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Thank You City Council: Housing Set Aside Becomes Portland Policy The members of the Community Development Network and the Affordable Housing NOW! coalition extend our heartfelt thanks to the Portland City Council for their work unanimously passing an ordinance establishing an urban renewal housing set aside of 30% on October 25. Mayor Potter and all four of the Commissioners are truly housing champions. In addition to acknowledging the leadership of Council, CDN and AHN would like to extend our gratitude to all of the Council, PDC and City staff whose hard work made the set aside a reality: Margaret Bax, Sara Culp, Jesse Beason, Leah Greenwood, Beth Kaye and so many others. Finally, we greatly appreciate the commitment of the PDC Commission, particularly Chair Mark Rosenbaum, towards the implementation of the set aside. The set aside is a victory for good public policy, for grassroots advocacy, and above all for working families, seniors, people with disabilities and others left behind by Portland’s housing market. We are proud to have such outstanding leaders on the Portland City Council. Please take a few minutes to email the members of City Council and thank them for supporting housing opportunity for all by clicking on the links below. For more information on the set aside, contact Michael Anderson via email or at (503) 335-9884. 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 CDN, AOCDO Members Shine Bright in Hollywood Six Oregon community development organizations, including CDN Members Central City Concern, REACH CDI, Community Partners for Affordable Housing and HOST, won national awards for outstanding community development at the 2006 Enterprise Network Conference last week in Los Angeles. The 2006 Enterprise Network Conference was attended by more than 1,000 community development leaders from around the US. Central City Concern (CCC) received a MetLife Foundation Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. REACH CDI received a Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly for Rental Housing. Community Partners in Affordable Housing received a Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly for Rental Housing Honorable Mention. HOST received a Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly for Home Ownership Honorable Mention. In addition, Clackamas Community Land Trust received a Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly for Home Ownership, and St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County received an Enterprise Community Investment Innovative Partner Award for their overall portfolio. “It is wonderful for Oregon CDCs to receive this high level of recognition at such a prestigious national event,” said Robin Boyce, Executive Director of the Housing Development Center. “We pride ourselves on innovation, collaboration and hard work. These awards reflect the commitment and achievement of CDCs in our state.” The presence of Oregon CDC’s went beyond the awards podium: Several Oregonians were featured panelists at conference workshops, and the “Oregon Reception” held on the Conference’s opening night was attended by over 100 CDC professionals. Jointly sponsored by WAMU, CDN and Enterprise Portland, the “Oregon Reception” was an evening social event open to all conference attendees that highlighted CDC successes from across the state. For the reception, WAMU provided buttons featuring the slogan ‘Get Oregon-ized.’ “Enterprise was thrilled to have Oregon so actively engaged as conference presenters and participants, as well as award recipients,” said Kate Allen, Director of Enterprise Portland. “Oregon distinguishes itself with good ideas and good inspiration for community development groups across the country.” Central City Concern (CCC)’s second-place in the 11th annual MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing in the Supportive Housing category award for their work with Chez Ami, a project that provides affordable studio apartments and mental health supportive services to very low-income, mentally ill, homeless single adults. CCC will receive $15,000 as part of their award. Chez Ami is an alcohol and drug-free environment that provides safe and supportive housing to help residents stabilize and redirect their lives toward self-sufficiency, physical and economic well-being. A wide range of services are available to residents, including outreach, case management, life skills, medications management, education, housing placement for clients moving out into new housing, employment assistance, transportation and services related to drug and alcohol treatment, mental health, HIV and health care. The Home Depot® Foundation presented the Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly to REACH Community Development in the Rental Housing category on Thursday, October 26th for Station Place Tower. The award includes a $25,000 grant to further the goal of producing affordable, efficient and healthy housing for low- to moderate-income families. The Awards of Excellence program seeks to