Sten, City Council Amend N. Mac Plan to Better Address Affordable Housing
On Thursday of last week, the Portland City Council postponed approval of the South Waterfront Central District Project Development Agreement to develop the area of along the Willamette south of the Ross Island Bridge until late July in order to address several community concerns, central of which were the plan's inadequate amount of affordable housing and prevailing wage issues. The City Council approved amendments proposed by Commissioners Erik Sten and Randy Leonard to address some of the affordable housing and wage concerns so that the City Council will be able to move forward with the plan in a few weeks.
Representatives from Affordable Housing NOW!, and the Metropolitan Alliance for a Common Good (MAC G) combined with housing advocates to deliver extensive testimony on the housing and wage issues. With Commissioner Sten's amendment, housing advocates achieved significant gains for the North Macadam Urban Renewal District. The number of affordable homes to be developed in the 31 acre Central District through the South Waterfront Central District Project Development Agreement was increased from 430 units to 790 units - - assuming that a total of 3,000 market units are built. Up to 72 units at 30% MFI are included in the agreement, compared to zero 30% units under the previous requirements. In the long term Housing Strategy for the twenty year life of the entire district, all residential development in excess of the first 3,000 units must match the city income profile. This means that 31% of all housing in these later phases will be affordable below 50% MFI.
While the policy and development agreement changes for the district are a gain for affordable housing, Affordable Housing NOW! continues to have concerns. The definition of "affordable" remains very broad (up to 100% MFI for rentals, and 120% for condos). The target of 790 "affordable" units should first address housing below 50% of MFI, then 50-80% MFI. Additionally, adequate TIF funding needs to be allocated to the most affordable units. Precious federal funding should not be used to bail out the district. That resource is already short of what is needed to address affordable housing in other neighborhoods throughout the city.
Funding for the district below 50% MFI should match the following Affordable Housing Targets and TIF Allocations*:
Affordable Housing Targets and TIF Allocations for First 3,000 units
0-30% MFI: 166 units at the cost of $6.1 million
30-50% MFI: 211 units at the cost of $3.88 million
TOTAL: 377 units at the cost of $9.98 million
Affordable Housing Targets and TIF Allocations for Second 3,000 units
0-30% MFI: 406 units at the cost of $14.9 million
30-50% MFI: 516 units at the cost of $9.5 million
TOTAL: 922 units at the cost of $24.4 million
*at PDC suggested need of $3.8k per 30% unit and $18.4K per 50% unit
Special thanks go to the MAC G, Housing Development Center, and the Housing and Community Development Commission for their advocacy efforts. The increased goals for affordable housing would not have happened without the support of Commissioner Sten at the City Council level.
To see articles in the Oregonian related to the North Macadam development, connect below:
High-end plans drive South Waterfront dream: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1057838182283380.xml
Council amends South Waterfront plan http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/portland_news/1057925198129940.xml?oregonian?pn
Human Solutions Wins 2003 Alpha Award For partnership with Jobs Corp
The National Job Corps Association has selected Human Solutions, Inc. as a winner of the 2003 Alpha Award for a Community Organization. Springdale Jobs Corps’ submission was selected from 115 Alpha nominations from across the country.
Human Solutions selection is based upon a very successful partnership that began in October 2001 when students from Springdale Job Corps’ Facilities Maintenance Program volunteered to paint two Human Solutions’ offices. Since then, Job Corps students have organized an Easter Egg Hunt/Party for 80 residents who are recent immigrants from Eastern Europe, planned a Halloween Haunted House for low-income children, and "adopted" Human Solutions for Make A Difference Day 2002 by organizing a clothing drive for The Closet. The Closet is Human Solutions’ free clothing store, opened to everyone living in the Portland metropolitan area.
Not only does Human Solutions partner with the center for all its community service activities throughout the year, but it also provides students with mentoring and work-based learning opportunities in the electrical, business technology, marketing/retail sales and facilities management fields. To date over 20 students have benefited from their work experience at Human Solutions.
Human Solutions is represented on the Job Corps Center's Community Relations Council and regularly features positive articles about the center and students in its Volunteer Voice newsletter, which is sent to donors, volunteers, and corporate sponsors. Human Solutions and Job Corps have fostered a relationship that helps both organizations fulfill their individual missions and help the wider SE community.
Fran Weick, Human Solution’s Resident Services Coordinator, coordinated the program for the agency. Weick will receive the award in a ceremony in Washington, DC on July 23, 2003 which will include the national Job Corps community, members of Congress, administration officials, Department of Labor leadership, union representatives, trade association leaders and community and business leaders.
"We are thrilled to be receiving this honor," reports Executive Director Jean DeMaster. "Fran worked very hard to establish a relationship with Job Corps that supports the mission of both organizations. We are proud to have a collaborate relationship with Job Corps and look forward to our continued work together."
Human Solutions is a non-profit, social service agency serving east Portland and east Multnomah County. The agency helps low-income families move from dependency to self-sufficiency by providing transitional and permanent affordable housing and a broad range of social services, including case management, life-skill classes, energy assistance, and clothing and household goods. This agency serves more than 45,000 people each year.
To find out more about Human Solutions, go to: http://www.humansolutions.org
CBS News Reports on The New Homeless
In any American city, on any given day, the nation’s economic downturn can be measured by those down on their luck — and that population may come as a surprise, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan.
These days, homeless families are the norm on the street, not the exception.
"Homeless looks like a young mother with a baby in her arms and a 2-year-old tagging along beside her," said Brenita Jackson-Brown, Genisus Shelter Director. "That’s what homeless looks like in this country."
A recent survey found that out of the 800,000 people who are homeless in the United States, 200,000 are children in homeless families. This is an increase blamed not only on rising unemployment, but a decrease in affordable housing.
New York City is just one example. The lines for soup kitchens are getting longer and longer. In fact there are now more homeless families in Manhattan right now than during the Great Depression.
"Back in the 80's the typical homeless family was a single mom who was on welfare," said Patrick Markee, Coalition For The Homeless. "Today we're seeing more and more of the working poor being forced to turn to emergency shelter."
An Atlanta couple, living in an abandoned house is one example. The husband had lost his job while she had just given birth to their son. But every shelter they tried was full — so they ended up in an abandoned house.
"I sold my rings to even get food," said Enestae Kessee, the father.
It didn't work. Their baby died of malnutrition, 25 days after he was born.
"They told me he wasn't breathing still, and I wanted him to wake up," said Bonita Williams, the mother. "I told him, 'It's your Momma. Wake up for
Momma,' but he wouldn't do it."
Patrick Markee of the Coalition For The Homeless told Cowan he isn’t surprised that in this day in age, in a city like Atlanta, children are dying of malnutrition.
"Every city across the country is reporting rising demand for emergency shelter among families with kids, and rising demand for emergency food," he said.
And with record numbers of homeless families expected to flood shelters this summer, 10,000 in New York alone, it's expected to get worse before it gets better.
A family is seen hugging and crying next to a picture, and for them, it's hard to imagine how much worse it can get.
For more on this story, go to: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/03/eveningnews/main561686.shtml.
Harvard Study on State of the Nation's Housing Available On Line
The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University has compiled a report on U.S. housing. Included are data on income and housing costs, median net wealth of owner and renter households, home prices by region and metro area, homeownership rates by age and ethnicity and more. To download a copy, go to: http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/
OMB Watch Update on Federal Grant Streamlining
The federal government is moving forward with implementation of a 1999 law requiring streamlining and simplification of the grants process. In late June, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published four announcements in the Federal Register on policies to standardize information and formats for grant announcements, and increase the threshold for organization-wide audits for grantees from $300,000 to $500,000. A policy requiring grant applicants to have a Dun and Bradstreet DUNS number after October 1, 2003 was also published. To read the full article, go to: http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1659/1/179/
NW Nonprofit Leadership Summit September 22 in Portland
CRITICAL TIMES, CREATIVE SOLUTIONS: Save this date - September 22, 2003 - for a forum for Executive Directors, Board Presidents and Board Members, Leadership Teams and Management Staff, Fundraising Executives and Staff, Foundation Officers and Philanthropists, Community and Business Leaders, Businesses Working with Nonprofits, Government Program Managers, Consultants, Academics, Consultants and Students.
These are not easy times. In light of recent economic, security, and ethics-related challenges thrust upon us, community leaders and members of the non-profit sector are invited to share stories and explore our futures.
This one-day symposium will provide a place to gather and share what has been done to survive what many are calling the "perfect storm" of economic and social turmoil: high unemployment, diminished public and private sector resources, and rising community needs.
The summit will serve as a gathering place to focus on critical times and issues facing our organizations and our communities.
These are not easy times and we need a place for meaningful discussion. The Institute for Nonprofit Management invites all who care about the nonprofit sector to come, listen, discuss, learn, and heal as we move forward in our work, for our lives, our families, and our broader communities.
Over the course of the day we will convene for a fishbowl-style discussion focusing on two topics. The morning conversation will address the changing role of philanthropists and their relationships to the organizations they support. The afternoon session will explore our community’s responses to the perfect storm, and share our combined wisdom as our community considers ways to survive and prosper despite the crisis.
For more details go to: http://www.inpm.pdx.edu/symposium.shtml
Governors' Community Partnership Award Seeks Nominations
The Institute for Nonprofit Management at Portland State University is seeking nominations for the Seventh Annual Governors’ Community Partnership Award. The award honors a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated great success in building stronger communities through collaboration across all sectors - including nonprofits, businesses, government agencies and foundations.
Past recipients include North/Northeast Economic Development Alliance in Portland; South Coast Hospice in Coos Bay; Head Lice Resource Team in Portland; Bethel Safe Place Project in Eugene; Oregon Trout’s "Salmon Watch" Program in Portland and Community Outreach, Inc. in Corvallis.
"The award is given to recognize nonprofit collaborations which model trust, respect, shared decision-making, shared resources and shared responsibility," says Molly Clarke, Chairman of the Governors’ Community Partnership Award Committee.
The Governors’ Community Partnership Award will be presented at the Institute for Nonprofit Management’s Fall Leadership Summit on Monday, September 22, 2003, at the Portland Hilton. The award recipient will be honored by a representative of the Governor’s office and through a generous cash award from Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, Inc.
Nomination forms and information are available by calling INPM at (503) 725-5422 or via email at NonprofitSummit@pdx.edu. Nominations will be accepted through August 11, 2003. The winner will be notified the week of September 2, 2003.
TechSoup Report on GrantStation Software
Most nonprofit organizations like money. Most people like money. Money makes the world go around. At least it helps us more efficiently achieve our missions. Wouldn't you rather spend your time writing your grant applications than researching funding sources? Once again, our beloved readers, we won't leaving you hanging.
GrantStation, the online fundraising tool, quickly and easily links nonprofits to the most current sources of grant money, and it helps them secure funding. Developed and tested by fundraising professionals, it is one of the only tools on the market that is based on in-depth and ongoing research.
Features include "Find-a-Funder," a search tool that instantly connects members to the top national and regional giving programs; "Grantseeker's Toolkit," tools and resources that add efficiency to the grant process; and extensive grant research and proposal building tools. Order GrantStation tools for an administrative fee at DiscounTech.
To learn more about about GrantStation, go to: http://ga0.org/ct/K716yKS19cJk/
Learn more about selecting and evaluating fundraising software in the TechSoup funding section: http://ga0.org/ct/Z716yKS19cJ0/
Using Handheld Devices to Connect to the Internet
You can access the Internet on a handheld device, but weigh your options carefully. To learn what to look for in plans and devices, go to: http://ga0.org/ct/J716yKS19cJm/
Amendment to SB 863, RETF for Housing in Doubt
Senator Lenn Hannon has withdrawn his support for SB863, the bill with a proposed amendment to create a pilot project allowing a real estate transfer fee (RETF) in the Portland Metro area and Ashland. With the Legislature entering a phase of focus on budget and revenue issues as they push to leave Salem, Representative Deborah Kafoury and Senator Kate Brown will remain vigilant for opportunities to remove the RETF preemption. Without Hannon's support to amend SB 863 to allow a RETF for housing, chances of lifting the preemption this session are seriously decreased.
A RETF is our best option for funding housing for low income Oregonians. Current state law prohibits RETFs anywhere in Oregon. We want the Legislature to act to allow local governments to enact an RETF to meet community needs. To learn more about a RETF, click here: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html#RETF_Background
With the removal of the RETF preemption less likely this session, Affordable Housing NOW! will focus on other strategies to win new revenue for affordable housing in the Metro area for 2004, the primary of which is a local bond in Portland. To learn more about other strategies for affordable housing funding, click here: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html#AHN_Strategy_Update
As you stay in contact with legislators this session, remind them that there is one good revenue source that they should still consider: The RETF is a flexible, permanent source of significant revenue, tied in to the market.
Before the session closes, we’d like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has worked on the RETF this session. Particularly important are the efforts of Oregon Action and the Jackson County folks; shifting this debate from the "it is a Portland thing" to "a RETF is good for all Oregonians" has been very powerful, and is our path to victory.
And we will be victorious. The preemption will not stand through next session.
The Realtors will not be allowed to keep this tool out of the hands of the state and of local communities.
We’ve done great work this session, and we should focus now on what we’ve done well.
