The Oregon State Legislature’s Interim Joint House and Senate Revenue Committees held the second of two hearings about affordable housing on June 1, 2006. Housing providers, bankers, government officials, poverty advocates and impacted citizens all gave strong testimony in support of the Housing Alliance 2007 Housing Opportunity Agenda, which would provide $100 million in needed funding for housing for working families, seniors, and people with disabilities.

The hearing room was packed, with Housing Alliance members and supporters standing in the back and on the sides, and more people filling an overflow room. The hearing lasted a little over four hours.

The morning began with a series of presentations. These fell into three categories:

·       Housing is out of reach:  presentations that described the scale of the problem in every region of the state and put a human face on it;

·       We know what to do: presentations that outlined the capacity of the affordable housing industry, and the challenges it faces as a result of increased costs and demand;

·       What the Housing Alliance is asking the Legislature to do: presentations that set out the Alliance Agenda for $100 million in new resources per biennium, explained how new resources would be spent, and encouraged the Legislature to act quickly.

After the lunch break, there was a solid 2.5 hours of testimony. A Tillamook County Commissioner talked about the high cost of housing on the coast, noting that most new development is of 2nd or 3rd homes. He said that workers were commuting over the coast range because they could not afford housing at the coast. Most of the other speakers were private citizens without industry ties. A host of people affiliated with the Recovery Association Project testified about the importance of alcohol and drug free housing (e.g. Oxford Houses) to their recoveries. Portland-area tenants testified about high rents.

Cassandra Garrison, speaking as a private individual rather than as the representative of the Oregon Food Bank, showed a photo taken of herself and her daughter when they were shelter residents, and a photo of her daughter today, graduating from high school. She described the many supports that had provided a ladder out of poverty for her family, and urged the committee to fund a range of programs, from housing to education assistance to child care. Other speakers also talked about the "ladder," and named housing as an indispensable rung, but not the only rung.

There were a only a handful of speakers who expressed opposition to portions of the Housing Alliance's Opportunity Agenda.

This is a partial list of speakers and topics invited by the Housing Alliance to support the 2007 Housing Opportunity Agenda:

1.    Ellen Lowe of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Oregon Food Bank gave the introductory remarks.

2.    Martha McLennan, Executive Director of Northwest Housing Alternatives,  described current funding for affordable housing and the existing state-wide affordable housing development infrastructure.

3.    Bill Van Vliet, Executive Director of the Network for Oregon Affordable Housing gave a technical overview of affordable housing financing.  

4.    John Epstein, a banker with Wells Fargo and a member of the State Housing Council, described the need for greater subsidy and the potential of leveraging additional private funds. He explained how much money his bank leaves on the table because of the paucity of investment opportunities.

5.    Mary LaTourette of Portland and Maria Paladino of Eugene gave the consumer perspective.  Both had been single parents who had been homeless.  Each described how housing provided stability that helped them to pursue their education, become gainfully employed, and provide a home for their families. Ms. Paladino became a homeowner, and Ms. LaTourette is renting. The Committee members were visibly moved by these eloquent testimonials.

6.    Janet Byrd and Mark Nelson described the sources and uses of new funds for housing. 

7.    Cyndy Cook, the Executive Director of the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority, described the multi-family development possible with increased resources.

8.    David “Rocky” Johnson, the Executive Director of the Clackamas Community Action Team, described how increased funding would help prevent and end homelessness.  He provided statistics from his most recent homeless count about the increasing percentage of children among the homeless. 

9.    Jim Moorefield, the Executive Director of the Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services, talked about the ways that capacity building would enable agencies throughout the state to respond to the housing crisis.  He also emphasized that money would be spent on homeownership, including efforts to close the minority homeownership gap.   

10. Dona Bolt, State Coordinator of the Homeless Education Program at the Oregon Dept. of Education, talked about the impact of the affordable housing crisis on the education system.   She described the sharp increase in child homelessness over the last 10 years.  She testified that 12,000 students in the state were homeless during the last school year, and noted the adverse impact of frequent moves on student achievement.  She also spoke to the high student mobility has on classroom instruction.