identify, recognize and showcase the outstanding and innovative work of nonprofit housing development corporations engaged in green building/healthy home construction and rehabilitation. Station Place Tower is a stunning 14-story tower of glass and steel located near mass transit and essential city services. Located on a reclaimed brownfield site, its 176 apartments are now home for nearly 200 seniors with limited incomes. Station Place Tower’s location as a Transit Oriented Development offers easy access to urban living in the Pearl District, one of Portland’s most vibrant neighborhoods. It demonstrates that large-scale affordable housing can be attractive, of high quality and compatible with adjacent up-scale condominiums. The use of innovative systems, green building expertise, and funding from local government sustainability programs, have inspired local affordable housing providers and interest from all over the world. Community Partners in Affordable Housing received an Honorable Mention in the Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly in the Rental category for Oleson Woods, a 32-unit affordable housing development and is a model for creating a supportive environment wherein both residents and natural systems can thrive. HOST received an Honorable Mention in the Home Depot® Foundation Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly in the Home Ownership category for their work at New Columbia. The Home Depot® Foundation presented the Award of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly to The Clackamas Community Land Trust as the winner in the Homeownership category. The award includes a $75,000 grant to further the goal of producing affordable, efficient and healthy housing for low- to moderate-income families. The SE Phillips Creek project is a 14-unit new construction subdivision of community land trust homeownership units for people of low income near the Clackamas Town Center. The homes meet or exceed the Earth Advantage criteria for energy efficiency, healthy indoor air, resource efficiency and environmental responsibility. The homes originally sold for $95,000 for the two bedroom model, $110,000 for the three bedroom home and $119,000 for the three bedroom with garage. St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County received an Enterprise Community Investment Innovative Partner Award for their overall portfolio. Established in Lane County in 1954, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc.'s (Saint Vincent de Paul) mission is to "assist the poor and those in need of consolation, seeking out and utilizing any resource. Being mindful of the sanctity and dignity of all, any charitable work that advances those goals is within the mission of Saint Vincent de Paul." St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County owns and manages over 800 units of affordable housing. CDN Board Endorsements: Yes on Parks, Schools; No on 41, 48 The Board of Directors of the Community Development Network is endorsing Measures 26-80 and 26-84, and opposing Measures 41 and 48. CDN says YES: Measure 26-80 is a bond for Natural Areas, Parks and Streams that would pay for open space protection. Through Metro Councilor Robert Liberty's leadership, CDN helped advocate for a "opportunity fund" provision that gives preference to low income communities and housing developments that preserve open space. To find out more, go to: www.savenaturalareas.org CDN says YES: Measure 26-84 for the Portland Public Schools would continue to fund teaching positions in order to maintain reasonable class sizes. 86% of the money will go directly to pay for nearly 400 teachers. To find out more, go to: www.hope4schools.org/Yes_for_Strong_Schools.pdf CDN says NO: Measure 41, which would allow income tax deduction equal to federal exemptions deduction to substitute for state exemption credit, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions in state general funds. To find out more, go to: www.defendoregon.org. CDN says NO: Measure 48, which would amend Oregon’s constitution to limit biennial percentage increase in state spending to percentage increase in state population, plus inflation, resulting in artificial caps on spending for healthcare, prisons, education and housing programs that would devastate Oregon’s infrastructure. To find out more, go to: www.defendoregon.org. Tax Credit Helps Working Families Build Assets and Independence Many financial support programs like Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) receive significant public attention. With far less visibility, there is a poverty reducing federal tax credit program for working families that in 2003 provided: • $169 million to 106,000 working families in the Portland Metro area, • $347 million to 214,000 working families in the state of Oregon, and • $1.1 BILLION to 690,000 working families in the states that make up HUD Region 10-Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. • In the Northwest, 2/3rds of the families earning the credit had incomes of less than $20,000. That program is