* We have developed shared a vision for what we could do if we had adequate, stable resources for housing. We have talked about the many kinds of housing needs in our communities, the creative solutions that are possible, and the need for ongoing flexible funding to meet those needs.
* The work of Oregon Action and other residents in the Ashland area changed the dynamic of the debate, framing the RETF as an issue for all Oregon communities. Housing is a community issue, and we need more local communities to be as present in the legislative process as Ashland has been this year.
* We looked outside of our normal allies and asked ourselves who benefits from affordable housing. We began to build a different kind of coalition, one that brought in environmental groups and social service advocates in as well as developers and housing advocates. We began to talk about housing a little differently, as a tool to create complete communities.
* We developed arguments that demonstrate that funding used to create affordable housing is an economic stimulus tool and a jobs creator. Establishing that creating affordable housing is not only the right thing to do, but that it makes economic sense will be crucial as we bring more folks aboard.
There are also a few things we should keep in mind to do differently.
* We MUST work to make housing an issue in state legislative races. Legislators shouldn’t just hear from us when they are in Salem. We need to be present at candidate’s nights and coffees asking where the money will come from to house our most vulnerable residents. We need more legislators who understand housing issues, and who care passionately about them. We need legislators who when they think about affordable housing remember a person they met who told a story of how stable housing helped turn their life around, or let their kids learn to sleep through the night.
* We MUST work throughout the interim to build the vision that adequate, stable, flexible funding for affordable housing is a PRIORITY for Oregonians. We don’t have enough money to develop housing for very low and low income households. When people cannot afford their housing, they go hungry or without medication and other necessities. This is simply unacceptable!
We need to marshal our efforts from now on into the next session so that by the time the first gavel drops, we are poised and organized to lift this cruel roadblock to addressing our state's housing crisis.
We need real revenue for housing. We need a Real Estate Transfer Fee.
Washington County Seeds Housing Trust Fund with $310,000
Washington County Commissioners gave $310,000 to Vision Action Network last month to seed a housing trust fund that will be used to build homes that low income families can afford to rent. The $310,000 from Washington County is contingent on the two-month-old Community Housing Fund doubling it with matching donations from local churches, business and developers.
Vision Action Network hopes to generate $1 million for the Community Housing Fund, which will be used to help build and renovate low-cost housing for poor families, senior citizens and people with mental illness, drug addiction or other disabilities, as well as for first-time homebuyer education programs.
Specifically, the fund will be used to help nonprofit housing developers cover county building fees and to expedite the land-use approval process.
To learn more about the Community Housing Fund, contact Craig MacColl at craig_maccoll@co.washington.or.us
Census Maps Demonstrate Shift in Poverty to Ring Around Portland
CDN has two maps that demonstrate that from the 1989 to 1999 that there was a significant shift in where the Metro regions poorest residents are living. Developed for CDN by Smartgirl Technologies, the maps use Census data from 1990 and 2000. One map, Regional Poverty Shifts, 1989 to 1999, shows significant changes in the percentage of people living below the Federal Poverty guideline ($18,100 per year per individual) in census tracks in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties and Clark County, Washington. The second map, Regional Poverty Concentrations, 1999, shows census tracts with disproportionate number of people living below the Federal Poverty guideline.
CDN would like to thank Gina Clemmer and Smartgirl Technologies for donating these maps to us. To get in touch with Smartgirl Technologies, email info@smartgirltechnologies.com.
Let Your Voice Be Heard: AHN Speakers Bureau Training July 15
Help build Affordable Housing NOW!'s base of supporters by becoming part of the Speakers Bureau. AHN! is holding a second Speakers Bureau training on Tuesday July 15 at 6:00 p.m. The training is two hours long, and will be held in the 4th Floor Conference Room of the Board of Trade Building, 310 SW 4th Ave in Portland.
The purpose of the Speakers Bureau is both to educate the public on the dire impact of the affordable housing crisis and to inspire people to join Affordable Housing NOW!'s campaign for new funding sources for affordable housing.
Whether you are a housing expert with extensive public speaking experience or some one new to advocacy that would like to develop leadership skills, AHN needs you to in our public education campaign. Speakers Bureau activities will include feasibility sessions with elected officials and decision makers, presentations to groups and organizations, conducting public forums and legislative testimony.
To sign up for the Speakers Bureau training, contact Teresa at 503/ 294-2889 or teresa@clfuture.org, or Michael at 503/335-9884 or mike@cdnportland.org.
Become an active part of Affordable Housing NOW! today.
What Do Block Grants and Tax Cuts Have in Common?
The Bush Budget for FY 2004 proposes major funding changes, including block grants, for a number of low-income programs like Medicaid and the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Section 8 Housing Vouchers, Unemployment Insurance, Head Start, Child Welfare and Job Training. The House has begun considering block granting Head Start and Job Training programs. This means that states would get a block of money, sometimes guaranteed for a fixed number of years, to administer programs with less federal oversight. Low-income families and children will lose any entitlement to a minimum federally set safety net that expands when more people are in need. While the safety net is slowing being eroded, block grants would speed up the process. Also, under TANF reauthorization, we expect the "superwaiver" to be revived again – this provision basically unties federal regulations, allowing state governors to waive federal rules in programs including food stamps, public housing, homelessness programs, childcare, job training and adult education.
While block grants and the superwaiver are being touted as a way of allowing the states the flexibility to use federal funds more effectively the proposals are, in fact, mostly about control of spending. Block grants have been around since 1945, and President Reagan expanded block granting to a number of programs in 1982. Looking back at prior block grants, some of the lessons are:
Block grants are more vulnerable to funding cuts than "categorical" programs.
Without defined standards and targets, the main purpose of the program can be lost. Congressional oversight over state use of block grant money wanes over time. Cities tend to be the losers when money is reallocated at the state level. The working poor tend to be the losers under state designed eligibility rules. States generally reduced standards to save money.
The states may be tempted – in the midst of their own budget crises, block grants that they can use free of restrictions may be viewed as an attractive way to reduce budget shortfalls. However, while the "flexibility" looks good to states now, history has shown that in the long-term states will get less. Flexibility without any resources to be flexible with is not a good bargain.
The one constant is that block grants are used as a way of reducing federal domestic spending, just like tax cuts. Block grants should be seen as just another tool of this Administration to shrink the role of the federal government in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all Americans. Low-income programs are being targeted in an effort to ultimately dismantle the role of the federal government in providing a safety net for the most vulnerable. Freeing the federal government from funding obligations like entitlements is an important step in allowing the government to pass more tax cuts for the wealthy.
Reauthorization Bill Could Have Negative Impact on Minorities
(From TRANSFER a publication of the Surface Transportation Policy Project
Volume IX, Issue 14; June 23, 2003)
Report: Reauthorization Bill Could Have Negative Impact on Minorities.
A new report from The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and the Center for Community Change chronicles how the federal government spends between 30 and 40 billion dollars on surface transportation each year and the impact it can have on minorities and their communities. The report, "Moving to Equity: Addressing Inequitable Effects of Transportation Policies on Minorities," makes several policy recommendations, and informs policy makers of how their implementation would help address racial injustices created by transportation policies and advance the constitutional goal of equality.
The report outlines the demographic realities of transportation planning, the inequitable costs of transportation policies that encourage travel by car and highway development, and the barriers inherent in the current transportation planning process. According to the report, these transportation policies and approaches have created an enormous burden on minority and low-income individuals, with those in the lowest fifth of income earners spending 36% of their take home pay on transportation, while those in the highest fifth spend only 14%.
STPP President Anne Canby issued a press statement on the report noting that, "as working families struggle to make ends meet, Congress is unfortunately considering measures that would decrease funding for mass transit and intercity rail. Instead, Congress should continue to help communities offer transportation choices and build on the success of the current federal transportation spending bill that guarantees funding for transit, clean air and local control over transportation spending and decision-making."
Recommendations made in the report include:
· Increase funding for enforcement of civil rights and environmental laws and regulations, such as Title VI and NEPA.
· Improve data collection that can be used to evaluate the impacts of transportation projects and plans on minority and low-income communities.
· Recognize the interaction between transportation, land use, and social equity, and support programs that understand and address this interaction.
For more information, visit http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/news/pressreleases.php/record_id=33
HUD's "Homeownership Express" Rolled Into Portland
PORTLAND, OR - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez was joined by Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, today as he announced a new pilot program called 'Reaching the Dream' aimed at encouraging faith-based and community organizations across America to promote homeownership.
The Reaching the Dream initiative will identify approximately 60 faith-based and community grassroots organizations in three cities, including Portland, Oregon. HUD will assist these organizations in developing partnerships within the lending communities to tailor mortgage products and other resources to meet the needs of those they serve.
"Today we hope to encourage faith-based and other community organizations to join our efforts to make this dream of homeownership a reality for anyone who seeks it," said Martinez. "I've seen what owning a home means to a family. Through the program we announced today grassroots organizations will receive training to create and run effective homebuyer education courses and outreach campaigns in their communities."
Martinez made the announcement during a Portland stop of HUD's "Homeownership Express," a national bus tour as part of a broader effort to increase homeownership for more Americans. President Bush proclaimed June as National Homeownership Month, "recognizing the importance of offering every American the opportunity to realize their dream of homeownership and to help work towards making that dream a reality."
"I applaud the Department of Housing and Urban Development's efforts to expand and support faith-based and community groups' work to promote homeownership," said Towey. "The program demonstrates how government should welcome faith-based organizations as partners in addressing our nation's social problems."
Martinez later addressed the White House-sponsored conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. The conference is intended to help faith-based and smaller community organizations gain greater access to federal programs that serve the poor.
This year HUD's Housing Counseling Program will provide $35 million in grants to established counseling organizations around the country. In turn, these organizations help low- and moderate-income renters to cross the threshold into homeownership. Next year, President Bush is proposing to increase this program to $45 million. As part of the Reaching the Dream initiative, HUD has published a brochure for faith-based and community organizations entitled "5 Steps to Becoming a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency" to assist grassroots organizations seeking to qualify for the grant program.
The Bush Administration believes faith-based and other community grassroots organizations are uniquely suited to provide homebuyer education to lower income first-time homebuyers. Because of the depth of their roots in communities, faith-based organizations can do a great deal to increase homeownership in America. Visit http://www.hud.gov/ to learn more about how faith-based or community grassroots organizations can encourage homeownership or call (202) 708-2404.
Shortly after taking office, President Bush directed federal agencies to identify and remove regulatory barriers that exclude faith-based and smaller grassroots organizations from federal grant programs. Funding opportunities vary widely across the federal agencies, making it disproportionately difficult for smaller grassroots organizations to take advantage of federal grant programs. In addition, the applications process for these grant programs is often too complicated for smaller community organizations to navigate.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws.
Visit http://www.hud.gov/ for more information on the Administration's Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
BHCD Invites Stakeholders to Discuss Agency Changes July 2
The Bureau of Housing and Community Development (BHCD) has been undergoing some exciting and significant changes recently.
* We have been involved in an intensive strategic planning process this spring. We want to share our new framework for the future with you.
* Our Director, Tonya Parker, recently accepted a position with the Oregon Partnership Office of the Fannie Mae Corporation. Joe Hertzberg, our strategic planning consultant, has stepped in as Interim Director. He is not a candidate for the permanent position.
* We are launching a national search for a new director. At the very outset, we seek your help in identifying the essential qualities of a new director, designing a process for meaningful community input, and suggesting strategies to search for qualified candidates.
To learn about our new strategic direction, meet our Interim Director, and offer your ideas about the search, please attend a BHCD conversation on:
Wednesday July 2
8:30 - 10:00
NE Precinct Community Room
449 NE Emerson
Workshop " Targeting the Poor and Those Who Work With Them: Effective Responses" July 16th
The TACS Diversity Leaders Network is holding a workshop entitled "Targeting the Poor and Those Who Work With Them: Effective Responses" on July 16th, 2003 from 8:00 to 9:30 am at Ecotrust Conference Center
Facilitators: Cliff Jones and Guadalupe Guajardo, TACS Senior Consultants; Co-Founders, Tools For Diversity
Discussion topics include:
* Why the poor are stereotyped and blamed for their difficulties
* Challenges and opportunities for middle class staff in addressing poverty issues and building alliances
* Provocative strategies for public and political education
Register/RSVP for this network now < http://www.tacs.org/training/event.asp?evID=29>
Workshop Description:
Most of us have heard stereotypes slammed at poor people that dehumanize them because of their difficulties and hold them responsible for their economic condition.
Most of us have also heard social service workers described as bleeding heart liberals, suggesting that caring about and building alliances with people in poverty is inconsistent with implementing effective strategies that address the root causes of poverty in our society.
This session of DLN will identify strategies for responding to the historical targeting of the poor and those who work with them, and the current crises in funding health and social service benefits and programs.
Join Cliff Jones and Guadalupe Guajardo, TACS Senior Associates, on July 16th, for our final DLN of the season. A panel of dynamic and creative advocates will join Cliff and Guadalupe to help close the misinformation gap and identify strategies for action.
Location: Ecotrust Conference Center, 721 NW 9th Ave, on the 2nd floor of the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center at NW Irving & 10th Avenue in Portland's Pearl District
Time: 8:00 am - 9:30 am (doors open at 7:30 am)
Register/RSVP: Online at <http://www.tacs.org/training/event.asp?evID=29>, or call 503.239.4001x102, or email <mailto:jb@tacs.org> at least 5 days prior to the event so we can plan for food, seating, and handouts.