11. Max Williams, head of Oregon Dept. of Corrections and a former state legislator   spoke about the interplay between affordable housing and corrections. He explained that inmates released to the street or to a shelter are more than three times as likely to re-offend than an inmate released to safe, stable housing.

The success of the June 1^st hearing followed on the heels of an initial hearing on affordable housing two weeks prior in Medford. In both hearings members of the interim committee were receptive to the Housing Opportunity Agenda. The housing issue has never received this much attention from an interim Committee before, so just the fact of the hearings was itself a victory for the statewide Housing Alliance.  Thanks to all who made the hearings a success, particularly Janet Byrd and Amy Fauver at the Neighborhood Partnership Fund.

Members of the Housing Alliance believe that hard-working people should be able to afford housing and still have money left for food and basic necessities. 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 learn more about the Housing Alliance, go to: http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/

ROSE CDC to Break Ground on Leander Court Apartments June 21

Come celebrate the groundbreaking of ROSE Community Development’s Leander Court Apartments, a 37 unit affordable rental project that will be home to working families earning low wages, women reuniting with their children are completing transitional corrections programs and other households with limited incomes.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony will run from 12:30 to 2:30 pm on Wednesday, June 21 at the Leander Court site, at 4600 SE 122^nd (one block South of Holgate).  The ceremony will feature remarks from Portland mayor Tom Potter, City Commissioner Erik Sten, Rich Brown of Bank of America, Will White of the Bureau of Housing and Community Development, Rick Crager of Oregon Housing and Community Services, and Andy Wilch with the Portland Development Commission.

Leander Court is designed especially for families in outer southeast Portland.  This new community will give families a secure place to build their lives, raise children and be art of the neighborhood.  Amenities available to Leander Court residents include a community room, four outdoor play areas in a landscaped courtyard, locked indoor bike storage, Energy Star appliances, washer and dryer hook-ups, pa laundry room, and spacious two, three and four-bedroom units.  Two units are designed to rent to in-home child care providers.

ROSE has secured Project Based Section 8 assistance for eleven of the 37 units.  The Project Based Section 8 will be applied to units with rents at 50% Medium Family Income, which will further reduce those rents.  The 30% Medium Family Income unit rents and the Project Based Sections 8 will allow ROSE to house very low to low income families.

5 – 8 units are dedicated to Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH).  ROSE is working with the Multnomah County to provide housing for women who have completed the 12-month transitional corrections programs reuniting children and families.

Using ROSE’s in-home childcare model, the Leander Court project will include two “child-care” units that will accommodate childcare for up to 20 children. The childcare providers will receive training and technical assistance through the ROSE childcare program.  This arrangement provides affordable workspace for the small business entrepreneur, while offering other residents near-by childcare options.

The project team for Leander Court includes ROSE Community Development/ Leander Court LLC (Developer/Owner), Walsh Construction (General Contractor), Housing Development Center (Consultant), William Wilson Architects (Architect) and Cascade Management, Inc. (Property Management). Project funders for Leander Court are Bank of America/Albina Community Bank, Bureau of Housing and Community Development, Enterprise Community Investments, Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, Oregon Housing & Community Services, and the Portland Development Commission.  The Multnomah County Department of Community Justice and the Housing Authority of Portland were also project partners.

ROSE CDC anticipates the start of construction in September 2006, with the anticipated construction completion in July 2007.

Sabin CDC and Portland Youthbuilders Build for Community Families

Portland Youth Builders construction students and Sabin CDC recently put the finishing touches on a new single family residence in the Overlook neighborhood of North Portland. The three bedroom, two bathroom house was completed the end of May and will be sold to a deserving low-moderate income family. The students who built this house from the ground up were pleasantly surprised on the day when contractors showed up to install the electrical system and one of the employees was a graduate of PYB and had worked on a past Sabin CDC home, continuing the mission of affordable housing and workforce development.

Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare last month purchased a 14,600 square foot site at 3038 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard as part of continuing commitment to better serve local communities, said Leslie Ford, Cascadia President and CEO.

