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| Join National Save Section 8 Rallies on Sept 8: Call Congressman, Bush, Kerry On Wednesday, September 8, housing and poverty advocates in Washington DC and in major cities around the U.S. are holding a National Save Section 8 Rallies. To show our solidarity in Oregon, Affordable Housing NOW! is organizing a coordinated call in to our elected officials and the presidential candidates. Let’s send a message to the Oregon Delegation, President Bush and Senator Kerry that Oregon’s eyes are on Capitol Hill and Section 8. Expand Section 8! Fully fund all HUD Programs! Talking Points * I am calling from Oregon as part of the National Save Section 8 Rally. People rallied in DC on 7th Street this morning. People are rallying for affordable housing in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Long Beach and Madison. Adequately funding Section 8 is a national priority! * We need to EXPAND the Section 8 voucher, not cut it back! The Section 8 program is our most effective way to make housing affordable for Oregonians with the lowest incomes. Currently, the Section 8 program only serve 1 in 4 Oregon households that are income eligible. The President’s proposed cutbacks are moving HUD in the wrong direction! * Saving Section 8 by cutting other HUD programs is unfairly balancing the budget on the backs of the poor! Do not cut other crucial HUD programs in order to fund Section 8. We are at a period of unprecedented federal spending. Existing federal housing programs are not solving the massive affordable housing crisis in this country. To talk about cutting Section 8 or funding Section 8 by cutting housing programs for people with AIDS, homeless people or senior citizens is unconscionable. * "Budget-based" funding is another name for budget cuts; fully fund Section 8! Remove "budget-based" or "dollar-based" funding strategies for state and local housing agencies. Under a "budget-based" strategy, agency budgets are capped by a restrictive formula instead of by the actual cost of providing vouchers in their communities. "Budget-basing" has created shortfalls at many housing agencies, leading them to charge families more, pay landlords less, "shelve" vouchers instead of issuing them to families on the waiting list, and in a few areas, cut families off the program altogether. Legislative Contacts (Call both Senators, your Representative and the Two Presidential Candidates) Senator Ron Wyden 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 224-5244 Senator Gordon Smith 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 224-3753 Representative Earl Blumenauer 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 225-4811 Representative Peter DeFazio 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 225-6416 Representative Darlene Hooley 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 225-5711 Representative Greg Walden 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 225-6730 Representative David Wu 1-888-818-6641 or (202) 225-0855 Bush Campaign (503) 293-4142 or (202) 456-1414 Kerry Campaign (503) 239-6001 or (202) 712-3000 Need more information about cutbacks to the Section 8 program? Click on the links below. Update on current status of Section Cuts NYT Op-Ed: Playing Games with Housing (6/30/04) CBPP: The Myth of Spiraling Section 8 Voucher Costs (6/11/04) CBPP: New HUD Policy Will Force Immediate Cuts In Housing Voucher Assistance For Low-Income Families (4/26/04) Census Data: Number of Americans in Poverty Rises for Third Straight Year For the third year in a row, the number of Americans living in poverty grew. An additional 1.2 million people were poor last year, according to annual poverty, income, and health insurance data released by the Census Bureau on August 26 (http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p60-226.pdf). Poverty was up by more than 4 million people since 2000. For nearly 36 million Americans, the recession is still on. The numbers are extremely troubling for children. Since 2000, the number of poor children has grown by nearly 1.3 million. There were 5.6 million children living in extreme poverty in 2003 (less than $7,500 for a family of three) - up by nearly one million children since 2000. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released two analyses related to the new Census data on poverty, income, and health insurance as well as a press statement. Links are below. Census Data Show Poverty Increased, Income Stagnated, and the Number of Uninsured Rose to a Record Level in 2003 (http://www.cbpp.org/8-26-04pov.pdf 10pp). This analysis examines new Census Bureau data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in 2003. It also examines reasons behind recent developments and as possible trends in 2004. Number of Americans Without Health Insurance Reaches Highest Level on Record (http://www.cbpp.org/8-26-04health.pdf 5pp). The number of uninsured Americans surged to 45 million in 2003, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the highest level on record. The availability of health insurance coverage under Medicaid and SCHIP was essential in a year in which employer-based coverage continued to decline. CBPP Press Statement: http://www.cbpp.org/8-26-04pov-stmt.htm Statements by the Coalition on Human Needs, Connect for Kids, Voices for America's Children and poverty researcher Timothy Smeeding: http://www.chn.org/pdf/povertypress.pdf Some key national numbers on poverty, as compiled by the Coalition on Human Needs: http://www.chn.org/pdf/povertyrises.pdf Reserve Your Seat Today: CDN Annual Awards Banquet September 29 Over 300 people will convene to celebrate community development in