As a result of the advocacy of Affordable Housing NOW! and the political leadership of Portland’s Mayor and City Council, Portland’s FY 05-06 budget includes nearly $5 million in one time money for affordable housing programs, and nearly $500,000 as a new ongoing line item for the Transitions to Housing program. The $5.4 million committed by the City will allow effective housing programs, particularly those related to the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, to continue at their current capacity despite significant Federal cutbacks to Portland CDBG and HOME allocations. City Council passed the FY 2006-2007 budget on June 22.

In the past three years, the City Council has allocated nearly $19 million in new funds for affordable housing.

“We are thrilled at the growing commitment of City Council to dedicate needed resources to housing,” said Ian Slingerland, Community Alliance of Tenants. “With the federal cuts to housing and other programs that assist working families seniors and people with disabilities combined increasing economic pressure in Portland’s housing market, City Council needed to step up, and they did.”

AHN! has been working with City Council over the past three budget cycles advocating for Council to allocate $30 million to affordable housing, as was done in the mid 1990s.  With nearly $19 million allocated in three years of tight budget times, AHN’s advocacy is paying off.

“As much as we know that Portland alone cannot fund all of the housing needs of its residents, the fact that Portland continues to be a leader in its commitment to expanding housing opportunity is an essential,” said Jill Fuglister, Coalition for A Livable Future.  “We could not be more pleased about the budget, and we are looking forward to Council finalizing its new urban renewal housing set aside in early September.  Portland should be proud of its elected leaders.”

The $5.4 million allocated in the budget will fund Bureau of Housing and Community Development (BHCD)’s work in the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, the preservation and development of affordable housing for hardworking families, seniors and people with disabilities, and closing the homeownership gap for people of color. In February of 2006, BHCD received a 21% funding cut comprised of cuts to federal HOME and Community Block Grant programs, a potentially devastating blow to an array of programs that provide housing and economic opportunity to Portland households relying on low incomes, and a potential gap in programs left by the expiration of one-time funds that the City allocated in the 05-06 budget.

Affordable Housing NOW! is a coalition of over 40 organizations and hundreds of individuals whose goals are to secure new resources for affordable housing for the Portland Metro area by building a movement large enough to make funding for affordable housing for people with low incomes a political priority in the Metro area. To learn more about Affordable Housing NOW!, go to: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html

Portland Housing Center Celebrates 15 Years of Helping People Become Homeowners

Fifteen years ago, Portland Housing Center opened its doors to help low and moderate income people in Portland achieve their dream of homeownership.  Over the span of fifteen years, the Portland Housing Center has served over 2,500 families achieve their dream of owning their own home.  

“I am proud of the contributions that Portland Housing Center has made in our community. Through promoting homeownership, we have helped people realize their dreams of homeownership, created wealth and helped stabilize and strengthen neighborhoods,” says Peg Malloy, Executive Director for Portland Housing Center.  

Malloy is one of four of the original founders for the organization and has served as Portland Housing Center’s executive director since the organization’s inception.

Portland Housing Center, a non-profit organization began with the vision of four people who founded the organization including former Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury, Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten, Steve Rudman, Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Portland and Peg Malloy. 

Today, the organization has doubled its staff and capacity to serve people in the community, increased its funding and partnerships and is a recognized affiliate of the national NeighborWorks America as a one-stop homeownership center.  Three years ago, the Portland Housing Center became a Certified Development Financial Institution (CDFI) which allowed for the identification and implementation of new gap financing and loan programs to help more people achieve their goal of homeownership.  

 “I always dreamed of owning my own home but didn’t know where to start.  I was overwhelmed.  Portland Housing Center helped me understand the process and connected me with partners including lenders, real estate agents, title and home insurers and home inspectors to help me on the path to buying my first home,” says Nancy Clark, Portland Housing Center customer and board member. “After my experience at the Portland Housing Center I wanted to help other people achieve the goal of homeownership, so I joined the board,” says Nancy Clark.