the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program and it is designed primarily to help working families with children. For earnings during 2006, the EITC can provide an annual federal tax refund up to $4,500 for a working family with two or more children, even if that family has zero federal tax liabilities. To increase public awareness of the EITC, for all northwest states in HUD’s Region 10 – Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington- we've published a powerful new placed based Excel workbook at: http://www.hud.gov/local/or/library/eitc2005database.xls Users simply select from a list any zip code, city, county, metro area, or state to see the number of families earning the EITC, how much was earned, and the incomes of the families earning the EITC for that area. (This database was compiled by the Portland HUD Office from data developed by the Brookings Institution's Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy). HUD’s interest in the EITC relates to increasing minority homeownership and family self-sufficiency. In addition to a national agreement to work with the IRS on EITC outreach locally, we remind our local community development and public housing partners that receipt of the EITC does NOT result in increases to the tenant share of rental payments. We also encourage our partners, especially rental partners to provide timely EITC information to renters at the time of admission and income recertification. OHCS Report on Poverty 2006 Highlights Impact of Recession, Housing Boom The new OHCS Report on Poverty 2006 highlights the effects of the recent recession and booming housing market on the lives of low- and moderate-income Oregonians. County profiles provide insight into local needs and efforts to combat the causes and consequences of poverty. OHCS Director, Victor Merced delivered a speech entitled, "Poverty and Homelessness" at the Bridges Out of Poverty Conference on October 10, 2006 in Portland, Oregon. Victor highlighted many of the key findings in the Poverty Report and how Oregon is planning to address poverty in our state. Click below for downloads: OHCS Director Victor Merced's Speech - Poverty and Homelessness Poverty Report 2006 News Release
Help CLF Shift the Balance with Transportation Choices! It has been said that building highways to reduce congestion is equivalent to buying a larger belt to cure obesity. Yet, as illogical as this sounds, many of the Portland region's transportation projects and plans are still being guided by this perspective. The Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF) believes that it is time to transform our approach to transportation and create a plan that will serve our communities for the 21st century. The Coalition's plan, called Shift the Balance, aims to give people more transportation choices – healthier and more affordable choices – and better access to the places they want and need to go. Using the plan, CLF will engage citizens in shaping Metro’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Update now underway, helping guide how the region invests at least $4.2 billion over the next 20 years. Why is this issue important from the perspective of housing affordability? On average, metro area households spend just over $7,000 annually on transportation. This is the second largest household expenditure behind housing. With fuel prices projected to rise in the future, household transportation budgets will be stretched even further than they are today. Compounding this challenge is the pattern we've seen of low-income people moving further from central Portland in search for more affordable housing. These areas typically have poorer transit, and basic services are not readily accessible by foot or bike. So, the need for a car and more driving are necessary, which is incredibly expensive. Thus, how we plan for meeting future transportation needs in the region has huge implications for families of modest means being able to meet basic needs and build wealth. Visit www.clfuture.org/projects/ShiftTheBalance to read about Shift the Balance and get involved. Then, take our online survey. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete, and we’ll be sharing the results with Metro to inform the Regional Transportation Plan update.
REACH Open House: New Homes for First-Time Homebuyers Nov 8 REACH CDC invites you to an Open House to celebrate the opening of 6 new rowhouses for first-time home buyers at 3630 SE 33rd (just south of Powell) in Portland, Oregon The Open House will run from 1-3pm, with a brief presentation at 2:00pm The new homes, buillt by REACH in conjunction with Lundin Cole Architects and Oregon Architects, were developed with funding support from City Housing Development, Inc, Collins Foundation, Earth Advantage , Enterprise Foundation Green Grant, Green Investment Fund, Home Depot Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, NW Natural Green Grant, Oregon Housing & Community Services HOAP, Piper Jaffray, Portland Office of Sustainable Development, US Bank and Wells Fargo. For more information call 503-231-0682.