Improvements should be completed within two months, with Cascadia moving in in August.  The current configuration of the one-story masonry structure will require minimal renovation to meet Cascadia needs, Ford said. 

Ford, as well as many of Cascadia’s key executives, will be joined at the site by staff relocated from the current Northeast clinic on North Albina Ave.  She explained that the property was chosen for client convenience, its good access to transportation, its ample parking, and its size and configuration. 

The site, originally a supermarket and later the Nike Outlet store, most recently was home to human service agencies, include Youth Opportunities and the Northeast One Stop.

Ford noted that Cascadia executives had already begun to meet with residents of the Eliot neighborhood to engage them in the process of developing a Good Neighbor Agreement and ensure a smooth transition.  Cascadia is committed to being an asset to the neighborhood and she noted that with 70 staff, bringing a total payroll exceeding $2.5 million, local restaurants and other stores could anticipate increased business.

Cascadia is the area’s largest provider of behavioral healthcare services, operating more than 70 sites in four different counties. Cascadia creates hope and opportunity for people with mental illnesses and addictions, blending innovation and determination with competence and compassion.

Portland Community Land Trust to Offer Free Summer Classes for Homebuyers

Portland Community Land Trust is offering free classes that provide basic information and get interested homebuyers started in our homebuyer assistance program in June and July. Please post & share this information as appropriate.  Thanks!

PCLT Homeownership Orientation

11:00am-noon on Sat., June 17th

At 8111 NE Holman, NW College of construction & Real Estate

(a workshop offered at a homebuying fair)

PCLT Homeownership Orientation

11:30am-12:30 on Fri., June 30th

At Portland Housing Center, 3233 NE Sandy

PCLT Homeownership Orientation

6:30-7:30 pm on Thurs. July 13th

Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 4244 SE 91st

PCLT Homeownership Orientation

6:00-7:00 pm on Tues. July 25th

PCLT Office, 3109B NE Broadway

Spanish language classes can be arranged by appointment.

To RSVP or ask questions, please contact Kelly Caldwell at 503-493-0293 or via email.

The fastest growing housing program in the country, Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), does not begin to address or meet the needs of the housing needs of the poorest group of disabled people- people on SSI. The total FY 2004 LIHTC authority was more than $600 million, resulting in more than 76,000 housing units.

However, the FY 2004 data shows nationally only 4% of the total went to households with incomes at or below 30% of the area median income (Oregon is doing better than the national average, with 11% of LIHTC units targeted below 30% AMI in FY2004). Disabled people, whose sole source of income is Supplemental Security Income (SSI), receive only about 18% of the area median income. There is no national data indicating if any LIHTC units provided housing units to persons whose incomes were at the 18% level.

Besides not addressing the poorest disabled people, a breakdown by disabilities shows that only 2% of the total number of units were for persons with a physical disability, 1% for persons with mental illness, and 1% for persons with developmental disabilities.

Steve Gold’s Information Bulletins are available online at http://www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.  To contact Steve Gold directly, write to stevegoldada@cs.com

A procedural motion on permanent repeal of the estate tax failed to garner the required 60 votes for passage in the US Senate on June 8.

The motion failed 57 to 41, with all Democrats voting against it except for Ben Nelson (NE), Bill Nelson (FL), Blanche Lincoln (AR), and Max Baucus (MT). Also voting against repeal were Republicans Lincoln Chafee (RI) and George Voinovich (OH). The official vote count can be found here.

Yesterday's vote was a tremendous victory for activists in Oregon and around the country working to preserve the progressive and vital estate tax.

Ron Wyden Continues to Protect the Estate Tax

Senator Ron Wyden voted to oppose repeal this week, a vote that protects vital services in Oregon. He should be commended for holding firm in his position that wealth should be taxed the same as work, and his fiscally responsible concern that estate tax revenues must be preserved.

Senator Gordon Smith, who regrettably voted for repeal, needs to be educated further about the issue.

The Oregonian Opposes Repeal

On June 7, the Oregonian switched its editorial position, noting, "the move in Congress to abolish or gut this revenue source is fiscally unwise and contrary to this nation's best traditions." Read the editorial, "Repealing the Estate Tax Would Be Irresponsible."