Portland and the accomplishments of CDN organizations at the 2004 Annual CDN Awards Banquet on September 29, and you want to be there to take part in the festivities! The Awards Banquet will feature a keynote address from Dean of Portland State University’s College of Urban and Public Affairs Larry Wallack and the presentation of CDN’s annual awards. The CDN awards recognize local leaders and organizations for their work to create affordable housing options that improve the lives of their tenants and their communities. The Annual Awards Banquet takes place Wednesday, September 29, 2004, at the Oregon Zoo. Tickets for the event are $50.00. Organizations may purchase a full table of 10 for $500 and will be listed as a table sponsor in Banquet materials. The registration deadline is Monday, September 13. So, the time to reserve your seat is now! To find out more about the 2004 Annual CDN Awards Banquet, click here. To make a reservation, please contact Karen Walker at (503) 335-9884 or via email at karen@cdnportland.org How do we know this year’s banquet will be a smashing success? Because our 2004 Awards Banquet Planning Committee rocks! CDN would like to acknowledge to hard work of Committee co-chairs Scott Shlaes of REACH CDC and Tanya Wolfersperger of Hacienda CDC, as well as the wonderful contributions of committee members Valerie Garrett (PCRI), Kate Kealy (Northwest Housing Alternatives), Kevin Kraus (REACH CDC), Mary Lucero, (PCRI), and Dorene Warner, Human Solutions, Inc.). These are the folks that make the Banquet go! AHN to Celebrate $11 Million for Affordable Housing October 6 at YWCA Blue Ribbon Committee on Housing Resource Development Launches Website Oregon Center for Public Policy Challenges Business Lobby to "Invest In Oregon" Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) has challenged Oregon corporations to "invest in Oregon" after the State of Oregon’s September 1 revenue forecast which revealed that Oregon corporations can expect a $68.1 million tax cut under Oregon's so-called "kicker" law. "Each of the groups in the big business lobby, Associated Oregon Industries, Oregon Business Association and the Oregon Business Council, claim they support investments in Oregon's education system and other public investments that improve our business climate," said OCPP executive director Charles Sheketoff. "Given that fewer than 4 out of 100 corporations will reap 90 percent of the tax cut while all of Oregon benefits from investments in education and public services, the business lobby should take the high road and urge the Legislature to invest in Oregon by canceling their automatic tax cut." Sheketoff noted that studies by the Utah State Tax Commission and the business-backed Council on State Taxation show that Oregon businesses have a low tax burden compared to other states in the West and nationally. "Oregon's corporations already have a very low tax burden, making this planned tax cut even more inappropriate and wrongheaded," said Sheketoff. "This anticipated tax cut exacerbates the revenue shortfall that Oregon faces next biennium in meeting demands for education and other public services that Oregonians enjoy. The business lobby demands investments in education and other public services that improve our business climate. It is time for them to put their money where their mouth is and turn back this unnecessary tax cut." Sheketoff noted that the kicker kicks when revenues exceed projections by a team of economists and that individual taxpayers probably won't get a kicker tax cut. "Giving a tax cut that primarily benefits a handful of large corporations at a time when our business environment needs public investments makes no sense," Sheketoff said. The Oregon Center for Public Policy 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. To find our morea bout the Oregon Center for Public Policy, go to: http://www.ocpp.org/index.htm Hacienda Community Credit Union Celebrates 2nd Anniversary on October 2 The 2nd Anniversary of the Hacienda Community Credit Union is coming up on October 2! they would like to invite you to be part of it! On Saturday October 2nd, from 11am to 4pm Hacienda Community Credit Union will have its annual Anniversary Fair at the Baltazar Ortiz Center in NE Portland. To register for the festivities, please email yolandak@haciendaccu.com and she will send you a registration form. HUD Offers FREE Training on Permanent Supportive Housing in Portland Oct 12 The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Oregon State Office has contracted with the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) to develop and present a full day training titled, "The Building Blocks of Permanent Supportive Housing." This training is intended for homeless providers, non-profit and for-profit housing developers and those who are interested in creating permanent housing options for homeless individual and families. Topics that will be covered include an overview of the key components of permanent housing, different models of permanent housing, steps to creating housing and identifying potential resources to fund permanent housing. The training is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 12th at the Doubletree Hotel - Portland Lloyd Center. There is no cost to this all-day event. However, registration is required. Please click here for pdf brochure with additional information. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Shaw at (617) 266-5657 or jshaw@tacinc.org. Smart Girl Technologies Offers Portland Demographic Analysis Training Oct 14, 15 Innovations in American Government Award Accepting Applications |
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