“Portland Housing Center meets a critical need in our community and I applaud and thank the founders for their vision and work to establish this important resource in our community.  I congratulate Peg Malloy, the Portland Housing Center staff and all of the non-profit, government and private housing industry partners for working together to help people in our community realize their dream of owning their own home,” says Portland Mayor Tom Potter.

Portland Housing Center and its partners, allies and several homeowners will celebrate the 15 anniversary of the organization at an event later this month.  

United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Recognizes Richard Harris

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness acknowledged the contributions of Richard Harris, Executive Director of Central City Concern, to the National Partnership to End Chronic Homelessness with the ‘A Home for Every American Award.’ Central City Concern is a private nonprofit agency with an annual budget of $28 million that is providing pathways to self-sufficiency through active intervention in poverty and homelessness in the Portland area with a comprehensive array of health, mental health and chemical dependency, housing and employment services. CCC operates over 1300 units of low income housing, including owned and managed housing for homeless singles and for families, and housing for different special needs populations. CCC has been particularly active in the rehabilitation of older SRO housing.

Mr. Harris’s unique contribution to the National Partnership to End Homelessness is the successful and replicable model he has created at Central City Concern in which health services become the doorway to engaging and linking long term homeless individuals with housing and employment. CCC blends a wide variety of local, state, and federal resources into a seamless delivery system so that no matter what door someone walks through, CCC staff has the ability to pull together what the individual needs in terms of health, housing, and employment services to gain greater self sufficiency.

In recent years, CCC has used federal and other funds to develop a Community Engagement Program providing outreach, case management, permanent supportive housing, and employment related services to chronically homeless persons with disabilities. A limited pilot study of that effort showed annual savings in public funds of 38.7%.

CCC efforts have also helped to engage the Portland business community in the effort to end chronic homelessness. Utilizing a multi-year federal grant award for permanent supportive housing to concentrate outreach efforts in the Burnside area of the community, which had the heaviest concentration of persons living on the streets, CCC efforts achieved a visible change which served as a catalyst for engaging members of the business community. CCC’s programs and activities are an integral part of Portland/Multnomah County's 10-Year Plan implementation effort.

Washington Mutual presented a $40,000 grant to the Community Development Network (CDN) in support of their public policy and industry support programs.  Washington Mutual will be the diamond sponsor of the CDN Annual Awards banquet which will include the presentation of the Washington Mutual Award for Property and Asset Management. The grant will also support other CDN events.

"Washington Mutual applauds the Community Development Network and the important role they play in providing community development assistance," said Tim Otani, FVP & Regional Manager, Washington Mutual Community Relations. "Supporting increased housing opportunity and affordability is one of Washington Mutual's key corporate objectives and we are pleased with the positive impact the Community Development Network is making in the lives of many low income working families, seniors and people with disabilities."

Nearly 400 people attended the 2005 Annual Awards Banquet to recognize a broad range of individuals and organizations committed to improving the lives of low income people and our communities.

“Washington Mutual has set a high standard for community support,” said Sam Chase, CDN’s Executive Director. “Whether it is providing a loan or a grant to create needed affordable housing, or whether volunteers are needed for a community event, Washington Mutual is ready to partner with us to improve Portland neighborhoods.”

Cathey Briggs Named Interim Executive Director for REACH CDI

Cathey Briggs is the Interim Executive Director for REACH Community Development, Inc., while Dee Walsh is on a six-month sabbatical.  Walsh was awarded a James A. Johnson Fellowship from the Fannie Mae Foundation to pursue personal and professional goals. She will resume her duties as Executive Director in January 2007.

Cathey Briggs has 20 years experience in community development and was REACH’s board president in the early 1990’s. Since 2001 she has been a consultant, serving as interim executive director for various nonprofit agencies.

The first-ever Oregon Leadership Summit on Ending Chronic Homelessness was convened in late June at the historic Reed Opera House in Salem with over 100 participants including State Representatives Peter Buckley and Debi Farr, the Mayors of Portland, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, and Hillsboro, city councilors, county commissioners, federal, state and local government agency officials, 10-Year Plan leaders, representatives of several United Way chapters, and innovative service providers. The statewide Summit is one of a series being convened by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to bring together state officials and jurisdictions engaged in 10-year planning efforts. Other statewide Summits have been held in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.