Members: Register/RSVP 5 days prior to the event and remember to bring your coupons.
Fee for Non-members, attendance is $16/prepay 5 days in advance or $18/door. Includes continental breakfast.
Prepayment by Check: Send a check to: TACS, 1903 SE Ankeny, Portland Oregon 97214. The participants' name and network date are required. Please include this information with the check. Check must be received 5 days prior to the event to receive the discounted rate.
Prepayment by Visa or MasterCard: Call 503.239.4001x102 at least 5 days prior to the event to receive the discounted rate. Do not send credit card information via email. Receipts will be available at the event check-in table.
At Door Payment: Cash, checks, Visa and MasterCard are accepted at the door. Register/RSVP 5 days prior to the event.
Parking/Directions: Parking is limited. Visit <http://www.tacs.org/training/event.asp?evID=31> for directions and transportation options. Change for parking meters will be available at the check-in table.
HUD Conference on Migrant Farmworker Issues August 26
"HARVESTING HOPE FOR OUR COMMUNITY," a free conference on migrant farmworker issues for Idaho/Oregon/Washington Faith-Based and Community
Organizations, will take place August 26-28 in Yakima, Washington.
Presented by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), "HARVESTING HOPE FOR OUR COMMUNITY" will feature invited Keynote Speaker, Moises Loza, Executive Director, Housing Assistance Council, Washington, DC. Moises Loza is a nationally recognized leader and expert on migrant farmworkers. WHEN:
HUD Web Clinic -Tuesday-August 26 - 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
HUD Conference - Wednesday, August 27 - 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and
Thursday, August 28 - 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Yakima Convention Center, 10 North 8th Street, Yakima, Washington
PURPOSE:
To learn about recent developments on farm worker housing issues, develop new partnerships to benefit your community, and address timely concerns impacting migrant farmworkers. The conference opens with a General Session and includes plenary sessions and workshops designed to meet the special needs of conference participants.
* Identify latest funding sources
* Discover partners in faith communities
* Hear how to overcome discrimination and break down barriers that prevent housing opportunities
* Network with colleagues from new organizations
* Discover resources your organization can tap into to help resolve the challenges facing farm workers today
The topics include:
* Organization development
* Community services
* Grant acquisition
* Housing finance
* Collaborative partnerships
* Capacity building
* Migrant health issues. . . and much more Who should attend:
* Faith-based, community service and farmworker organization representatives interested in learning about community service offerings in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
* Representatives from local government who need to meet with their low income wage-earner constituents.
* Faith based representatives who want to network with the low income community.
Designing your Website
Attend the HUD Web Clinic the day before the conference to learn how to design a public service website that is easy to administer and that works!
Conference Registration
To guarantee your space at this important conference and learn more about what's in store for you at the conference, log on to www.harvestinghope.org. If you have any questions, please call the "Harvesting Hope for our Community" toll free at 866 685.1195.
Let Salem Know: Funding Affordable Housing Cannot Wait
Now is the time to contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to make a late session push on the a real estate transfer fee (RETF). The Ways and Means Committee work session is coming up and it is clear that housing programs are taking a huge hit. We need to let Salem know that the permanent funding generated by a real estate transfer fee is essential to the health of Oregonians.
Please email your Senators and Representative today and say:
Oregon needs a RETF for affordable housing. With all of the cuts to support services, the OHP and the possible cuts to the Housing Trust Fund, the time to get the RETF preemption lifted is now! Support SB 863.
You can also include one of the following reasons why we need a RETF for affordable housing:
* A RETF would provide flexible funds that could be used by local communities to meet urgent housing needs and to help stabilize folks who are losing other sources of support and prevent homelessness
* A RETF is good for the economy: The development of affordable housing stimulates the economy. Affordable housing creates jobs, leverages federal and private funds, and funnels money into local communities. Since 1990, Oregon’s community development network has produced over 7,500 units of multifamily housing, creating nearly 5,500 local jobs such as construction, finance, professional services, and sale of goods and products which generated $200 million in local wages
* A RETF is good for REALTORS and good for first time homebuyers: Funds from a RETF would provide assistance to first time homebuyers. 10,000 homes sold to first time homebuyers could produce $1.5 billion in sales revenue and $90 million in realtor commissions. Loans or grants from funds generated by a RETF will make the purchase of a $150,000 home possible for more Oregonians
* A RETF will help with Oregon's Hunger problem: A study of food bank users found 47% of respondents spent over half of their monthly income on housing and 22% spent over three-fourths of their income on housing. In contrast, having affordable housing means spending no more than one-third of your monthly income on housing
Please write or email your Senator and Representative and forward this email to fellow supporters of affordable housing. To contact your legislators and their addresses go to: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/findset.htm or call 1-503-986-1000
Want to know more about the RETF? Click here: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html#RETF_Background
Want the latest on RETF strategy? Click here: http://www.cdnportland.org/ahn.html#RETF_Strategy
Call or email with questions: (503) 335-9884 or mike@cdnportland.org.
AHN Speakers Bureau Begins Summer of Movement Building, Education
For the past month, Affordable Housing NOW!'s Speakers Bureau has been meeting with a variety of community groups, organizations and elected officials to discuss solutions to our regional affordable housing crisis and to build support for Affordable Housing NOW!'s goal to secure new, significant funding for affordable housing.
Organizations to which the Speakers Bureau has presented include Independent Living Resources, Project Equality, and the City of Portland's Bureau of Housing and Community Development. Speakers Bureau members also participated in workshops at the Oregon Fair Housing Forum and Sustainable Northwest's Sustainability Forum.
The intention of the Speakers Bureau is to educate the community about affordable housing and Affordable Housing NOW! in order to engage people in the movement to gain adequate funding for affordable housing in our region.
Over the summer, the Speakers Bureau will focus their outreach to groups and organizations that are already involved in affordable housing or that work with people that would benefit from affordable housing so as to build a coordinated movement. Among the organizations to which the Speakers Bureau will present are Cascade AIDS Project, the Multnomah County Disability Services Advisory Committee, Elders in Action, and at the OAPA Women in Planning "Affordable Housing Presentation" on June 19 (see story below).
If you would like the Speakers Bureau to come and talk with your organization, contact Michael Anderson at mike@cdnportland.org.
If you want to join the Speakers Bureau, the next training will on Tuesday, July 15. For more info, contact mike@cdnportland.org.
Study Ties Frequent School Changes to Behavior Problems
Children who frequently change schools are more likely than those who don’t to have behavioral health problems, according to a new Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center study.
The study, to be presented Sunday, May 4, at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Seattle, shows that school mobility is an independent predictor of behavioral problems – regardless of one’s race, income, maternal education level or any other factor measured in the study.
"Transitions can be so disruptive to children that parents need to weigh the potential academic benefit they may get versus the academic, social and emotional impact of making the transition," says Mona Mansour, MD, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s and the study’s lead author.
Dr. Mansour’s study involved 3,285 children between the ages of 5 and 14. These children were part of the 1996 NLSY survey, a nationally representative sample of mothers and their children. Children were defined as "school mobile" if they were 5 to 9 and attended two or more elementary schools, or 9.1 to 14 and had attended three or more schools.
Behavior problems were measured by mothers’ responses to questions from the Behavior Problem Index. Mothers responded whether particular statements, such as "he/she is disobedient," "he/she has trouble getting along with other children" and "he/she is impulsive," were "often true," "sometimes true" or "not true." The responses were translated into a score, with higher scores indicating more behavior problems.
"Mothers of school mobile children reported higher scores on the Behavior Problem Index than those who were not school mobile," says Dr. Mansour. "While the nature of the data doesn’t allow us to say school mobility causes behavioral problems, the two are clearly linked and have implications for both health care providers and educators." Dr. Mansour found that 14 percent of the children were school mobile. These children were also more likely to have non-married mothers, mothers with lower levels of school involvement, and mothers with symptoms of depression. Mothers’ perceptions of school quality were also lower for school mobile children compared to non-mobile children.
Many parents, particularly those in urban areas, leave one school for another for a variety of reasons, including residential moves and financial reasons. Some are in search of a school that will better meet behavior problems, according to Dr. Mansour. What they often don’t consider, she says, is the potentially detrimental impact of moving on their children.
Health care providers need to talk more with parents and children about school changes, according to Dr. Mansour. School districts, too, must take into account what is in the best interest of children as they formulate school policy, she says.
"Policies and programs enacted to reduce school mobility or help ease the transition to a new school may have a positive impact on children’s behavioral health problems," says Dr. Mansour.
Enterprise Foundation Releases Study on Combining Housing and Child Care
This month The Enterprise Foundation is publishing "When Housing and Child Care Meet: Lessons Learned from Seven Child Care and Community Development Partnerships". The book documents an important new partnership model that brings child care resource and referral agencies together with community-based organizations to support low-income, home-based child care providers. The book will be available in hard copy and can be ordered through the Resource Catalog available on the Enterprise website (http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/), or it may be downloaded from at http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/resources/ERD/default.asp
Brookings Institute Study On Link Between Community Development Organizations and the Vitality of Community Development
Civic Infrastructure and the Financing of Community Development, a new Brookings Institution study written by William Bogart, examines the link between community development organizations and the vitality of community development itself. Using case studies from three major cities, the paper indicates that those with the strongest and most diverse network of nonprofit community development organizations realize greater private sector participation. The result is fewer subsidies per project, leading to more community development activity. To download this paper, visit the Brookings Institution website: http://www.brookings.edu/es/urban/publications/20030527_bogart.htm
OHCS Releases Low Income Housing Tax Credit Study/Report
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has released their second study analyzing the income and expenses of Oregon developments that received federal low income housing tax credits. The first study looked at operating income and expenses for the year 1999. This study examines operating income and expenses for the year 2001. OHCS contracted to compile a database of
2001 income and expense information, along with certain descriptive data about each development, that would help the Department, sponsors and other interested parties make comparisons and draw conclusions regarding operating income and expenses of similar developments.
OHCS commissioned both studies for three primary purposes: (1) to improve the ability of OHCS, lenders and sponsors to underwrite new projects in light of historical performance; (2) to provide a database for sponsors to allow them to better evaluate the performance of existing projects; and (3) to make available to third parties the financial performance information available to OHCS.
We invite you to explore the study found on our website at http://www.hcs.state.or.us/.
Storefront Improvement Program to Change in Select Target Areas
The Portland Development Commission's (PDC) popular Storefront Improvement Program will be changing in several target areas effective July 1, 2003. In the past, all participants in the program received a 50 percent matching grant from PDC for improvements to their storefronts, up to $20,000 maximum. On July 1, in some target areas, the PDC-match will be reduced to 25 percent. The maximum grant will remain at $20,000 in all areas.
Areas that will change to a 25/75 match:
* River District Urban Renewal Area (URA)
* Downtown/Waterfront URA
* South Park Blocks URA
* Oregon Convention Center URA (This is primarily the Lloyd
District area -south of N.E. Broadway St. Areas in the urban renewal area north of Broadway will remain in the 50/50 match program.)
Areas that will retain the 50/50 match:
* North Interstate URA
* Oregon Convention Center URA (north of Broadway)
* Central Eastside URA
* Lents Town Center URA
* Gateway URA
* Two Bureau of Housing and Community Development target areas: St. Johns and N.E. 42nd Avenue
These changes will help the Storefront Program return to it roots. The program began as a way to offer property and business owners an incentive to take a risk and renovate buildings in deteriorated areas of the city. After years of providing the program in targeted areas throughout the city, many areas have improved to the point where they do not need as much incentive to help with revitalization. But for those areas where risk is still inherently greater, the 50 percent grant from PDC will still be available.
The Storefront Improvement Program provides matching cash grants and design assistance to businesses and property owners in eligible neighborhoods. The funds are targeted for exterior improvements ranging from repainting to new windows, lighting and signage. The improvements help businesses attract customers, create a safer street environment for the community and enhance the appearance of neighborhood commercial areas.
Since January 1, 2000, a total of 260 Storefront grants have been approved. Over the years, response from the business community has been tremendous and the program is one of the most popular offered by PDC.
Funding for the program comes from a variety of sources including tax increment funds, city general funds and federal block grant funds through the Bureau of Housing and Community Development. A brochure about the program can be found on PDC's web site at http://www.pdc.us/pubs/dev_sip.html.
OHCS Celebrates Homeownership Month With Great Rate News
Oregon Bond Rate is at an All-Time Low of 4.5%
OHCS is celebrating June as "Homeownership Month" by spreading word about the record low rate it is offering low and moderate income households in order to help them buy their first home.
"Our 30-year fixed-rate loan rate of 4.50% is the lowest we have ever offered since the agency launched the program in 1978!" said Bob Repine, OHCS Director. "Today's low rate makes it more likely than ever that low-income families will be able to realize the 'American Dream' of owning their own home."
Read more at http://www.hcs.state.or.us/newsreleases/index.jsp.