What's Next?

The Senate may consider proposals to "reform," rather than repeal, the estate tax. Unfortunately, the proposals most likely to be considered would lose the majority of the revenues of the tax, putting vital services at risk.

Estate Tax Resources

Read about the impact of permanent repeal and costly proposals to reform the tax in OCPP's issue brief, "Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax Would be Costly."

Read about the impact of repeal on charitable giving in Oregon in OCPP's issue brief, "Repeal or Near-Repeal of the Estate Tax Would Substantially Harm Charitable Giving."

The Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) http://www.ocpp.org/ does in-depth research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues. Our goal is to improve decision making and generate more opportunities for all Oregonians.

Spirit Mountain Community Fund Grants $10K to Washington Co Community Housing Fund

The Community Housing Fund is pleased to announce it has received a $10,000 Spirit Mountain Community Fund grant for special needs housing in Washington County.

The CHF was incorporated as a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization as the result of a Washington County strategic planning effort and in response to the county’s severe affordable housing shortage. The Fund’s mission is to serve as a catalyst in raising capital to support non-profit community development corporations as they build affordable units throughout the county. The Fund awards grants and loans to non-profit sponsors or developers of housing projects targeted to households with incomes below 30 to 50 percent of median family income.

Spirit Mountain Community Fund donates about $5 million each year to local programs and services that benefit citizens striving for self-sufficiency. Spirit Mountain Community Fund supports programs that address the roots of problems rather than focusing on fixing symptoms. Spirit Mountain Community Fund is also very interested in creative solutions—new partnerships, new ways of addressing issues.

Spirit Mountain Community Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The fund was established as a way for the Tribe to give back to our neighbors and citizens and support our goal to be nurturing and supportive community citizens.

The Community Housing Fund is excited to have this opportunity to partner with Sprit Mountain to make a real difference in the community by increasing the number of housing choices available for the most vulnerable members of the Washington County Community.

Kathy Andersen at 503-643-5437 or via email.

B of A Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Application Deadline June 30

Help Bank of America recognize those who are making a difference in your community.

If you know someone making a difference in your community, let us know. Bank of America is looking for a few good neighbors. Through our Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, we will recognize and reward winners in the following three categories:

Neighborhood Builders - Provides $200,000 in general operating support and provides leadership training over two years to two nonprofit organizations working to create vibrant neighborhoods.

Funding for operational support is $100,000 annually over two years.

Recipients will be invited to send a senior executive and an emerging leader within the organization to participate in a specially designed leadership development program:


·       Senior executives will gather for two 3-day workshops. Topics include: strategic thinking, business planning, leadership development and succession planning, long-term business growth and building a diverse funding base.


·       Emerging leaders will gather for three 3-day workshops. Topics include: developing organizational management skills, managing strategic opportunities, forging alliances and building communities.


Local Heroes - Recognizes five community heroes allowing recipients to direct a $5,000 contribution to a qualified nonprofit of their choice.


Outstanding community leaders selected as Local Heroes will be recognized at a public ceremony.

Student Leaders - Recognizes five exemplary students who are committed to making a difference in their communities, and provides them with a paid summer internship with a local community nonprofit and participation in a leadership program with local Bank of America executives.

As in past years, we will select two non-profit organizations from submitted applications to receive unrestricted grants of $200,000 each.  Past awardees include Hacienda Community Development Corporation and ROSE Community Development Corporation. 

Non profit organizations can access the application by going to www.bankofamerica.com/foundation  and then clicking on “Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.”

Questions can be directed to richard.e.brown@bankofamerica.com or by phone to 503-275-1611.

Green Homes and Sustainable Communities Conference July 13-14 in S.F.

Don’t miss “Green Homes and Sustainable Communities,” the first national conference of its kind on green development. Presenters will demonstrate the value of green building practices to produce significant health, environmental and financial benefits to low-income families and communities, taking place in San Francisco
on July 13-14. 

The conference is hosted by the Institute for Professional and Executive Development (IPED).  For more information, click here.