This morning 50 Senators voted to cut nearly $40 billion from federal spending.  Vice President Cheney cut short his trip to Pakistan in order to cast the deciding vote to cut aid for the poor.  Despite the vote in the Senate, there is one more shot to defeat the bil, as the bill was referred back to the House due to procedural issues.

Five Republican moderates (Senators Snowe (ME), Collins (ME), Chafee (RI), DeWine (OH) and Smith (OR)) joined with all Democrats and Independent Jeffords (VT) to vote against the cuts to crucial programs supporting seniors, people with disabilities and children.  Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) arrived in a wheelchair, delaying his recovery from recent knee surgery, to cast his vote against the bill.

The bill raises health care costs for the lowest income families, cuts child care for families moving from welfare-to-work, imposes new stringent work requirements for welfare recipients, cuts assistance for abused and neglected children, and increases the cost of student loans.  Here’s how your Senators voted: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00363

But believe it or not – it’s still not over!!!

On the Senate floor, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) raised objections to provisions in the bill that violate Senate rules.  The Senate voted to uphold these objections and the provisions were stripped from the bill.

This means the bill approved by the House in the early morning hours of December 19 is different from the version approved by the Senate.  The full House must come back into session to vote on this version before it can become law.

That means there is one more shot to defeat the bill in the House.

The outcome is too important to the lives of low-income people not to do everything in our power to stop this bill in its tracks.  
Republican moderates who voted for the bill on Monday morning had just a few hours to review the 774-page package.  Now that what's in it is coming to light, we must make the strongest effort to persuade members to change their vote to no.  (Here’s how your Representative voted: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll670.xml)
- How the overall bill affects low-income people: http://www.cbpp.org/12-20-05bud.htm
- How the TANF provisions impose harsh new work requirements: http://www.cbpp.org/12-18-05bud2.htm

Call your Representative toll-free: 800-426-8073

Tell them: Reject the budget reconciliation conference report – it hurts the poor, the sick, and people with disabilities, young and old.

HAP Reimburses Section 8 Tenants For Rent Increase Due to Fed Cuts

The Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) Board of Commissioners approved the rent payment reimbursement to Section 8 participants at their special meeting on November 30.  On Friday December 9, we began mailing reimbursement checks to our Section 8 participants who paid more in rent from April to November 2005 as a result of moving from 30 to 35 percent as a minimum of percent of income paid toward rent.  The amount of the reimbursement will be the difference between the two percentages for the number of months that the participant paid the higher rent.  If a participant's rent did not increase for this reason, they will not receive a reimbursement.

Approximately 6,100 households are receiving reimbursements, with the average reimbursement just under $300.  About 1,500 households will not be reimbursed, as they did not see rent increases due to the change to 35 percent.

If you have any questions, contact Rose Bak, HAP’s Rent Assistance Director, at 503-802-8565 or roseb@hapdx.org.

Buena Vista Home Provides Stability, Opportunity for Difficult to Serve Youth

Multi-agency collaboration allowed Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare to open Buena Vista Home, a residence for five young men coming out of the state hospital, said Leslie Ford, president and CEO of Cascadia, at the official opening December 1.

The men, aged 18 to 25, are covered by the state’s Psychiatric Security Review Board.  The executive director of that Board, Mary Claire Buckley, noted how she was “overjoyed at the whole new opportunity that is being created for the residents…serving this underserved population has been one of my top priorities.”   Ford agreed and said providing services for this group “has been something close to my heart.”

The Volunteers of America Community Partners Reinvestment (CPR) program coordinates services for the young men, and that program’s director, Denise Gour, spoke of the 20 hours of structured activities provided to assist the tenants in re-integration.  Additional services are provided through Metropolitan Family Service and SE Works.

Cascadia Clinical Vice President Jim Hlava noted that this was a pioneering project that required 19 different budget versions before completion.  He said that services help the young men with jobs, education, and reintegration with family and friends.  The 1823 square foot building, located near SE 76th and Stark, has been owned by a Cascadia company for nine years, and previously served another program.

The name is drawn from the Buena Vista Homes company, whose owner, Roger Pollack, has been a generous donor to Cascadia and other area non-profits.  “I’m proud to be part of this and have a way to give back to the community,” he said.