OAPA Women in Planning Committee Host Affordable Housing Forum June 19
ACHEIVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR REGION PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION: Provision of an adequate supply of quality affordable housing in the Metro area remains difficult to achieve. The Women in Planning committee of OAPA invites you to a presentation and discussion of local, state and regional efforts to achieve this goal on June 19, 4 – 6 pm, at the Metro Regional Government offices, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Room 370 A & B
Presenters include:
Gerry Uba, Ph.D, Metro Planning Department. Gerry was the Project Manager for the Regional Affordable Housing Strategy and monitors Metro area jurisdictions’ compliance with affordable housing targets.
Michael Anderson, Community Development Network/Affordable Housing NOW! campaign focused on the provision of safe, quality affordable housing in the Metro area.
Mike Saba, AICP, Housing Manager, City of Portland Planning. Mike manages Portland’s housing programs for the planning bureau.
John Hollan, Community Development Director, City of Forest Grove. John is responsible for the City’s affordable housing compliance and related development efforts.
A facilitated panel discussion will follow after a short break. Presenters will be joined by development specialists including:
- Martha McLennon, Executive Director, Clackamas County Northwest Housing Alternatives
- Sheila Greenlaw-Fink, Executive Director of Community Partners for Affordable Housing in Washington County.
- Karen Perl Fox, Urban Design and Affordable Housing Specialist, 1000 Friends of Oregon
- Richard Meyer, Planning Director, City of Forest Grove
Contact Darci Rudzinski, (503) 224-3380) or Kirstin Greene (503/225-0192) for more information. Refreshments provided.
City Club Presents County Chair Diane Linn's The State of the County June 20
Diane Linn, chair, Multnomah County, will give The State of the County at the Multnomah Athletic Club on June 18 from 12:15 - 1:15 PM.
When the state sneezes, Multnomah County catches the cold. The county is in the unenviable position of relying heavily on state funds to provide public services locally. The news from Salem continues to be bleak. Many doubt that relief will come soon. Local revenue shortfalls have also compromised the county’s ability to provide basic services to our community. Providing an adequate level of service in areas such as public safety and mental health without sufficient resources is an ongoing challenge.
What should Multnomah County do?
Multnomah County Chair Diane Linn has written her own version of the critically acclaimed "Real Life Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook" and will share her year-in-review and lessons learned on how to survive one of the most challenging times in Oregon’s history. Don’t miss this critical discussion.
Register online at http;//www.pdxcityclub.org! Luncheon reservations and cancellations, call (503) 241-9242 by 2 PM Wednesday, June 18. $16 members, $18 non members. Coffee tickets are $5 at the door. General seating is free for members and $5 for non-members. Doors open at 11:30 AM.
White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives June 26
On Thursday, June 26, the White House and the Departments of Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, and Education and the Agency for International Development will host a Conference in Portland, OR, to help faith-based and community organizations learn more about President Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The Federal government is working to make sure that faith-based and community groups can compete on an equal footing for Federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face fewer bureaucratic barriers. The conference will take place at the Oregon Convention Center.
The Conference is free, but pre-registration is required. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit www.fbci.gov to register online. We strongly encourage you to register online. If you are unable to register online, print the registration form attached to this email. Complete the form and fax it to 703-299-4589 or 703-706-0476. If you are not able to view this file, please call 202-456-6718 to have a form faxed to you. Please register by June 13. If you are unable to attend the conference, please cancel your registration via email, to fbci@dtihq.gov, or via fax, to the numbers listed above, so we may accommodate as many people as possible.
The Conference is part of a series of regional Conferences that will be held around the country. These Conferences will equip participants with information about Federal programs that are suited to their needs, the Federal funding process, and the legal requirements that may apply to recipients of Federal funds. It will also give them practical information on the grant-writing process and successful practices from other organizations, as well as an opportunity to network with Federal officials.
The conference will offer several different tracks of workshops. When you pre-register, please indicate your preference for which workshop you would like to attend. Since workshops fill up, please mark a first and second choice.
For more information, please call 202-456-6718, send an email to fbci@dtihq.com, or visit http://www.fbci.gov.
HUD Funding Opportunities for Policy, Development and Research
HUD publishes a report of available funding opportunities for policy, development, and research projects. To see HUD's procurement forecast published this June, go to: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpo/4cast.cfm
Developing Affordable Housing Creates More Jobs Than a Baseball Stadium
The development of affordable housing stimulates the economy. Affordable housing creates jobs, leverages federal and private funds, and funnels money into local communities.
Proponents of the proposed new baseball stadium have rallied around the job creation generated by the stadium. Comparing the development of affordable housing to the baseball stadium, however, would indicate that public money would be much better invested in affordable housing.
Here is the math:
STADIUM: $250 million public investment /One baseball stadium/ 1,500 jobs = $166,667/job
HOUSING: $250 million public investment /$30,000 subsidy per unit = (8,333 units x 1.04 jobs per unit) = 8,667 jobs (Job creation statistics are from the National Association of Homebuilders).
In summation, HOUSING: $250 million / 8,667 jobs = $28,845/job
Therefore, each dollar invested in housing produces 5.78 times as many jobs as an investment in a stadium.
As we struggle for ways to jumpstart Oregon's economy, investing in affordable housing makes perfect sense.
To find out more about how affordable housing development stimulates the economy, click here: downloads/Housingeconomy.doc.pdf
PDC Appoints Andy Wilch as Director of Housing
Portland Development Commission Executive Director Don Mazziotti today announced the selection of Andy Wilch as the agency’s new Director of Housing. He will be responsible for the agency’s housing activities in support of the goal of creating housing opportunities for all Portland residents.
"Andy was selected from a highly qualified field of national candidates. The selection committee and I feel that his broad-based experience in the housing arena combined with his firm grasp of current PDC projects, challenges and activities made him the hands down choice to continue the next phase of our housing department’s critical work," said Mazziotti. "Through his extensive experience in real estate acquisition, housing development, housing finance and the cultivation of public/private partnerships, Andy will bring strong management, analytical and financial skills to tackle the challenges and opportunities before us."
Wilch has been serving as the Interim Director of Housing for the Portland Development Commission (PDC) since January when the former Housing Director, Wyman Winston was promoted to Deputy Executive Director at PDC.
Wilch joined PDC in 1999 as Housing Development Finance Manager. Prior to joining PDC, he served as Executive Director of the Pioneer Square Community Development Organization in Seattle, WA and as a Senior Development Manager for the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority.
Wilch holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University and earned his B.A. from the University of Nebraska. He is currently a National Committee Member for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and past Board member of the National Low Income Housing Congress.
PCRI Wins Honorable Mention Maxwell Award for Park Terrace Apartments
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI) has just received an Honorable Mention in Fannie Mae Foundation’s 2002-2003 Annual Maxwell Awards for Affordable Housing Preservation. Park Terrace Apartments, located at 315 N Alberta, is the cited project.
As Sheila F. Maith, Fannie Mae Foundation Vice President for Leadership and Practice Development shared, "We wanted to recognize your Park Terrace Apartments development for its achievement." Park Terrace was the first complex purchased by the Portland Development Commission (PDC) under the 1998 City of Portland Preservation Ordinance. In 2001, PCRI purchased the 60-year-old 88 unit complex from PDC to keep it permanently affordable. Had PDC not originally purchased the complex, 88 families, primarily seniors, would have been at risk of losing their homes to a for-profit developer. Francisca Gabriel, a long-time Park Terrace resident, writes about the acquisition and improvements, "I want to thank all of you for the good things you have done for us, the painting, the laundry room, the yard work…"
Renovations were done after extensive consultation and planning with Park Terrace residents. Construction took one year to complete. Congressman Earl Blumenauer spoke at the open house, in October 2002.
Funders involved: Bureau of Housing and Community Development, City Housing Development, Inc., The Enterprise Foundation, Housing Authority of Portland,
NW Natural, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Housing and Community Services Dept., Portland Development Commission, US Affordable Housing CDC, Inc., US Bank National Association and US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.
General Contractor: Glen/Mar Construction, Inc.; Architect: Harrison Royce Architecture; Landscape Architect: Quatrefoil, Inc.; Project Consultant: Housing Development Center, outdoor art: Art for Public Spaces; and Property Management: Pinnacle Realty Management Company.
PCRI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development organization providing affordable rental housing to low-income families in North and Northeast Portland. PCRI owns and operates 351 affordable rentals in 26 Portland neighborhoods. PCRI’s vision is to provide affordable housing and associated services that achieve family stability, self-sufficiency, and resident wealth creation.
In 1990 a series of articles in The Oregonian exposed fraudulent land-sale contracts being used on unsuspecting homeowners in Portland’s red-lined neighborhoods. The ensuing investigation ended with the investor in prison. PCRI was created in 1992 by community leaders and elected officials to own and manage the large portfolio of primarily single-family homes. Most of the resident families were then able to legitimately buy their homes, the remainder becoming PCRI’s affordable rentals. To date over 200 houses have been rehabilitated, and 15 new affordable units built.
Brookings Institution Study Analyzes Decrease in Concentrated Poverty
Stunning Progress, Hidden Problems: The Dramatic Decline of Concentrated Poverty in the 1990s, a new release from the Brookings Institution’s Living Cities Census Series, written by Paul A. Jargowsky, reveals that the number of people living in neighborhoods where at least 40 percent of the residents are poor dropped significantly between 1990 and 2000 after decades of increase. Within metropolitan areas, concentrated poverty in inner city neighborhoods declined substantially, but some older suburbs experienced increases. To download the report, go to
http://www.brookings.edu/dybdocroot/es/urban/publications/jargowskypoverty.pdf
Bush Administration Threatens Head Start Programs on Advocacy Effort
The Bush administration has taken the highly unusual step of sending a letter to Head Start programs warning that advocacy on issues relating to the controversial reauthorization of the program may be a violation of federal law.
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1560/1/176/
Study on Effectiveness of Faith-Based Services Shows Little Difference
Ever since President Bush announced his faith-based initiative in January 2001, the administration has claimed faith-based programs are more effective than secular programs, but most of the evidence has been anecdotal. That has now changed, with publication of a study by Indiana University and Purdue University comparing results of faith-based and secular job training programs.
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1550/1/176/
Portland Design Commission and the Adjustment Committee Seeks Volunteers
City of Portland, Bureau of Development Services, seeks volunteers to serve on the Portland Design Commission and the Adjustment Committee
The Design Commission and the Adjustment Committee advise the City of Portland on a variety of urban design and development compatibility issues. Both are made up of citizen volunteers, and each will have a vacancy effective June 2003.
The eight member Design Commission meets twice monthly to make recommendations on design districts, develop design guidelines, and review major developments in design districts and design-related land use requests. The commission includes a member of the Planning Commission, a representative of the Regional Arts and Culture Council, one person representing the public at large, and five members experienced in design, engineering, financing, construction or management of buildings, or land development. The current vacancy is for the Public At Large position.
The seven member Adjustment Committee meets twice monthly to review appeals of administrative decisions concerning zoning code development standards.
The Committee includes three persons representing the public at large, two members in either urban design, architecture, or landscape architecture, and two members experienced in either engineering, financing, construction, management of buildings, or land development. The current vacancy is for a Public at Large position.
If you are interested in volunteering for these commissions or want to learn more about a particular group, we invite you to call Jackie Phillips at
503-823-4017 or email her at Mailto:phillipsj@ci.portland.or.us.
You can find out more about the land use related commissions and boards at
http://www.bds.ci.portland.or.us/zlu/landuse_hearing1.htm
Spam Blockers May Wreak E-Mail Havoc
The technology is often buggy and poorly designed. In theory, well-designed challenge-response utilities won't challenge mail from known correspondents or mail that you've actually asked to receive. Unfortunately, many current challenge-response systems are poorly designed, which could wreak havoc on mailing lists and other legitimate communications. This could make e-mail far less useful than it is today.
For the full text of this article, please visit
http://news.com.com/2010-1071_3-1009745.html?tag=fd_nc_1
Housing Trust Fund Leader Mary Brooks Says Oregon Ready to Win RETF;
With Momentum in the Senate, RETF Supporters Need to Contact Governor
After 48 hours of traveling through Oregon and speaking to elected officials, government officials, business leaders, community organizations and affordable housing advocates about implementing a real estate transfer fee (RETF) to fund affordable housing, Mary Brooks said that she believes that Oregon has the critical momentum to get the RETF preemption lifted this legislative session.
"Winning a transfer fee for housing is never easy," said Brooks, the Director of the Housing Trust Fund Project with the Center for Community Change. "But Oregon has the pieces in place to make it happen now."
Brooks said that from Jackson County to Multnomah County, Oregonians are mobilized around the RETF, including Realtors® and elected officials. Brooks has worked on both winning and losing RETF campaigns throughout the United States, and from her experience she believes the timing in Oregon is good.
"The RETF is perhaps the most politically difficult funding source for affordable housing to win, but there is no better source of permanent funding," said Brooks. "You are closer than you think [to lifting the RETF preemption in Salem]. Everybody needs to push together now, and you can win."
Writing the Governor the Next Step
Affordable Housing NOW! and the Oregon Complete Communities Coalition need supporters of a real estate transfer fee (RETF) for housing to Governor Ted Kulongoski and ask for his support of a RETF to meet Oregon's affordable housing crisis. Lobbyists with Oregon HOME, the Neighborhood Partnership Fund, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Oregon Action and Affordable Housing NOW continue to gather Senate support for SB 863, the bill that would lift the preemption against a RETF for housing in Ashland and in the Metro boundaries and allow for local communities to address their housing needs.
