energy and the children’s favorite. 

Then vote for your own favorite!

Managing Capital Improvements & Replacement Reserve Analyses June 6 & 20

Craig Kelley and Eli Spevak, Housing Development Center will conduct this training to help CHDOs strategically position themselves to be able to maintain the physical condition of their housing portfolios over the long term.  A recent survey of Low Income Housing Tax Credit Projects in Oregon found that most owners do not know the capital needs of their projects, and are not sure if they have sufficient reserves.

Structured as hands on work sessions, this training will review capital needs assessment formats and approaches, and will teach CHDOs how to complete a replacement reserve analysis for at least two properties.  The course is targeted towards housing development, facility managers and asset management staff. 

The training will include:

·       Approaches to capital needs assessments: internal versus external evaluations, when they are needed, sample scope of work and report formats.

·       Outlining a capital budget to reflect rehabilitation needs and recapitalizing options.

·       Developing strategies to oversee the property manager’s maintenance work and performance indicators for maintenance.

·       Preparing annual capital improvement budgets, including how to approach this task and what funders allow.

·       Preparing a replacement reserve analysis to evaluate annual deposit needs, or future recapitalization needs.

This day and a half training will be conducted through two work sessions on June 6 and June 20. 

June 6 – 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM:  Participants will review capital needs assessment formats and approaches, and learn how to assess capital improvement needs by walking through a property, and forecast replacement reserve costs through a spreadsheet model using up-to-date construction costs.  The first half of the session will be classroom presentation.  The second half of the day will convene at Lancaster Bridge, a property owned by Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services, where participants will take a tour of the site and some of the units.  See link for a description of Lancaster Bridge. http://www.corvallisnhs.org/lancaster_bridge.html.  At the close of this session, participants will leave with a complete replacement reserve analysis. 

June 20 – 8:30 AM-12:00 PM:  This session will be conducted via WebEx will provide a technical assistance work session for CHDOs that have completed replacement reserve analyses on their own properties. 

Presenters:

Craig Kelley has more than a decade of experience in construction and affordable housing development.  His work at the Housing Development Center includes both finance and construction management, and he is HDC’s point person on green building practices.  He is a LEEDTM Accredited Professional and a certified Sustainable Building Advisor. Current projects include the Watershed @ Hillsdale, new construction of 51-unit senior, mixed use development, Nuevo Amanecer Phase I & Phase II, renovation of 90 units of farmworker housing; and Rose Quarter Workforce Housing, adaptive reuse of a 5-story hotel into 182 SRO and studio units with ground floor commercial. Previous projects include Greenburg Oaks, restructure and major renovation of 84 units of family housing.  He joined HDC in 1999.

Eli Spevak has been developing affordable housing for the past 13 years and has worked at the Housing Development Center as a project manager since 1997.  He brings an understanding of HDC’s standards and practices and has managed the finances and/or construction of over 300 units of affordable housing, utilizing a variety of financing structures including 4% LIHTC/bond, 9% LIHTC, HOME, CDBG and LIHPRHA funds.  He wrote a replacement reserve financial model that has been used to assess the long term financial viability of dozens of affordable housing projects, and has provided training at the local and state-wide level on its use.  Over the past couple years, Eli has expanded his development work to include multi-family homeownership with HDC and in his own projects. 

Class size is limited so register early!

Logistics 

Registration: Contact Ann Warnock via email (nwarnock@tnpf.org) or at (503) 226-3001, ext 100

Class Date & Time:  Wednesday, June 6, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and Wednesday, June 20, 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Locations:  June 6 – OSU LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis (morning through lunch) and Lancaster Bridge, a project of Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (afternoon tour and wrap up).

June 20 – session will be held via WebEx.  Instructions will be provided to registrants prior to the session.

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:  May 30

HOST 4th Annual Run/Walk For Affordable Homeownership June 9

Please join our team, the "Roof Raisers" at the HOST Development 4th Annual Run/Walk for Affordable Homeownership. This event is a fundraiser to provide affordable homeownership opportunities to low and moderate-income families in the city of Portland. The event will be held on Saturday, June 9th @ 8 am in Hillsboro at the Helvetia Half Marathon.

This year we are asking participants to help us raise money for our Buyer Assistance Fund, which provides closing costs assistance to help underprivileged families overcome the financial barrier to ownership. In 2006, our Buyer Assistance Fund provided over $100,000 in closing costs assistance to Portland families.

How to Participate

It's easy! Call HOST at 503-331-1752, ext. 104, or go to our website at roof raisers info and fill out the entry form.  Each participant's goal is to raise $100.00 towards this effort to help Portland families. You can ask your friends, family, or employer to pledge their support of this great cause.

Your $100.00 donation covers registration, T-Shirt, and spaghetti feed the night before the event. All donations are tax deductible and 55% of your donation goes to the HOST Buyer Assistance Fund. For those that cannot participate but still want to help, simply make your donation to Host Development. The deadline for registration is June, 5, 2007.

Volunteer Opportunities

If you would like to be more involved, we have several volunteer opportunities available. For more information contact Ted Salter at 503-331-1752, ext. 104, or email him at ted@hostdevelopment.com

North American Street Newspaper Association Conference in Pdx July 26-29

The 2007 North American Street Newspaper Association conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, from Thursday July 26, to Sunday July 29. The conference will be at Portland State University in the heart of downtown and hosted by Street Roots.

This year’s gathering of street newspaper from around North America promises to be an exciting conference with the focus on networking and technical assistance.

Street Roots, Oregon’s only street newspaper, is proud to host the 2007 North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) conference, bringing together more than 37 newspapers from cities throughout North America.

This year’s conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, July 26-29 at Portland State University. It promises to be an exciting conference with a focus on networking and technical assistance. 

What is NASNA?

NASNA exists to support and build effective, self-sustaining street_ newspapers that promote power and opportunity for people living in poverty. NASNA offers technical assistance to new and growing street newspapers, content sharing with the Street News Service, a web-based news service for member papers worldwide.

NASNA also holds an annual conference featuring skills building workshops and other topics of common interest. NASNA is a regional network of papers that belong to the

International Network of Street Newspapers, which represents street papers in other parts of the globe. There are more than 90 street newspapers worldwide with a combined circulation of 55 million. NASNA works to support a street newspaper movement that creates and upholds journalistic and ethical standards while promoting self-help and empowerment among people living in poverty.

What is Street Roots?

Street Roots is a grassroots newspaper that assists people experiencing homelessness and poverty by creating flexible income opportunities. Through education, advocacy and personal expression, we are catalyst for individual and social change. Our publication comes out twice a month with a circulation of 14,000 to 20,000 a month. More than 70 vendors buy the newspaper for 30 cents and sell the product on street corners and at local businesses in the community for $1. The organization has put more than $1 million dollars into the hands of poor people since its inception in 1998.

The newspaper has been recognized by the Society of Newspaper Design and given awards by the City of Portland and the Cecil Shumway Fund, and the Steve Lowenstein Trust.