"Neighbourhood Centres: The Vancouver, BC Planning Experience" Nov 8 Noted Canadian author and planner, Lance Berelowitz, will speak in Portland on Wednesday, November 8th at 7:00 pm with two other Vancouver, BC planners, Anthony Pearl and David Ramslie on the topic of "Neighbourhood Centres: The Vancouver, BC Planning Experience." Their free and public presentation will explore the efforts in Vancouver to develop compact housing, public transit, and commercial development around defined neighborhood nodes or centers. The talk will be held at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Room 34. Their talk is relevant to Portland's efforts to develop similarly compact Town Centers throughout the metro region. Neighborhood leaders interested in how the Vancouver experience can be a lesson for developing compact neighborhood business districts and town centers in Portland are encouraged to attend. Who are the speakers: Lance Berlowitz, Principal at Urban Forum Associates in Vancouver, BC, is author of "Dream City: Vancouver and the Global Imagination." Berlowitz will speak about his work redeveloping a transit station and the surrounding area in one of Greater Vancouver's regional town centres. He will address what some of the effective strategies have been achieved, where more work needs to be done and some notions about what the future holds. To find out more, go to http://www.douglas-mcintyre.com/book_details.asp?b=951. Anthony Pearl, Director and Professor of planning and geography with the Urban Studies Program at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC will speak about the challenges and benefits of linking our network of regional town centres with rapid public transport. Pearl will discuss the success that has been achieved, where more work needs to be done and what the future holds. To find out more go to: http://www.sfu.ca/urban/ or http://www.sfu.ca/polysci/contact/perl.html. Dave Ramslie, an urban designer and planner working for the Green Buildings Planner, City of Vancouver, BC, will speak about Vancouver's Neighbourhood Centres program mentioned above. Ramslie will explore how these endeavors offer greater housing choice, improved retail options, and public realm treatments as well as limited community development support. To find out more, go to: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/ or http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/commsvcs/southeast/greenbuildings/. Sponsored by: Southwest Hills Residential League (SWHRL), Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. (SWNI) and the City of Portland, Office of Neighborhood Involvement. Their visit to Portland has been organized by the Canadian Consulate General in Seattle, WA as part of Canada Week, an outreach effort in Oregon to raise awareness about the connections between Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest states. Accessibility: Trimet bus: Capitol Hwy, #44. The event is wheelchair accessible. For more information on this event contact: Jim Thayer, President, SW Hills Residential League, 503-823-3309. Don Baack, President, Hillsdale Neighborhood Association, 503-246-2088, Brian Hoop, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, 503-823-3075 or via email. bhoop@ci.portland.or.us
NPF Hosts David Harrison Lecture on Poverty in the Northwest Nov 13 The Neighborhood Partnership Fund hosts David Harrison’s presentation ‘On Getting Out ~ And Staying Out ~ of Poverty: The Complex Causes of and Responses to Poverty in the Northwest’ on Monday, November 13, 2006 at the YWCA. Harrison is the Senior Lecturer-Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs and Chair of the Washington Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board The Neighborhood Partnership Fund is pleased to bring you this presentation in support of our Asset Building work. Please join us for a presentation on the findings of a report commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation and written by David Harrison and Bob Watrus. The report describes how governments and nonprofit organizations in our region can have greater and longer-lasting impact on alleviating poverty by carefully aligning interventions to address the multiple factors that create or define poverty. Mr. Harrison's career has been devoted to creating bridges between the policymaking community, policy researchers, and citizens. He came to the Northwest in 1986 to found and direct the Northwest Policy Center, which for many years provided policy assistance on economic vitality issues to governmental leaders throughout the region. In 2006, Harrison initiated Strategies to Eliminate Poverty under the auspices of the Seattle Foundation. Made possible by a five year commitment from the Northwest Area Foundation, this new program will assist researchers in developing new governmental policies to combat poverty. He currently teaches policy analysis and new program design in the Evans School's Masters in Public Administration program, and is faculty coordinator