Let the Governor know that we need a real revenue source for housing. The Real Estate Transfer Fee is the best way we know to fund affordable housing. It is permanent, flexible money that can be used to meet housing needs in Oregon communities. Experiences in other states show that RETTs can build strong housing markets and help communities meet a range of needs.
To download an Action Alert sheet with talking points for the Governor, click here.
Over 1,200 Attend Metropolitan Alliance Assembly; Sten Makes Commitments to Affordable Housing
More than 1,200 people attended a Negotiating Assembly at the Oregon Convention Center on May 13 at the Oregon Convention Center. The event was sponsored by the Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good (MAC G), a coalition of 32 community organizations, faith-based institutions and labor unions that has united to achieve solutions to problems of common concern. At the Assembly, public officials and market sector representatives made significant commitments in the areas of affordable housing, public education and health care.
On the affordable housing side, Commissioner Erik Sten committed to sponsor a City Council resolution that would increase Portland’s ten-year affordable housing production goal by more than 30%. If this commitment is reached, there would be more than 3,500 additional affordable units will be produced by 2011. Commissioner Sten also pledged to work with the Metropolitan Alliance to form a "blue ribbon" committee to raise additional resources for affordable housing. Mayor Vera Katz, who was unable to attend the Assembly due to an emergency, agrees with these commitments as well.
Representatives from the market sector were on board as well. Portland Business Alliance President Kim Kimbrough and a representative for developer Homer Williams also pledged to work with the Metropolitan Alliance to create more resources for affordable housing.
One of the highlights of the event was a public collection of ballots for the May 20 Multnomah County special election. More than 1,800 ballots were collected and turned over to county officials.
Affordable Housing NOW! Information Sheets Available On Line
Affordable Housing NOW! Information Sheets available in download able PDF files!
Get information on:
Affordable Housing, Jobs and the Economy
Affordable Housing and Hunger
Why the RETF Works for Realtors
RETF Q & A
SB 863 Action Alerts
Click here: http://www.cdnportland.org/index.html#AHN_info_sheets. Download them all and share them with your friends and neighbors!
Bill Sizemore and Oregonians In Action Are at It Again
Once again, the special interests that brought us Measure 7 (2000) are attacking Oregon’s taxpayers and laws that protect Oregon’s air, water, and land. They’ve filed four potential initiatives for 2004, and the Oregon Community Protection Coalition is working hard to get the word out about the dangers of these initiatives. These initiatives are not yet in circulation; they are stuck in legal challenges about their ballot titles.
Note: petition numbers are not the numbers the measures would have on the ballot, they are simply for reference with the Secretary of State.
Petition #36: Pay Developers to Comply with Hundred-Year-Old Laws
Oregonians In Action has submitted this initiative that would require taxpayers pay developers, or not enforce laws, when land use or forestry laws reduce property value. It applies to any change in law since any relative owned the property – including any estate of the developers’ grandparents! It has narrow nuisance, health and safety, pornography, and federal laws exemptions. This initiative would:
* Cost Oregon taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars for laws adopted in the 1900s.
* Create massive lawsuits and bureaucracy trying to figure out what the laws used to be – but developers’ lawyers can get taxpayers to pay their fees!
* Allow incompatible development in residential neighborhoods when governments ran out of money.
* Allow laws to be broken left and right. If taxpayers don’t pay developers’ claims, the developer only has to follow the laws that were in effect when the relative first bought the property – even if that was before any zoning existed!
Petition #37: The Landed Aristocracy and Bureaucracy Act of 2004
Oregonians In Action has drafted this initiative that would create a huge new bureaucracy and allow a tiny subset of landowners to veto laws that protect us all. The initiative prohibits local governments and state agencies from adopting new land use or forestry laws, unless they first get written approval from a majority of landowners whose property will decrease by more than 10%. Affected laws include zoning laws, laws setting forestry standards, and laws limiting industrial uses in residential neighborhoods.
This initiative would:
* Create massive new bureaucracy that would have to do a parcel-by-parcel analysis of each new law. For state agencies and large counties, this would mean analyzing hundreds of thousands of parcels.
* Cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for these analyses, "vote-counting," new bureaucracy, and lawsuits.
* Spur more frivolous lawsuits from those who believe they were aggrieved.
* Return Oregon to the medieval ages, whereby certain landowners can rule, and renters and other landowners have no voting power.
* Allow public health and safety laws to be vetoed by timber companies.
Petitions #29 and #30: Pay Developers to Comply with the Law
Bill Sizemore has filed two initiatives that threaten Oregon’s environmental and land use laws. Very similar to Measure 7 (2000) and virtually identical to each other, the petitions require taxpayers to pay developers, gravel miners, and others when laws restrict the use of property and reduce value by more than five percent (or the law can be repealed). They would:
* Cost each Oregon taxpayers hundreds dollars every year for common-sense regulations. Measure 7 was projected to cost taxpayers billions each year, for laws such as limits on cell phone tower placement and farmland protection.
* Create a lawsuit frenzy. The petitions prohibit any requirement that developers cover any costs to taxpayers to process claims.
* Destroy Oregon’s land use and environmental laws. The ability of neighborhoods and towns to plan collectively for their future, and protect property values, would be destroyed under constant of lawsuits.
What You Can Do
* Support the Oregon Community Protection Coalition’s efforts to educate Oregonians about these threats (PO Box 14842, Portland, OR 97293) and 1000 Friends of Oregon (visit www.friends.org), which is handling the legal challenges to these initiatives.
* Let us know if you see these initiatives being circulated. E-mail evan@friends.org or call Evan Manvel at (503) 497-1000.
* Tell people to "think before they ink." Your signature is a valuable commodity – be careful with what you sign.
* Educate your neighbors about the value of Oregon’s land use and environmental legacy by writing letters to the editor.
Multnomah County 2003-2004 Budget Hearing Schedule
Wed, May 14 - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Public Hearing on the 2003-2004 Multnomah County Budget - Portland Community
College, Cascade Campus, Student Center Building Cafeteria, 705 N
Killingsworth, Portland
Wed, May 21 - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Public Hearing on the 2003-2004 Multnomah County Budget - Multnomah
Building, Commissioners Boardroom 100, 501 SE Hawthorne, Portland
Wed, May 28 - 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Public Hearing on the 2003-2004 Multnomah County Budget - Multnomah County
East Building, Sharron Kelley Conference Room, 600 NE 8th, Gresham
Thu, June 12 - 9:30 - 12:00 p.m.
Public Hearing and Resolution Adopting the 2003-2004 Budget for Multnomah
County
Cable coverage of the hearings and Thursday Board meetings are produced through Multnomah Community Television. Call (503) 491-7636, ext. 332 for further info or log onto <http://www.mctv.org> for the program guide/playback schedule. The sessions, hearings and Board meetings are available via media streaming at <http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/cc/live_broadcast.shtml>.
Contact Board Clerk Deb Bogstad (503) 988-3277 for further information.
Neighborhood Forums on Citywide Public Involvement Standards in June
Got something to say about how City bureaus reach out to the public on major
projects?
Have some ideas on how to improve interactions between City bureaus and the
public?
A taskforce of neighborhood and business leaders, City staff, community of color, immigrant, refugee leaders and others will be creating recommendations for consideration by City Council of citywide standards for public involvement processes.
These open meetings are an opportunity to sit down with other neighborhood association leaders and concerned individuals to identify and prioritize issues of importance so that neighborhood associations can collectively advocate for changes they would like to see take place.
Outer NE & SE Meeting
Monday, June 2
7 PM - 9 PM
East Portland Precinct, Community Room, 737 SE 106th
Hosted by: East Portland Neighborhood Office, representative is Arlene
Kimura: 503-823-4550 & Central NE Neighbors, rep. is Phil Colombo:
503-823-3156
Inner SE Meeting
Tuesday, June 3
Hosted by: Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program, representative is Carlotta
Collette: 503-232-0010
West Meeting
Tuesday, June 3
7 PM - 9 PM
City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 1221 SW 4th Ave.
Hosted by: Neighbors West/Northwest, representative is Frank Dixon:
503-223-3331 & Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc., rep. is Corinne Weber:
503-823-4592
North & Inner NE Meeting
Thursday, June 5
7 PM - 9 PM
Kenton Firehouse, 2209 N. Schofield
Hosted by: NE Coalition of Neighborhoods, representative is Willie Brown:
503-823-4575 & North Portland Neighborhood Services, rep. is Betsy Radigan:
503-823-4524
For info: Brian Hoop, Office of Neighborhood Involvement, 503-823-3075 or bhoop@ci.portland.or.us
Support Human Solutions By Going to the Horse Brass May 28
The Horse Brass Pub is proud to sponsor "A Friends and Family Pub Night" to benefit Human Solutions. Human Solutions is a social service agency serving outer SE Portland. We provide affordable housing, rental assistance, energy assistance and family advocacy. We also run The Closet, a store that provides free clothing and household items to any family living in the Portland Metropolitan area. To find out more about Human Solutions check out our website at http://www.humansolutions.org.
Pub Night is Wednesday, May 28th from 6:00 PM to Midnight. This is a perfect opportunity to eat traditional fish and chip and bangers (English sausages), drink English beer on tap and to play a round of darts. 10% of all profits will be donated to Human Solutions. This is a win-win for everyone. (No minors allowed in pub.)
The Horse Brass Pub is located at 4534 SE Belmont, Portland, OR
For additional information call Vynette at 503-988-5200, ext. 26574.
Affordable Summer 2003 Workshop Series for Non-profits
Time-saving tools to focus your fundraising efforts
Session 1: Customizing a Grant Proposal Submission Schedule, Wednesday, June 4
What to bring: list of 24 foundations that have funded/would fund your mission
What you will come away with: An 18-month proposal submission schedule, averaging two submissions per month, guidelines to write a proposal template, and a list of common attachments-all assembled in a working notebook!
Special Guest: Lowell Greathouse, Vision Council Manager, United Way, will provide pointers on how to determine a good funding fit and the rationale behind the questions posed by funders. Instructor: Sharon Bosserman-Benson.
Session 2: Identifying Strategic Corporate Partners, Wednesday, July 9
What to bring: a list of no more than 10 corporations that have funded your mission and/or those who you would like to target
What you will come away with: a customized plan to broaden your relationship with businesses that support your mission.
Special Guest: Perry Gruber, Public Affairs Manager, Intel Corporation, will offer examples of what Intel looks for in a non-profit partner. Instructor: Sharon Bosserman-Benson.
Session 3: Turning Friends into Donors, Wednesday, August 6
What to bring: a list of 10 people who support your mission
What you will come away with: a plan to cultivate and solicit these friends within the next six months
Special Guests: TBA. Instructor: Sharon Bosserman-Benson.
The trainer for this workshop, Sharon Bosserman-Benson, recently founded sbstrategies, a fundraising training and consulting firm specializing in "strategies for connecting people." Sharon has 14 years of fundraising experience in social services and academia. As the Director of Advancement for Community Action, an $11 million social service agency in Hillsboro, Oregon, Sharon increased private donations from $500,000 in 1999 to $1 million in 2002. Sharon helped complete a $75 million capital campaign for Lewis & Clark College from 1992-1999, first as the Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations and then as a Senior Development Officer. Sharon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon.
Workshops will take place at the Multnomah Athletic Club - 7:30am check-in and breakfast; 8-10 am class Fee: $45 per session or $120 for three sessions-
Registration deadline: May 30, 2003
Limited to 20 participants
To register, e-mail sbstrategies@earthlink.net or phone 503.643.2331 or mail a check payable to Sharon Bosserman-Benson to 11781 SW Crater Loop, Beaverton, OR 97008
National Housing Advocate Mary Brooks to Discuss Funding Solutions May 8
Mary Brooks, Director of the Housing Trust Fund Project with the Center for Community Change, will discuss mechanisms for funding affordable housing development, including housing trust funds and real estate transfer fees (RETF) in Portland this Thursday, May 8. Ms. Brooks, a nationally recognized advocate for housing trust funds for over the last 15 years, will discuss how a real estate transfer fee can be used to address the critical shortage of affordable housing in the Portland Metro region
In a 2002 study, the City Club of Portland estimated that in the three Oregon Counties of the Portland Metro Area, one-third of all families do not have affordable housing. Housing is considered "affordable" when a household pays less than 30% of its total income for rent or mortgage and taxes. For low-income families the problem is far greater: the most recent American Housing Survey Data estimated that 82% of low-income households in the region are in need of affordable housing.
According to the Metro Regional Government’s Regional Affordable Housing Strategy more than 90,000 units of new affordable housing is needed for low-income households.
Affordable Housing NOW! and the Oregon Complete Community Coalition are focusing on SB 863 to create a real estate transfer fee to raise funds for affordable housing to address the region's crisis. A small fee of, for example, half of one percent could be charged when a property was sold. With the RETF, the housing market helps to support affordable housing for all community residents while protecting the most vulnerable. Thirty five states, including Washington, have a RETF.
If properly designed, a transfer fee would work to make housing more affordable to all Oregonians. First time home buyers could be exempted from the fee. The funds generated could be used for development of rental housing for our most needy residents and for development of homeownership options for first-time homebuyers.