Participants were welcomed by the event lead organizer, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Regional Coordinator Paul Carlson, Salem City Mayor Janet Taylor, Oregon Housing and Community Services Director Rick Crager on behalf of the newly formed Governor’s Ending Homelessness Advisory Council, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, and HUD Region X Director John Meyers.

In his welcoming remarks, Executive Director Mangano noted that Susan B. Anthony was one of the first people to speak at the now historic Reed Opera House built in 1870. Ms. Anthony has a place in history for her work to abolish two moral wrongs- slavery and the denial of women’s right to vote. At the time of her appearance at the Reed Opera House, prospects for the success of the suffrage movement looked dismal but she never lost faith and on her deathbed, her last words were “Failure is impossible.”

One hundred and thirty years later, representatives of every level of government - city, county, state, and federal - are gathered in the same building in partnership to end another moral wrong - homelessness.

Stated Director Mangano: “And just as Ms. Anthony believed that failure is impossible, so we know that the long moral arc of the American experience bends toward justice. In coming together today in partnership at every level of government, you are reaching up and intending to bend that arc into the lives of your poorest citizens.”

The Summit offered both formal presentations and opportunities for networking and peer to peer dialogue. Seating at the lunch matched jurisdictional leaders already developing and implementing 10-Year Plans with jurisdictional leaders from other counties still contemplating whether to engage in the planning process. Some of the formal presentations included Oregon Housing and Homelessness Director Rick Crager, who spoke about the recently established Governor’s Ending Homelessness Advisory Council (see related story), Oregon Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Manager Vicki Skryha, JOIN Director Rob Justus, and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Director John Lee, who described his state’s innovative Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program.

Representatives of all four jurisdictional 10-year planning processes currently underway in Oregon attended the Summit. Clakamas, Lane, and Lincoln Counties are in the process of developing their plans while Multnomah County, including the City of Portland, is beginning its second year of plan implementation. Both Portland Mayor Tom Potter and Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall spoke about the political leadership and broad stakeholder partnerships including participation by the business community needed to successfully develop and implement 10-Year Plans.

The Portland/Multnomah County Plan calls for creating 1600 new housing units for persons experiencing chronic homelessness, 600 new units for homeless families and laid out a vision for ending homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County. Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten, a strong supporter of both that plan and the Governor’s newly established Advisory Council, spoke about the encouraging results from the Plan’s first year of implementation including 244 units of permanent supportive housing opened, permanent housing provided to 344 homeless families with children, and 33 “hard to reach” homeless youth housed.

Summarizing the first year “report card”, Commissioner Sten concluded, “Getting people into housing first works- plain and simple.”

(Article from the July 6 , 2006 edition of the CHN Human Needs Report)

New federal regulations that will change the way states administer welfare to work assistance for poor families with children were issued on June 29 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  These new regulations were required by the federal “Deficit Reduction Act,” legislation enacted at the end of 2005.  The law called for HHS to develop regulations by June 30 that, among other things, would more specifically define the work activities that are required in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; determine whether or when a parent or other head of household should be counted in the work participation rates even though he or she is not receiving assistance under the family’s grant; and set uniform standards for counting and verifying hours of work participation.

Proceeding on a fast track, the regulations are now considering interim final.  They were not available for comment earlier and took effect immediately upon publication; comments may now be forwarded to HHS up through August 28 (see regulations’ first page of text for information about how to submit comments). 

While Congress required HHS to regulate in areas previously left to the states, the federal legislation did not dictate how HHS was to craft its definitions and standards.  It appears that HHS has chosen to force states to make services far more restrictive in significant ways – limiting the duration and range of education and other services that help parents to overcome barriers to employment, and penalizing states that have been providing cash assistance to children in cases where their parents or other caregivers are ineligible for cash aid.  The regulations, for example, make it far harder for states to count English as a Second Language training as a work activity that will count in the participation rates.  They also restrict states’ flexibility to combine certain forms of training, job search and readiness activities, therapies or rehabilitation with community service or work experience to enable parents to prepare effectively for work.  Many of these activities would be limited in most states to six weeks per fiscal year (with only 4 weeks of that consecutive).  These restrictions may preclude the use of packages of services with proven effectiveness.  In addition, the regulations require far more supervision for some activities than most states have typically provided – for instance, daily supervision for job search.  While more direct help could well be very useful for parents, it could easily translate into onerous meeting requirements that will increase the likelihood of penalties against the families. 