of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program. Presentation Date & Time: Tuesday, November 13, 3:30 - 5:00 PM Reception with Mr. Harrison 5:00 – 6:00 PM *light appetizers and libations will be served Location: YWCA Mary L. Collins Conference Center, Third Floor 1111 SW 10th Ave, Portland OR 97205 Parking is on-street (with meters) or at paid lots. There is a Smart Park at 10th and Yamhill. RSVP: Please send an email message to Nancy Warnock to inform us of your attendance. Portland Habitat for Humanity ReStore Now Deals in Furniture The Portland Habitat for Humanity ReStore is now dealing in furniture. The ReStore is accepting donations of good quality furniture in very good and excellent condition. This means solid pieces without breaks, tears, stains, excessive wear, or needing repairs. We know the good stuff is out there, and think it will be a very good niche for the ReStore. Already we have several dining sets, with chairs, ranging $110 to $650. As well as other odds and ends, including 2 entertainment centers. So come see our new furniture department soon. Boxes and boxes and boxes of 4"vinyl cove base. Full 120' rolls are just $25 each. Partial rolls $10 each. Lots of big roles of new linoleum, some as big as 12" x 120"; .50 cents a square foot. Millpride cabinets. These are unassembled, in the box units, and are going for between $20 and $40 a piece. Doors are separate so you can mix and match; just $5 and $10 each. New supply of prehung doors and a few windows coming in this week from our friends at Parr. And of course, lots and lots and lots of Metro paint. Thanks to Metro Recycling. Lastly we just got a big shipment of molding and trims from a distributor. Tons of stuff; bundles of hardwood and softwood, oak railings, maple trims. Various prices of course but all at great savings. ReStore Business Hours: Tuesday through Friday 9am - 6pm , Saturday 10am - 4pm Want to know more? Go to: www.pdxrestore.org or call 503-283-6247 Sisters of the Road 12th Annual Holiday Matching Grant Challenge Underway November 1st kicked off the 12th anniversary of the Holiday Matching Grant Challenge for Sisters Of The Road during which time they challenge, cajole, coax and excite their entire community to join together to raise funds to sustain the vital work of Sisters Of The Road throughout the entire year. The goal for 2006 is to raise $240,000 in community gifts! During the months of November and December all gifts to Sisters Of The Road will be matched 50 cents on the dollar by a group of generous individuals and businesses – and donors new to Sisters are then matched again through a special grant from the Collins Foundation! The Collins Foundation, long-time supporters of Sisters Of The Road, will match all donations from people who have never donated to Sisters before up to $20,000. New donors to Sisters will have their donations matched 1:1 by Collins and then matched again by the Holiday Matching Grant Challenge Pool. A $100 donation will become a $250 donation. There is one catch, Sisters must receive at least $20,000 in new gifts to receive the match! People can donate: online at www.sistersoftheroad.org; by calling (503) 222-5694 ext. 12; by mailing it attention "Matching Grant Challenge" to 133 NW Sixth Ave., Portland OR 97209; or by dropping it by our 618 NW Davis St. office or at one of these businesses beginning November 1st: The Horse Brass Pub Food Front Cooperative Grocery Touchstone Coffee House Businesses who would like to be a Matching Challenge Grant drop-off site should call Monica Beemer at (503) 222-5694 ext. 19. The Matching Grant Challenge started in October 1994 with one anonymous gift of $4,000. That gift came with some interesting strings attached: it was to be used to match donations at the rate of 50 cents to the dollar and they must be received between November 1st and December 31st. The challenge began. The funds raised during this holiday campaign are crucial to Sisters throughout the year. They help Sisters meet the ongoing costs of operating the Café as well as keeping our other programs, job training and community and self advocacy going. Sisters asks the community to make this the most successful Matching Grant Challenge yet by sending holiday gifts to Sisters now. Gifts in any amount are welcome, and a donation made in the name of a friend or relative is a wonderful gift idea. The 2006 Matching Grant Challenge ends on Sunday, December 31, so hurry and get your donation in today. Thank you! Founded in 1979, Sisters Of The Road uses non-violence to support community driven solutions to the calamities of homelessness and poverty. Sisters Of The Road is open to everyone, serving low-cost, hot, nutritious meals that can be purchased in a variety of ways, including with cash, food stamps, or in exchange for work. Sisters also provides job training, support to parents and children, and innovative solutions to the issues surrounding poverty and homelessness through self and community advocacy.
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