Mary Brooks will be speaking from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm at the downtown YWCA in Portland (1111 SW 10th Ave., 3rd Floor). The event, sponsored by the Neighborhood Partnership Fund and Affordable Housing NOW, is free and open to the public. Prior to Mary’s presentation, Affordable Housing NOW! will hold a General Meeting from 11:30-noon.
Seattle Nonprofit Developers Added 1,101 Affordable Housing Units in 2002
The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County said its members developed 1,101 low-income housing units in King County in 2002.
The HDC said most of the units are affordable to households earning below 50 percent of the county's median income -- $27,250 for one person or $31,130 for two people per year. For a two-person household earning 50 percent of median income, affordable monthly rent is $779, $139 less than the average King County two-bedroom apartment rental, HDC said.
The 20 projects completed in 2002 include two single-family home projects, creating 18 new homes; 16 multifamily rental projects, creating 845 affordable apartments; and two Section 8 projects, preserving 238 low-income apartments.
So far in 2003, HDC members have opened an additional 232 low-income units, including single-family homes, Section 8 preservation units and low-income apartments. By the end of 2003, the number of affordable units opened by HDC members should reach 459. The organization said the number of units opened can fluctuate significantly from year-to-year because of funding cycles and delays in permitting and other processes.
The HDC is a nonprofit association of 29 nonprofit housing developers, 31 associate members and two government members. Associate members include local housing authorities, architects, contractors, lending institutions, property management companies, attorneys and consultants, among others. HDC members have developed more than 13,500 affordable housing units in the organization's 15 years.
Copyright(c) American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Smart Growth Can Deliver Affordable Housing Solutions
By Jim Lively, Great Lakes Bulletin News Service
Smart Growth’s critics — particularly homebuilders — have claimed during meetings of the Michigan Land Use Leadership Council that any policy that discourages the ever-outward march of new subdivisions will make new houses more difficult to build and more expensive to buy. They also say that revitalizing inner city neighborhoods drives the poor out of the only housing they can afford.
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm formed the leadership council in February to recommend steps the Legislature and her administration should take to cure sprawl. Affordable housing has emerged as an issue during the leadership council’s first two meetings in March and April and may prove to be a formidable barrier to progress even though critics have scant data to back up their arguments. Rather, accumulating academic evidence by several researchers, including Arthur C. Nelson of the Georgia Institute of Technology, shows that it is competition for homes in great places — in other words market forces not land use restrictions — that is the primary factor in driving housing prices up.
For example, home prices are indeed going up in Portland, Oregon, which does in fact have a growth boundary. But they are going up even more quickly in metropolitan Washington, D.C., which has no such boundary and much less rigorous land use restrictions. What is driving prices in both places is the fact that each is a great American city where people want to live.
There are good examples in Michigan, too. Neither Traverse City, nor Ann Arbor, nor Saginaw has a growth boundary or other highly restrictive land controls. But because the first two are among the most attractive small cities in the nation, their housing prices continue to soar while in the third, which lacks such a reputation, housing prices are rising much more slowly.
Growth Management and Affordable Housing
Critics also insist that Smart Growth exacerbates the affordable housing shortage. But the plain truth is that Smart Growth can actually help solve what has been an enduring problem across much of the country.
Long before there was a Smart Growth movement, there was an affordable housing crisis. The crisis has worsened as sprawl has simultaneously whisked people of means away to suburbia’s Elysian Fields and left behind those who can’t afford to move. With such disinvestments, the poor only get poorer: No jobs, no tax base for schools or services, no money for a decent bus system to get them to where all the jobs have gone: the suburbs. The ultimate result has been a stubborn, burgeoning affordable housing crisis.
So, while Smart Growth clearly did not create the affordable housing crisis, can it do anything to solve it? Not in the short term, even its most ardent proponents would agree. But can it help? Absolutely. While shifts in land use policy alone cannot do much, they can definitely maximize whatever investments society does make in affordable housing.
A Housing Crisis
America’s housing crisis has been worsening since the 1970s and today there is little relief in sight. The 2002 Millennial Housing Commission’s report to Congress found that one in four American households spends more on housing than the federal government considers sustainable — 30 percent of family income.
"Even working full time no longer guarantees escape from severe housing affordability problems," the report said. "In 1999, one in eight lower-income working families earning at least the full-time equivalent of the minimum wage reported spending more than half their incomes on housing."
People with low incomes face two bad choices: They can either live in extremely low-rent, usually crime-infested, urban neighborhoods that come with all of the attendant problems, or they can leapfrog over the suburbs to cheap, rural plots that are many miles from jobs and social services such as vocational training, childcare, and other social services. Stuck so far from the things that could help them break the poverty cycle, they become homesteaders for the sprawl that will eventually reach and overwhelm them.
Avoiding the Real Issue at the Homebuilders Association
Despite their crocodile tears of concern for affordable housing, the homebuilders and realtors busily criticizing Smart Growth are not doing much — or suggesting any action plan — that would solve the problem. Back downtown, affordable housing advocates admit that free markets will never develop adequate supplies of affordable housing. They know that, whether a state’s land use policies are smart or dumb, affordable housing simply is not very profitable. That is why metropolitan regions, backed by local, state, and federal funding, must invest in affordable housing, just as they do in roads, schools, parks, and utilities.
"We really need to be looking at housing as a regional metropolitan responsibility, " said Jonathon Bradford, Executive Director of Inner City Christian Federation in Grand Rapids. "Local governments and industry need to work together to ensure enough housing for the work force of their community."
There are some ongoing efforts to address this stubborn problem in Michigan. Affordable housing advocates are championing a state Affordable Housing Trust Fund that would guarantee public dollars for investment in new housing projects for low and middle-income families. The need is great: Michigan ranks 48th in per capita spending on housing subsidies, and 49th on subsidy spending as a percentage of personal income.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) offers a glimmer of hope because it is one of the most innovative agencies of its kind. It is trying hard to make something out of almost nothing. It is redistributing the meager federal housing funds that come its way, as well as selling bonds, and then lending the proceeds at below market interest rates to qualified buyers of single family homes and the few developers interested in building low-income housing.
Tony Lentych, executive director of the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, a nonprofit association of community development corporations, insists that the know-how and the local political will to attack the problem are there. What’s missing is state support.
"Developers of affordable housing are well educated about how to construct necessary housing," Mr. Lentych said, "and most local municipalities are also doing a lot by delivering tax abatements or infrastructure extensions to promote more affordable housing. But Michigan doesn’t put any general fund money into affordable housing at all."
Mr. Lentych says that most Midwest states have trust funds that spend between $20 and $30 million annually. Michigan is one of 13 states that have no such fund. He says such a fund is critical to any affordable housing progress.
"Smart Growth policies that encourage rehabilitating urban housing are always more expensive to the developer than building new housing on cheap rural land," he explained. "That’s why a revenue source with more flexibility to fund affordable housing is critical."
Public Investments Needed
But agreeing that states must fund adequate stocks of affordable housing raises other questions: Where and how do we invest those dollars? Do we build affordable housing in suburban-style developments on the fringe of the metropolis, which lack just about everything a struggling family needs to bootstrap itself? Do we help low-income families merely pay the rent for cheap, run-down housing in deteriorating inner-city neighborhoods?
The far wiser approach, affordable housing and Smart Growth advocates agree, is to invest in innovative in-town approaches that revitalize urban and rural communities by rehabilitating and building a variety of centrally located housing that, among other things, makes quality housing available to low-income families. This eliminates the infamous, ill-fated "housing project" syndrome of the 1960s that everyone, including Smart Growth advocates, abhor almost as much as the people who have been forced to live in such places over the years.
Smart Growth proponents insist that affordable housing be blended into communities, rather than stuck on the other side of the tracks. They insist that blighted urban communities should be improved by revitalization projects, but not at the expense of displacing low-income residents. History and common sense say nothing else will work.
Establishing this mix of upper, middle, and lower-income housing requires a complex mix of programs and policies that increase public and private investment in cities and protect low-income residents from being priced out of the market.
Other State Programs
Maryland has such a program; it not only works, it is good for everyone involved. The program protects rural open spaces, redirects new growth toward urban areas, and provides low- and middle-income families with affordable housing.
One major tool is a market-based "transfer of development rights," or TDR, program. It allows developers to buy development rights from farmers, and then directs their development to participating communities that want higher-density housing.
With TDR, everybody wins. Developers gain access to an increasingly lucrative, "new urbanist" development phenomenon; farmers are rewarded financially for the permanent protection of their land from development. Most strikingly, people in need of affordable housing get some, because the program requires reserving a certain percentage of that development for them.
Smart Growth Tools
Communities across the country have developed Smart Growth tools that favor affordable housing. Backed by sufficient funding, they can ensure that no one is left out as states redevelop their urban areas:
* Inclusionary Zoning requires large housing developments to dedicate about 15 percent of their units to low-income families.
* Smart Housing Zoning Codes simplifying urban redevelopment process encourage mixed use and income levels, and expand housing choices.
* Community Land Trusts allow communities or non-profits to own the land beneath affordable units, making purchase of the units more affordable.
* Mutual Housing Cooperatives provide ownership structures that limit profits from an owner’s sale of a unit. This assures current and future affordability for that unit, as well as direct community self-management of the development.
* Location Efficient Mortgages expand homebuyers’ purchasing power by granting them income credits for living close to public transportation, which greatly reduces their automobile expenses. Aggressive government programs that either tear down or rehab vacant properties prevent blight and increase investment in housing and small businesses.
* Special housing rehabilitation codes spur greater urban renovation activity by eliminating some newer building standards that cannot be reasonably applied to physically sound, older structures.
* Regional "Fair Share" agreements ensure that local governments contribute to affordable housing costs to meet the overall metropolitan demand.
Mr. Lentych says his organization favors Smart Growth because it reinforces urban revitalization.
"But the conversation cannot stop there," he cautioned. "Not only do we need additional funding targeted at maintaining affordable housing in urban communities, we also need to make sure that there’s funding for affordable housing in small, rural villages. There’s a growing need for this kind of housing in both areas."
In other words, applying Smart Growth principles to affordable housing programs accomplishes two good things: It helps cure sprawl and it assures that people of moderate means can live in decent homes located in viable, not ghettoized, communities.
Jim Lively is the planner at the Michigan Land Use Institute. Reach him at jim@mlui.org.
Harvard Study Shows Property Values Not Decreased by Multifamily Housing
Contrary to conventional wisdom, multifamily dwellings do not detract from the value of single-family homes in lower- and moderate-income neighborhoods, according to a study by the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies. The study, commissioned by Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, found that the average value of owner-occupied homes actually was highest in working communities with the most multifamily units. A summary of the report, "The Vitality of America’s Working Communities," is online at
http://www.nw.org/network/newsRoom/pressReleases/pdf/executiveSummary.pdf.
Statistics on Racial Segregation in Housing Available On-Line
Racial segregation in housing is still prevalent, while minorities continue to lag behind non-Hispanic whites in homeownership rates, according to an analysis of Census 2000 data from the Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research. The center’s website allows visitors to view data by city, metropolitan area, or central city and suburbs. To review data on your area, visit http://mumford1.dyndns.org/cen2000/report.html.
HUD Releases SuperNOFA for Services to Homeless and Community Development
WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez has notified HUD's partners that more than $2.3 billion is now available to serve homeless persons, produce affordable housing, stimulate economic development and protect children from the dangers of lead poisoning. The fiscal year 2003 "SuperNOFA" (Notification of Funding Availability) includes 43 separate funding opportunities for local units of government as well as nonprofit faith-based and community organizations.
These funds will compliment the more than $30.2 billion HUD also allocates to communities through block grants, housing choice vouchers and other formula-based funding. This year's funding notice explains the application process that will ultimately award: $1.822 billion in targeted housing and homeless assistance; $241 million in community development funding; and, $231 million in economic development (see funding chart). HUD is committed to ensuring that community-based and faith-based organizations have equal access to the Department's funding opportunities. Toward that end, nonprofit applicants will be asked to fill out a short survey that will help the Department gauge how accessible HUD programs are.
This year's SuperNOFA will also include everything an applicant needs to prepare their funding request of HUD. For the first time, applicants will no longer be required to seek additional information from the Department that is integral in completing their funding requests. This one-stop approach will greatly expedite and simplify the application process. HUD's FY 2003 SuperNOFA is available on HUD's website.
Following the goals set out by President Bush's Management Agenda, this year's application process will place a greater emphasis on measuring performance and demonstrating results. Whether an applicant intends to produce affordable housing, engage in economic development activities or conduct lead hazard control, they will be asked to articulate their short-term goals and the long-term impact of their programs within their communities. HUD's application process will require applicants to establish clear goals and create methods for measuring how they are meeting them. These accountability measures have not been applied to the war effort.
HUD Section 202 and 811 SuperNOFA Workshop May 9
Annually, HUD makes available funding for the Supportive Housing for the Elderly (Section 202) and Supportive Housing for Persons With Disabilities (Section 811) Programs through its SuperNOFA. These programs provide a construction grant and an operating subsidy so that residents pay no more than 30 percent of their income in rent. This year, there is over $470 million available for the Section 202 Program and over $115 million for the Section 811 Program.
