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| Newly Formed Housing Alliance Seeks Broad Statewide Membership Housing and poverty advocates from around Oregon are building a new coalition with the goal of winning significant new money for affordable housing. Simply called the Housing Alliance, this "coalition of coalitions" intends to build a powerful political movement that will raise housing as a priority issue for legislative action and develop educated and passionate legislative leadership around housing. The Housing Alliance was initiated by the Association of Oregon Housing Authorities, the Neighborhood Partnership Fund, the Community Alliance of Tenants, the Association of Oregon Community Development Organizations and the Community Development Network. Based on a highly successful housing coalition in Washington state, the Housing Alliance is comprised of advocates, local governments, housing authorities, housing providers and community organizations. Currently comprised of more than fifteen organizations, associations and municipalities, the Housing Alliance is growing quickly and still actively seeking members. In addition to recruiting traditional housing advocates to join, the Housing Alliance is bringing in new constituencies and connecting with other groups who care about social and economic justice. By inserting the housing issue into broader conversations about economy, hunger, health care, land use, prison populations, poverty and education, the Alliance aims to build a significant political powerbase. The Alliance will also partner with other interests as appropriate to advance particular agendas or strategies. The Alliance will develop short and long-range strategies, and using a consensus model, develop a cohesive state legislative agenda that will develop and promote a strong advocacy agenda to increase state housing expenditures. All solutions and strategies are on the table. In order to achieve its objective in Salem and build a strong and diverse base of support for its agenda, the Housing Alliance will hire a grass roots organizer and a contract lobbyist. Housing Alliance member organizations will fund the organizer and lobbyist positions with member dues. The dues structure for nonprofits is simple: Organizations with budgets under $200,000 pay dues between $50 to $250; organizations with budgets over $200,000 pay between $250 to $20,000. How is the Housing Alliance different from Affordable Housing NOW? There are two key differences: The Housing Alliance is statewide, and the Housing Alliance will have a dedicated lobbyist. Having a statewide power-base is crucial to legislative success in Salem. The housing problems for low income people that exist in the Portland area are similar (if not the same) in rural areas of Oregon: rent burdens that exceed income, a lack of support services to help vulnerable populations succeed in housing, and a shortage of subsidized units for households left behind by the market. The Housing Alliance will serve as a forum to bridge the rural-urban divide in Oregon. Having a dedicated lobbyist to spearhead legislative efforts in Salem is essential. A lobbyist will improve access to key elected officials. A lobbyist will also assure coordination between lobbying efforts of various organizations, associations and municipalities concerned with affordable housing. The Housing Alliance and AHN will complement each others’ efforts. Of the revenue strategies identified by Affordable Housing NOW! as funding sources for affordable housing, almost all of the strategies that could be applied region-wide would require some legislative victory in Salem. The Housing Alliance will be able to move agendas in Salem (something AHN alone cannot do) and AHN will build and coordinate grassroots support for the Housing Alliance in the Metro area (something the Housing Alliance will depend on AHN for). If your organization is interested in joining the Housing Alliance, or if you would like to learn more about the Housing Alliance, contact Janet Byrd at (503) 284-2575 or janet_byrd@teleport.com. CPAH Receives Funding for Affordable Housing for Seniors in SW Portland Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Inc. (CPAH) announced today that it has been awarded $766,732 from the Portland Development Commission for the construction of Bertha Station, a 51-unit affordable housing, mixed-use development for seniors. Located in the Hillsdale neighborhood of Southwest Portland, bounded by Capitol Highway, Bertha Boulevard, and Bertha Court, and on multiple bus lines, Bertha Station will be in the heart of community activity; a local landmark. The project will be a landmark in terms of sustainability as well as geographically. One goal of Bertha Station is to be a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified project through the US Green Building Council, focusing on water conservation, energy efficiency, conservation of building materials and resources, and enhanced indoor environmental quality. Two design charettes held earlier this year brought together community members, architects, contractors, landscape architects, and other professionals with green building expertise to brainstorm ideas and concepts to include in the final design and construction of the project. It is well documented that Southwest Portland has very little affordable housing, particularly in affluent neighborhoods such as Hillsdale - 47% of renters age 55 and older are struggling to make ends meet, paying more than a third of their monthly income for rent. Bertha Station will help improve that statistic. With Project-Based Section 8 vouchers from the Housing Authority of Portland, rent at Bertha Station will be based on each tenant's income. Residents will pay no more than thirty percent of their income for rent each month. This enables the development to provide housing to some of the most vulnerable seniors in our community; the poorest of the poor. CPAH plans to submit an application to the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department for a combination of funding including Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) next month. If that funding is awarded, CPAH will move forward on predevelopment of Bertha Station, with projected start of construction in Fall 2005. Development consultant, Housing Development Center and William Wilson Architects have been integral to the project. Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Inc. (CPAH) is a non-profit community development corporation serving Southeastern Washington County and Southwest Portland. With an existing portfolio of 143 units, CPAH provides safe and healthy housing along with support and skill building activities for individuals and families of modest means. BHCD Appoints Andy Miller as Senior Program Manager The City of Portland’s Bureau of Housing and Community Development (BHCD) has appointed Andy Miller as the bureau's Senior Program Manager, effective July 1, 2004. In this position, Andy will oversee City programs dealing with affordable housing, homelessness, and economic opportunity. Andy has been with BHCD for six years, and has extensive experience in housing for low-income and special needs households. Andy is a member of the Oregon State Bar (inactive), and spent the first nine years of his professional life representing low-income people on housing and other legal issues. CDN Property and Asset Management PowerPoint Available On Line Enterprise, LISC Jointly Support Stronger Affordable Housing Requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Responding to HUD's proposal to revise the affordable housing goals of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Enterprise and LISC submitted joint recommendations for strengthening the affordable housing responsibilities of both corporations. Enterprise and LISC noted the companies' critical role in serving low-income families and communities and said they could and should do even more. Click here to read the Enterprise-LISC comment letter. Jobs Numbers Show Growth in Oregon But Tens of Thousands of Jobs Still Needed New national employment data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that Oregon is adding jobs at a rate faster than most other states, but still needs tens of thousands of jobs to replace losses since 2001 and to employ the growing working-age population. According to an analysis released today by the Silverton-based Oregon Center for Public Policy, the BLS figures show that Oregon job growth in May, when the state added 6,000 jobs, was 6th fastest among the 50 states. The Center’s analysis shows that since January 2004, employment in Oregon has expanded faster than any other state, growing 1.9 percent, more than double the national growth rate. "We are doing better than the rest of the nation in creating jobs, but we’re nowhere near getting out of the hole," said Jeff Thompson, economist and policy analyst with the OCPP. The Center noted that despite several months of job growth, employment in Oregon and 34 other states remain below job levels from March 2001, when the recession began. "A jobs recovery has now taken hold, but Oregon and most other states need tens of thousands of more jobs just to catch up to where we were three years ago," commented Thompson. "While it is growing, Oregon’s economy has not only failed to replace all of the lost jobs, but the number of working-age Oregonians has expanded by more than 100,000 since the recession began. These Oregonians need jobs, too, and they shouldn’t be ignored when analyzing BLS’s monthly job growth news," said Thompson. According to figures from economy.com, the working age population - people aged 20 to 64 - has expanded 5.2 percent in Oregon and 3.6 nationally since early 2001. "The economy must provide jobs for these new workers before anyone can honestly claim we have fully recovered from the recession of 2001," said Thompson. "The most recent state Economic and Revenue forecast shows that jobs in Oregon will not return to their pre-recession peak until this time next year, and it will be years after that before employment covers the growth in the number of working-age Oregonians." "The Bush Administration promised millions of new jobs when they hawked their tax cut scheme called ‘Jobs and Growth’ in 2003. The BLS numbers released today show that the Bush Administration has failed to live up to its promise to unemployed Oregonians. Only Hawaii is on target with the Bush Administration’s Jobs and Growth tax cut promises," said Thompson. Analysis by the Economic Policy Institute at www.jobswatch.org shows that Oregon and 48 other states continue to fall well behind job growth promised by the Administration. The Oregon Center for Public Policy uses research and analysis to advance policies and practices that improve the economic and social prospects of low- and moderate-income Oregonians, the majority of Oregonians. CLF’s Regional Equity Atlas Slated for Completion by Mid-Winter Attention all map lovers - CLF’s Regional Equity Atlas should be ready this winter! The purpose of the Regional Equity Atlas Project is to pilot an analysis of economic, social and environmental equity issues embodied in our region’s development and growth management approach, and integrate this analysis into metro area planning strategies. The Atlas will contain maps that explore socio-economic conditions, regional investment patterns, and neighborhood changes to identify which communities benefit from our development approach and which ones don’t. The information generated by this project will provide a framework for our advocacy work to shape regional development strategies. Looking ahead, we plan to have a web-based version of the Atlas available early in 2006, shortly after completion of the print version. Then we will begin the critical work of addressing the inequities identified in the Atlas. Using the key findings as a framework, we will advocate for a range of strategies designed to target and redirect public and private investments to make regional development more equitable. For more information, please contact Jill Fuglister at jill@clfuture.org and watch for Atlas updates on the CLF website (http:// www.clfuture.org) in coming months. Batter Up: WAMU, CDN Team Up for Housing Day at Aug 16 Beavers Game Mark your calendars and spread the word! Washington Mutual and the Community Development Network are teaming up to sponsor "Bring It Home," an event that is both a benefit promoting affordable housing opportunities as well as a fun afternoon at the ballpark watching the Portland Beavers take on the Salt Lake Stingers. "Bring It Home" will take place at the August 16 Beavers-Stingers game, which begins at 12:05 p.m. at Portland’s PGE Park. ADMISSION IS FREE! Thanks to the generous support of Washington Mutual, a section of the ball park will be reserved for CDN member organization staff, board and residents. This is a fun way to celebrate summer, baseball and the accomplishments of your organization, while cheering on the Beavers to victory. Up to 500 tickets will be available from CDN, free of charge. So get YOUR team together and reserve your tickets today! To reserve tickets, please contact Karen Walker at karen@cdnportland.org. New Division Street New Seasons to Hold Benefit Barbeque for REACH Sept 11 Help celebrate the grand opening of New Seasons’ Seven Corners store on SE 20th & Division and raise money for REACH. On Saturday, September 11th and Sunday, September 12th, all New Seasons stores will have BBQ’s staffed by REACH volunteers with all proceeds going to REACH. We need BBQ servers and cashiers for 3.5 hour shifts both days. To sign up or for more information call Laurel Lyon at x134 or e-mail her at llyon@reachcdc.org. 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