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Center for Law and Social Policy are collaborating on an in-depth analysis of the regulations, which will be available on their websites soon.  Initially, see the statement by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at http://www.cbpp.org/6-28-06tanf-stmt.htm. 

The interim final regulations by U.S. HHS are in the June 29 federal register, at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-5743.pdf.

Free Geek Has Opportunities for Free Computers, Computer Training for Residents

Free Geek wants Portland CDC’s to know about an opportunity for you and your residents to earn computers from Free Geek.  Here's the deal: Each person who comes to the Free Geek offices and volunteers 24 hours of his or her time helping run the operation earns:

* A rebuilt computer with monitor, speakers, mouse and keyboard,

* A 3-hour class on how to use the computer, and

* One year of free tech support

Really, it's as simple as that.  Free Geek accepts donations of computers from local individuals and businesses, tests and rebuilds them, and gives them to anyone willing to volunteer 24 hours.  This way, those who need a computer to create resumes, strengthen their job search by going online, or just keep in touch with relatives across the country can do so. It's Free Geek’s service to the community.

People need no prior computer experience to volunteer at Free Geek: They'll teach you all you need to know.  Additionally, those who have physical limitations can easily find ways to help out and earn hours.  Families can even pool hours so they may quickly earn a single computer for their household.  The main restrictions: children under the age of 16 must have an adult supervisor with them at all times at Free Geek, and volunteers who need a translator to speak to or understand English should bring translators with them while volunteering.

"The helpful staff and volunteers from Free Geek can help you get the computer technology resources you need,” said Kelly Caldwell, Portland Community Land Trust. “I appreciate the expertise and willingness to collaborate. Whether it's referring clients to their program to earn a free computer, or accessing their non-profit grant program for a printer or other types of gadgets, they do their best to work with you.  I really like the access and exposure to a variety of open source software programs, and the ability to connect with people who want to work together on a variety of fronts to meet Portland's needs."

To get started, new volunteers need only to attend a short tour of Free Geek's facilities and culture.  There are tours at noon and 6pm every day Tuesday through Saturday.  The tours last about 45 minutes, and Free Geek will sign you up for your first shift after the tour.

If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to info@freegeek.org or call (503) 232-9350.  You can also visit http://freegeek.org for more information on Free Geek programs.

Interested in GIS for Community Development? Enroll Now for Summer Class

This summer the Toulan School is very pleased to offer a new course, GIS for Community Development.  This course has been designed specifically to offer Community Development majors, other undergrads, and practitioners in our community the opportunity to begin using GIS, Geographic Information Systems, in their work.

GIS is an incredibly powerful tool for organizing and analyzing data. This course is designed to enable community development students and practitioners to experience its use in the context of the issues and concepts that define the field.

The instructor for this course is Dr. Irina Sharkova. 

The course description is as follows:

USP 410:GIS for Community Development - The course is an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) and their uses by community-based organizations, state and local governments, and other public and private entities for community development.  Students will gain an understanding of concepts and  principles of GIS, data sources frequently used in GIS analysis and mapping, and limitations of GIS technology. Using real-life examples, we will discuss how GIS can be employed to assess and demonstrate community needs, evaluate whether access to public resources is equitable,  conduct site analysis for optimal location of community services, help in community organizing, and more. Students will develop essential skills in GIS analysis and mapping through assisted and independent work in the computer lab.

The course will meet from 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from August August 14 - September 7, in room 220 and the adjacent GIS Lab in the Urban Center Building.  Undergrads will receive 4 credits for this course.  Enrollment will be limited and is available on a first come, first serve basis via the PSU Summer Session

Web Site.

If you have questions, please contact DR. Sharkova at sharkovai@pdx.edu