The Oregon office will provide a workshop for prospective applicants on Friday, May 9th. At this workshop the programs will be explained, application procedures discussed and local information packages distributed. This is a must workshop for anyone interested in applying for this program. Check-in will begin at 8:00am and the workshop will start promptly at 8:30am. The program is expected to last until noon. The location will be:
First Floor Conference Room
400 SW Sixth Ave
Portland, Oregon
All individuals interested in attending must RSVP in advance.
Questions may be directed to Terri Eckhardt at (206) 220-5241.
The Village Building Convergence May 9-18
It'll be nine days of neighborhood placemaking, natural building, amazing presentations from folks like Starhawk and Dr. Paula Noel, music, food and much much more! View the schedule at http://www.cityrepair.org/vbc/vbc_sched.html.
Questions? Want more info: contact Eva at eva@cityrepair.org or 503-235-8946 x2. Register for a site, come be inspired!
City of Portland Community Budget Hearings May 22 and 27
The Mayor's Proposed Budget will be posted online May 9, but the City is accepting public testimony starting now. Local governments continue to face resource shortfalls and the City of Portland is no exception, the FY 03/04 budget will continue the pattern of reductions and reprioritizations that has marked the last four budget years and resulted in $32 million in cuts and reallocations. It is important that the public and citizens continue to let the City Council know their priorities for city dollars and services.
Public hearings:
Thursday, May 22, 6-8 PM, Mt. Tabor Middle School (cafeteria)
5800 SE Ash
Served by Tri-Met bus routes #71 and #20
Parking is available on site in the lot behind the school (entrance on SE 57th) and also on street
Tuesday, May 27, 6-8 PM, City Hall (Council Chambers)
1221 SW 4th, enter on 4th Avenue downtown between Madison and Jefferson
City Hall is located along the downtown transit mall and served by several Tri-Met bus routes Also located within walking distance of MAX light rail and the Portland Streetcar
Downtown on-street parking is free after 6:00 PM
The City of Portland, in its continuing effort to connect citizens to the budget process, is now accepting electronic testimony for the FY 2003-04 City of Portland Budget at the community budget web site. Reach the web site via the City of Portland Home Page at http://www.ci.portland.or.us ("budget calendar" link) or directly at http://www.ci.portland.or.us/finance/communitybudget/ofa.htm
Nomination for Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing Due June 16
MetLife Foundation is partnering with The Enterprise Foundation for the eighth year to offer the MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing, a program open only to Enterprise Network members. Awards are presented in two categories: supportive housing and property and asset management. In each category, award winners receive unrestricted funds: $25,000 for first place, $15,000 for second place and $10,000 for third place. A limited number of honorable mentions also may be awarded.
To qualify for these awards, an organization must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or a Tribe/Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE) and a member of the Enterprise Network.
An eligible project must be a single or scattered site and have a minimum of 10 dwelling units. The project can be rental, cooperatively owned or condominium units, transitional or permanent housing; and the majority of the residents it serves must earn less than 60 percent of the area median income. Projects entered in the supportive housing category must be completed, at least partly occupied and managed by the current manager for three years; in the property and asset management category, for five years. Applications must be submitted online by Monday, June 16, 2003, and supporting documentation must be mailed to The Enterprise Foundation, postmarked by that date. To learn more about the awards program, contact Sabina Cardenas of The Enterprise Foundation at 410.772.2738 or scardenas@enterprisefoundation.org. Download the guidelines from the Foundation’s website at http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/metlife.
RETF Support Building Momentum; AHN Needs You Call Your Senator Today
Affordable Housing NOW!, working with the Oregon Complete Communities Coalition, a statewide alliance of housing advocates, business leaders, elected officials, disability activists and housing developers, has made significant progress towards lifting the state preemption against a real estate transfer fee (RETF).
Last week, RETF supporters across Oregon wrote letters and made phone calls to the Senate Revenue Committee that resulted in a crucial hearing for SB 863. Friday, April 11 was the deadline for bills to have an initial reading before committee. With a coordinated response and a consistent message, Affordable Housing NOW!, Oregon Action and other members of the Oregon Complete Communities Coalition were able to convince the members of the Senate Revenue Committee to hear SB 863.
Senator Lenn Hannon and OHCS Director Bob Repine have proposed to amend SB 863 to create a pilot project to lift the RETF preemption in the City of Ashland and the Metro boundaries and allow a RETF for housing!
The amendment would do the following:
* Create a pilot project to lift the RETF preemption in the Metro boundaries and in the City of Ashland that will sunset on July 1, 2007
* Allow a RETF of up to .5%
* Funds to be administered and distributed by Oregon Housing and Community Services; administration fees to total less than 5%.
* Uses of funds:
> At least two thirds of the funds used for development, acquisition, rehabilitation, preservation and support of housing development for low income rental households, including seniors, people with disabilities, and people earning minimum wage.
> Up to one third of funds to be used for homeownership programs serving low and moderate income first time buyers.
> Some percentage of revenues may be reserved to restore the Housing Trust Fund corpus for statewide use
In order to move a RETF bill for housing from the Revenue Committee to the Senate floor, we need you to call your Senator today!
The message is simple: WE NEED A REAL ESTATE TRANSFER FEE FOR HOUSING! PLEASE AMEND SB 863 TO FUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING!
Talking points for your phone call:
1. Please support SB 863. We need a real estate transfer fee for housing..
2. Talk about the need in your community; use personal or professional experience with real examples. Connecting housing with hunger, health and education is GREAT.
3. If you live in the Metro boundaries or in Ashland: Talk about the impact of more affordable rental housing, essential rent assistance and increased access to home buying would have in your community.
If you live outside the Metro boundaries or in Ashland: Talk about how restoring the State's Housing Trust Fund must be a priority in the wake of the State's budget crisis.
4. Give us a chance to prove that a RETF for housing will work for Oregon. 35 other states have a RETF. Done correctly, a RETF cannot only fund affordable housing, but it can work for Realtors, Bankers and Developers.
5. Ask them to support the amendment of SB 863 to allow real estate transfer fees for housing.
If you're not sure who your Senator is, go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/findset.htm or go to this handy link to learn who your Senator is and email him or her at the same time. http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/writeset.htm
Then, call as many friends and neighbors as you can and get them to call or e-mail.
Then, email Janet_Byrd@teleport.com to let her know that you called or e-mailed.
If you’d rather write a real letter, the address is: The Honorable Senator ___ , 900 Court St. SE, Salem OR 97301
Questions? Call Michael Anderson at (503) 335-9884 or email at mike@cdnportland.org
Passing Resource Initiative Requires Leadership, Organization
CDN's April 16 Public Forum on Passing Resource Initiatives drew over 50 people, including key staff from HUD, the City of Portland's Bureau of Housing and Community Development, Commissioner Erik Sten, Multnomah County, the Enterprise Foundation, the Neighborhood Partnership Fund, the Portland Development Commission, the Portland Business Alliance, as well as staff from CDN Member organizations and Affordable Housing NOW!
Sponsored by CDN, the Portland Business Alliance, the Bureau of Housing and Community Development and Affordable Housing NOW!, the purpose of the forum was to discuss how successful resource initiatives have been passed in order to develop sound strategy for passing a local initiative for affordable housing.
The presenters, Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman and former Director of Housing for the City of Seattle Cynthia Parker, discussed their respective initiative campaigns for the Portland Children's Initiative and the Seattle Affordable Housing Levy. Though the subject of the two initiatives were different, both Saltzman and Parker agreed that there are several key elements to a successful campaign: (1) Use polling and community dialogue among stakeholder to develop a message that resonates with voters, (2) There must be a significant fundraising effort (The Children's Initiative raised $500,000, and the Seattle Levy raised $475,000) to pay for the campaign, (3) The initiative must have tangible goals and accountability standards so that the voters can be assured that their money is being well spent, and (4) Gaining approval from the business community is vital.
Saltzman and Parker also emphasized that at the beginning stages of any initiative, there will be inevitably be naysayers listing barriers to a successful campaign. But with leadership from one or two key public figures, the support of local government and a mobilized grass roots base, passing an initiative is certainly possible, despite the difficult economic times.
"When we decided to go forward with the Children Initiative, we had people say 'not this year,' and 'you cannot compete against other things on the ballot like the parks.'" Said Saltzman, "But we made our case and went forward and were able to win."
Parker said that Seattle voters and Portland voters tend to be similar in their willingness to support projects for the public good. But getting the process of pulling together stakeholders, raising funds, and developing a winning message take time.
"The key is getting started," said Parker.
CDN would like to thank the co-sponsors, including the Portland Business Alliance who arrange for the beautiful meeting space at the downtown YWCA.
Affordable Housing NOW! General Meeting April 30 at CAT Offices
Affordable Housing NOW! will be holding a general meeting to formalize our platform, discuss our next action steps with the real estate transfer fee and bond measure and strategizing outreach for Affordable Housing NOW!, including identifying organizations and community groups to which the Speakers Bureau should present.
The meeting is from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30 at the Community Alliance of Tenants, 2710 NE 14th Avenue.
Hope to see you there!
Questions? Call Michael at (503) 335-9884 or at mike@cdnportland.org
Enterprise Foundation Mobilizing Grassroots Support for Tax Credits: Call Senator Today
Congress is on recess for two weeks. When it reconvenes the tax committees will write a tax bill that could seriously weaken the Low Income Housing, New Markets and Historic Tax Credits. The Enterprise Foundation is calling on community based organizations protecting these credits in the bill will be critical. We may not match the administration's efforts to mobilize businesses and stockholder groups in favor of the dividend proposal, but we can have a say in ensuring that, if the plan passes, it does not severely damage these pillars of the community development financing system.
How the Administration’s Dividend Proposal Would Reduce Housing Investment. Say a corporation has $1,000 in income, pays taxes at a 35% rate and owes $350 in taxes. Under the administration’s proposal corporations could provide tax free dividends to their shareholders or enable their shareholders to pay lower capital gains taxes when they sold their stock. Corporations could only offer either benefit out of income on which they had paid taxes.
To calculate the amount of income they could deploy under either approach, corporations would have to determine their "Excludable Dividend Amount (EDA)." The EDA formula is: U.S. taxes paid divided by U.S. tax rate minus U.S. taxes.
So in our example, EDA would be: $650 ($350 divided by .35 minus $350).
Now, assume the company had invested $100 in Housing Credits (reducing the amount of taxes it owes by $100, to $250). The revised EDA would be: $464 ($250 divided by .35 minus $250). Thus every $100 of Housing Credit investment reduces the amount from which a corporation could provide tax relief to its shareholders by $186 ($650-$464).
Now, assume a shareholder in the company pays taxes at a 10% capital gains rate (could be higher, could be lower, but 10% is a commonly accepted figure among economists and corporate analysts). The shareholder would lose roughly $18.60 in potential tax benefits ($186 times 10%).
But the corporation got a $100 worth of tax credits. Doesn’t that outweigh the impact of the $18.60 cost to the shareholder? No, because the company paid for that $100 of tax credits, $92 (i.e., 92 cents on the dollar) in today’s efficient marketplace—which is largely a function of corporate confidence in the credit.
So the net benefit of the Housing Credit to the corporation is only $8 ($100 minus $92). The $18.60 loss to the shareholder far outweighs the $8 gain to the company. Only if the corporation paid substantially less for that $100 in Housing Credits could it invest in them without penalizing their shareholders.
Result: less investment in housing, fewer affordable homes for low-income people.
Among housing economists and housing practitioners, there is virtually no disagreement that the administration’s proposal would make credits worth less:
* The National Association of Homebuilders says 10-15 percent less;
* Ernst & Young says 20 percent less;
* Congressional Research Service says 62 percent less;
* Mortgage Bankers Association of America says 74 percent less.
None of these analyses take into account how the proposal would erode corporate confidence in the LIHTC, which would further diminish its value over time. Already, major corporate investors in LIHTCs are holding off making new commitments to invest as a result of the uncertainty the proposal has caused.
Community-based organizations need to contact their Senators on this issue. To get a sample letter, email Kate Allen at kallen@enterprisefoundation.org
While the focus should be on the Senate, for those of you whose partners work in Republican House districts, please ask them to contact those members as well.
If you have the time and resources, please do more than circulate letters. The recess is the ideal time to contact congressional members at home and meet with them and their staff. Again, having community leaders carry the message--and show examples of the kinds of development that are at stake in the debate--can be enormously effective.
For information on contacting members of Congress, just go to http://thomas.loc.gov and click on "House Directory" or "Senate Directory."
The Enterprise Foundation public policy office is at your service to help in any way. Please feel free to contact them directly or have your partners do so.
Please send a copy of any letters to Kate Allen at kallen@enterprisefoundation.org at Enterprise? Gives us a chance to highlight and leverage the strength of the local CDC's voice. Thanks so much.
Affordable Housing Campaigns Across Nation Aim to Clear Up Misconceptions
"I can be your hero, but not your neighbor."
That's the powerful message the Maine Housing Authority chose for its recent affordable housing poster campaign.
The words share space with a photo of a fireman or a teacher, emphasizing that public service providers can help your family but often can't afford to live in your neighborhood.
The Virginia Association of Realtors along with a coalition of public and private organizations with an interest in providing affordable housing want to bring that same message to the commonwealth.