The building is owned by Rose CDC, whose executive director, Nick Sauvie, was present and offered words of support.  Among the roughly 30 other guests was Wayne Miya, chairman of Cascadia’s board, as well as state and local officials.

Supporters of an Oregon real estate transfer fee dedicated to housing, including two community members who donated thousands of dollars from their recent home sales to help house people in need, called for a statewide real estate transfer fee dedicated to housing at a press conference on Thursday, December 15 at at the Rosemont Commons in Portland.  The two community members, Tasha Harmon and Eli Spevak, were joined by Realtor® Erik Blender, from Real Estate Professionals Building Community, and three representatives from organizations to which Harmon and Spevak made donations: Nick Sauvie of ROSE Community Development, Susan Emmons of NW Pilot Project, and Allison Handler of Portland Community Land Trust. In addition to promoting e real estate transfer fee, the group was also announcing the launch of the website www.retf4oregon, an information resource on how a transfer fee would benefit Oregon.

When Harmon and Spevak sold their respective Portland homes late this summer, they decided that they wanted to share their windfall profits gained in Portland’s hot housing market with community groups that provide housing opportunity for economically vulnerable families, seniors and people with disabilities. Harmon and Spevak also wanted to promote a tool to fund needed affordable housing, a real estate transfer fee.

A real estate transfer fee is a one time fee collected from the seller of a residential home at the time of sale. Oregon housing advocates have long sought a transfer fee dedicated to funding Oregon’s housing needs. Nationally, real estate transfer fees have raised the largest sum of ongoing revenue for local housing needs. 37 states have a transfer fee, including Washington and California. Currently, state law in Oregon prohibits new real estate transfer fees in the state.

Both Harmon and Spevak made ‘voluntary real estate transfer fee contributions’ to nonprofit community organizations that successfully house people left behind by private market housing options.

“I believe there are many things we ought to do as a community to ensure that everyone can have a decent place to call home,” said Spevak.  “One appropriate and relatively painless approach I support is a small transfer fee on the sale of real estate.  Such a fee could be used to expand our stock of permanently affordable housing, even as Portland home prices continue to escalate.”

Harmon cites two reasons that motivated her voluntary transfer fee. “First, I believe that the huge increases in real estate prices are created largely by community actions and that the profits generated should be shared with the community.  Second, these housing prices increase shut many people out of the housing market.  In today's market I could not afford to buy the house I just sold.  We need to recognize that these windfalls have larger consequences.”

Nick Sauvie, Susan Emmons, Allison Handler, representatives of three of the organizations that benefited from Spevak and Harmon’s donations, spoke about the impact that their programs have on the housing stability and personal success of the people who work with their respective organizations.

Sauvie, Executive Director of ROSE CDC which serves outer SE Portland, knows first hand the impact of Portland’s housing market: "Our neighborhood is one of the last affordable places in Portland, yet many homes sell for more than $200,000. That is simply out of reach for many residents. Hardworking people should be able to afford a decent home."

Realtor® Erik Blender introduced Real Estate Professionals Building Community, a new group comprised of Realtors® who support an Oregon real estate transfer fee to fund Oregon’s housing needs.  State and local Realtor® Associations have successfully blocked the transfer fee in the Salem legislature for the past decade and a half. Blender discussed why he and other real estate professionals believe that a transfer fee dedicated to funding housing need is right for Oregon.

To learn more about why Oregon needs a real estate transfer fee, go to www.retf4oregon.com.

REACH Director Dee Walsh Awarded 2005 James A. Johnson Fellowship

The Fannie Mae Foundation named REACH CDC Executive Director Dee Walsh as one of the four leaders in the field of affordable housing and community development to receive a 2005 James A. Johnson Fellowship.  The James A. Johnson Fellowship recognizes and rewards leaders in rural and urban affordable housing and community development by providing an opportunity to pursue personal and professional goals through a grant.

“Individually and collectively, the 2005 James A. Johnson Community Fellows have demonstrated both exemplary leadership and unwavering commitment to the development of affordable homes and vibrant, strong communities,” said Stacey D. Stewart, president and CEO, the Fannie Mae Foundation. “With this grant, we recognize these individuals for their hard work, but also encourage them to expand their knowledge and experience, and generate new ideas and strategies.”

James A. Johnson Community Fellows design and pursue development plans that may include research, travel, study, self-designed internships, and other activities that enhance their skills, knowledge, and field experiences and explore new solutions to current affordable housing and community development challenges.

The program's chief goals are to:

• Recognize and reward individual dedication and contribution to the affordable housing and community development fields

• Increase Johnson Fellows' leadership and professional skills, an outcome that in turn positively affects their neighborhoods and communities

• Foster opportunities for new solutions to affordable housing and community development challenges

In addition to Walsh, the other 2005 Johnson Fellows include Ellen Baxter, the executive director and founder of Broadway Housing Communities (New York, NY), Robert Calvillo, executive director of McAllen Affordable Homes, Inc. (McAllen, Texas), and Diane Sterner, executive director of the Housing and Community Development Network of N.J. (Trenton, New Jersey).

Multnomah County’s Housing Program is making a few small grants available during 2006 to assist nonprofit agencies in developing permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless adults and families. The Board of County Commissioners intends to obligate between $400,000 and $500,000 during Spring 2006.

Deadline: January 30^th , 2006

Our goal is to make recommendations for grant awards at the BCC meeting on Thursday, February 16^th, so that developers can provide evidence of commitments for the State of Oregon Spring CFC, the PDC Spring RFP, and a possible Bridges To Housing RFP.

Submit applications electronically to Diane.luther@co.multnomah.or.us.

Grant Amounts

         Minimum $25,000; Maximum $100,000.

Use of Funds

Funds may be used for any housing development activities, including predevelopment expenses. The type of housing must be permanent supportive housing, defined as housing that is available indefinitely to qualifying tenants; that provides services to tenants designed to assist in successful tenancy, and that is occupied by households in which a member has a disability, or by a family that is defined as “high resource-using.”

Target Populations

Grants will be made available for permanent supportive housing for two types of populations:

1)    Chronically Homeless Adults – persons having a mental illness or substance abuse disability that has contributed to their being homeless for either a) one continuous year; or b) four or more episodes in the three years previous to occupancy at the project.

2)    High Resource-Using Homeless Families - Families that have multiple barriers to housing. They must have a barrier in addition to economic need, such as drug/alcohol use, mental illness, physical or cognitive disability, domestic violence, re-entry from corrections, etc. See attached assessment criteria for reference – however, applicants are not required by this grant program to use this assessment tool.

Sponsors will be required to enter into Grant Agreements committing the funds to provide permanent supportive housing for one of the above target populations.

Submittal Requirements

-        2-3 page Project Description, including target population and proposed service configuration

-        Amount of County grant funds needed and when, and proposed use of funds

-        Development and operations pro formas, including commitment status of development sources

-        Development team and financial partners

-        Sponsor description

Questions?  Call or email Diane Luther at 503 988-4463, diane.luther@co.multnomah.or.us.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office issued a report to Congress entitled "Public Housing - Distressed Conditions in Developments for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities and Strategies Used for Improvement." (GAO-06-163, 12/05).

According to HUD's data, 64 of the 76 public housing projects occupied by the elderly and non-elderly persons with disabilities had less than 5 percent of the units that met the accessibility standards (for persons with mobility disabilities).  That is, HUD acknowledges that 84% of the projects surveyed were in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Even many public housing agencies admitted they did not meet the minimum 5 percent requirement.  One admitted that none of his apartment units were accessible to persons with disabilities.

Public housing directors agreed that lack of accessibility "throughout their developments" was "one condition that most adversely affected" disabled persons.

HUD found elevators not large enough for a person in a wheelchair to turn around, entrance doorways not wide enough for a wheelchair or power scooter to enter, and other physical violations.

To find out more, go to http://www.stevegoldada.com

TechSoup: Negotiating the Volunteer-Nonprofit Relationship

The success of a volunteer program depends on making the right kind of match -- one where both the volunteer and the organization gain something. Read our tips on making a successful match: http://ga0.org/ct/4d16yKS1CXlu/