Kit Hale, director of sales for MKB Realtors in Roanoke and chairman of the Affordable Housing Image Work Group for the Virginia Association of Realtors, is heading up a campaign to raise the public's awareness of affordable housing and its meaning.
For many, "affordable housing" conjures up images of low-income housing, housing subsidies and high-crime areas.
"They think about the negative effects," Hale said. "They worry about how affordable housing will affect their property values if it was in their back yard."
But affordable housing means what's affordable for all levels of income. Often public service providers such as policemen, firefighters and educators fall into a lower income level than other professions.
At the same time, housing costs continue to rise, making some areas unaffordable for low to moderate incomes. Public service providers may work in these areas but may not be able to afford to live in them.
"We want teachers close to the schools they work in for quality education," Hale said. "We want our medical folks close to medical facilities so that they can be there when needed. Sometimes, based on their income levels, they can't live nearby."
The VAR's campaign will focus on workforce housing - for individuals who in any given area make from minimum wage to 125 percent of median income.
Hale believes change comes through education. "We can talk to them [the public] about how we keep firemen, teachers, etc., in our areas and then they can affect zoning boards and planning commissions," Hale said.
Hale advocates a village concept where large residential lots sit adjacent to multifamily rental units and smaller lots and homes. In many areas, he sees the opposite - one-size lots and one-size homes.
"They won't allow smaller houses in the neighborhood because it may negatively affect property values," Hale said.
"Studies show that they don't lower property values. In fact, they may enhance them because it makes the area more marketable and appealing."
Hale considers affordable housing a regulatory issue: The regulators set the standards for which plans are carried out and zoning ordinances are set.
One of the objectives of Hale's committee is to conduct research on the housing issue.
Its first goal is to choose a pilot area and study all the jurisdictions in the area, identifying where they are in their planning process.
The pilot area will be chosen from one of the five least affordable regions in the commonwealth - where the cost of home ownership exceeded 25 percent of monthly income - as referenced by a 2002 study.
The top five regions were: greater Piedmont, Lexington, Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding rivers, Fairfax/Northern Virginia and Williamsburg.
"We [the study will be done in conjunction with the Virginia Center for Housing Research] are going to look at where these jurisdictions are in the planning process," Hale explained.
"They have to review and/or update their comprehensive plans every five years," he said.
"We are going to look at their vision - how they see their cities and counties growing. We'll then look at their zoning ordinances and see if they match their plan."
Initial research will be followed by a campaign to promote affordable housing.
"Our end goal is to better define affordable housing and change people's perceptions," Hale said.
Copyright 2003 Richmond Newspapers, Inc. Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia) March 16, 2003 Sunday City Edition
Housing Assistance Council Study Examines Housing, Poverty in Rural Areas
"Taking Stock: Rural People, Poverty, and Housing at the Turn of the 21st Century," is third in a series of decennial reports by the Housing Assistance Council. Using data from the 2000 Census, the report provides a holistic view of rural housing, with case studies of regions and groups experiencing persistent hardship. The report can be downloaded from
www.ruralhome.org/pubs/hsganalysis/ts2000/index.htm
Anti Nonprofit Advocacy Provisions Dropped from Federal Bill
On April 2, 2003, the House Subcommittee on Education Reform adopted a substitute for H.R. 1350, the Improving Education Results for Children with Disabilities Act of 2003. Chairman Michael Castle (R-DE), the bill's sponsor, dropped provisions that would have severely limited the ability of nonprofit parent centers that receive grants under the bill to communicate with the federal government.
The action follows a quick and strongly negative reaction from the nonprofit sector, led by a coalition of nonprofit groups, including the Alliance for Justice, Charity Lobbying in the Public Interest, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), OMB Watch and others. In roughly a 48-hour period, over 3,400 messages alone were sent to Committee members through the OMB Watch online alert system. A letter sponsored by NASDSE, bearing the signatures of 83 nonprofit leaders from around the country, was sent to the Subcommittee on March 31, 2003.
We remain uncertain as to the original author of the provision, and remain concerned that similar proposals may pop up again in future bills. Please alert us if you see or hear of anything similar by sending a message to OMB Watch's Kay Guinane at guinanek@ombwatch.org.
Thanks to all who helped get these provisions dropped! For background see the special section of our website on Nonprofit Advocacy Restrictions.
Bureau of Planning's 2002-2003 Proposed Draft Now Available
The Proposed Draft for the Bureau of Planning's 2002-2003 Regulatory
Improvement Workplan: Policy Package 1 is currently available at the Bureau of Planning. You may pick up a copy at our office (1900 SW 4th Ave., 4th
Floor) or you can view the report on the Bureau's website at http://www.planning.ci.portland.or.us/pdf/reg/reg_proposed_draft_pp1_032403.pdf
This proposed draft is for the second element revising Title 33: Planning and Zoning (also referred to as the Zoning Code) as part of the Regulatory Improvement Workplan, a program to update and improve City building and land use regulations and procedures that hinder desirable development. The
Proposed Draft looks at several amendments to the Zoning Code that are grouped into what is referred to as "Policy Package 1." Items in Policy
Package 1 range from the size of trees planted in nonresidential zones to various elements of the land division code.
The report addresses the following:
* Tree caliper: Reduce the minimum required tree caliper in non-residential zones from 3 inches to 2 inches.
* Definition of building coverage: Exclude eaves from the definition of building coverage.
* Nonconforming Situation Review: Change the existing criterion for nonconforming situation review from requiring applicants to demonstrate a "net decrease" in detrimental impacts to "no net increase" in detrimental impacts.
* Attached residential infill on vacant lots ("a" overlay): Eliminate the code provision for attached residential infill on vacant lots in the
R20, R10, and R7 zones while retaining it for the R5 zone.
* Definition of "site" for land divisions: Allow the applicant to define the site within an ownership.
* Duplexes in Multi-dwelling zones & Depth of R2 lots: Add minimum lot dimension standards for nonconforming uses and duplexes; reduce minimum lot depth in R2 zone to 70 feet.
* Nonconforming uses in R2.5 and multi-dwelling zones: Clarify which development standards apply to lots that will be developed with uses other than attached and detached houses; clarify that sites with conditional uses are exempt from minimum density standards.
* Property line adjustments: Clarify that the dimensional standards that apply to lots created through the land division process also apply to Property Line Adjustments.
* Lot validations and Lot segregations: Replace "Validation of Lots and Lots of Record" section with "Where Primary Structures are Allowed" to simplify this section, provide consistency in how lots and sites are treated throughout the City and to address density concerns related to lot segregations in existing R5 neighborhoods.
* Front lot line in Commercial zones: Change the minimum front lot line standard from 25' to 16' to allow live/work situations in attached buildings in commercial zones.
* Maximum building coverage: Revise Table 110-6, Maximum Building
Coverage Allowed in RF through R2.5 Zones, to reduce the number of ranges in the table and simplify the calculations significantly.
* Lot consolidation: Create a process for the removal of lot lines within a site that is simpler, faster, and less expensive than the land division process.
* Conditional uses in RF though R5 zones: Clarify that the portion of a site with a conditional use is exempt from minimum density standards and also clarify that lots with conditional or institutional uses are exempt from the maximum lot area standards.
* Review of land divisions in multi-dwelling zones: Replace "dwelling units" with "lots" as one of the factors considered when determining which level of review procedure is assigned to a proposed land division.
A Planning Commission hearing on Policy Package 1 items is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, 2003. Written comments should be sent to the Planning Commission at 1900 SW 4th Ave., Suite 4100, Portland, OR 97201, or FAX comments to 503-823-7800. Written testimony must be received by the time of the hearing and must include your name and address.
For more information, call the Bureau of Planning at 503-823-7700 or send e-mail comments to bopregimp@ci.portland.or.us.
Timeless Treasures Benefit for Elders In Action April 30
Clean out the garage, rifle through the closet, open up the attic - Elders in Action is hosting its third annual Timeless Treasures benefit on April 30, from 3:00PM - 7:00PM at the Cascade Crest Banquet Center at the Oregon Zoo Rotunda..
Similar to the ever-popular antique appraisal television programs, Timeless Treasures gives the public the chance to have favorite heirlooms, antiques and treasures professionally evaluated by some of Portland's best appraisers. From books and antique watches to dishware and decorative items, well-known professional appraiser Gary Germer from Gary Germer and Associates will help attendees determine whether they have a rarity or refuse in their possession.
Tickets are available by contacting Elders in Action at 503-823-5269. Costs are $30 for seniors (age 60 and older) before April 15 and $35 after that date. Tickets are $50 for general admission.
Ticket holders will have the opportunity to have one antique collectible professionally evaluated, as well as enjoy a buffet dinner and live music, performed by the Travers Kiley Trio. Some surprises may be in store for a few lucky event-goers, as they learn the assessed value of their possessions.
Elders In Action Timeless Treasures benefit is sponsored by the Union Bank of California. Proceeds from the event benefit Elders in Action Ombudsman Services, providing personal, one-on-one volunteer help and assistance to local area seniors.
TACS Presents Advanced Grant Strategies Workshop May 6
Let Oregon's top grant makers and your most experienced peers help you enhance your grant proposal strategies.
ADVANCED GRANT STRATEGIES
May 6th, 2003
Ecotrust Conference Center, 921 NW 9th Avenue (NW Irving and 10th Avenue), Portland Oregon
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
$135
Presenters: Rick Levine and a panel of foundation representatives:
Kit Gillem, Murdock Charitable Trust
Jan Kennedy, Murdock Charitable Trust
Victor Merced, Meyer Memorial Trust
Charline McDonald, Meyer Memorial Trust
Linda Wright, US Bank
Debbie Craig, Meyer Memorial Trust
Jim Meyer, Oregon Community Foundation
Julie Vigeland, Jackson Foundation
For more information and online registration visit our website at: http://www.tacs.org/training/event.asp?evID=16 or call 503.239.4001.
This session is limited to 45 experienced grant seekers, so don't wait to register - this workshop fills very quickly!
TechSoup Gives the 411 on Multilingual Software
As multilingual software products proliferate, it's even more important to choose carefully.
There is no reason why people who work in languages other than English should accept second best, so we are pleased to report that things continue to improve. For many languages, the options available are as good as the best English language software. Prices continue to fall and this must be good news for voluntary organizations -- however, as with all software, you get what you pay for and some of the cheaper programs could turn out to be false economies. Some of the developments that we had expected have failed to materialize -- for example we have still not seen a satisfactory Urdu spelling checker.
There is now so much on the market that it is more important than ever to choose carefully and to take impartial advice from a supplier who can offer more than one option for each language, or group of languages. Price is obviously an important consideration but you should also take a careful look at ease of use, quality of fonts and whether technical support and training can be supplied. Try not to be tempted by programs which offer huge numbers of fonts as these are not always of high quality-- it is better to have a smaller number of quality fonts which people actually want to use than a great many "decorative" fonts which are sometimes hardly legible.
For the full Tech Soup article, click here:
http://techsoup.org/btc.cfm?file=articlepage.cfm&ArticleId=475&topicid=2
Affordable Housing NOW! Joins Oregon Action for April 1 Lobby Day
Affordable Housing NOW! urges you to go down to Salem on Tuesday, April 1 for the Oregon Action Lobby Day and convince your legislators to lift the preemption against the real estate transfer fee. Join Oregon Action's Jackson County delegation, as well as people from Portland and across the state, to let Salem know that local communities must have access to tools to address their affordable housing crisis.
A real estate transfer fee is a commonly used method to raise funds for affordable housing. A small fee of, for example, half of one percent could be charged when a property was sold. (Often, properties selling for less than a threshold amount pay no fee, to help lower income homeowners.) With the RETF, the housing market helps to support affordable housing for all community residents while protecting the most vulnerable. Real Estate Transfer fees are unavailable to Oregon because of a preemption in state law supported. This means we can’t use a tool that’s available in more than 35 other states including California and Washington.
If properly designed, a Real Estate Transfer fee would work to make housing more affordable to all Oregonians. If the funds generated were divided and used for development of rental housing for our most needy residents and for development of homeownership options for first-time homebuyers, all of Oregon would benefit. Benefits would come directly in the form of job creation in construction, finance, and real estate, and from the ripple effect of increased economic activity in all sectors that job creation brings. The National Association of Homebuilders estimates that construction of 1,000 multifamily homes generates 1,030 jobs in construction and related industries, about $33.5 million in wages, and more than $17.8 million in federal, state, and local taxes.
In addition for lobbying to lift the RETF preemption, Oregon Action will also be lobbying on issues of healthcare (Bulk Purchasing of Prescription Drugs, Expanding the Oregon Health Plan to Cover all Kids, Restraints on Pharmaceutical Industry), wages and workers' rights (Protecting the Minimum Wage Index, Preventing Bad Collective Bargaining Bill for Farmworkers) and Mixed-Income Inclusionary Zoning. To learn more about Oregon Actions' legislative agenda, go to: http://www.oregonaction.org
Oregon Action will provide transportation and lunch. A bus will leave Portland @ 9:00 PM return 6:00 PM. To reserve your spot on the bus, please call Stephanie 503-282-6588 or e-mail stephanie@oregonaction.org.
ADD YOUR VOICE WITH OREGON ACTION
LET'S BRING OUR ISSUES TO SALEM & KEEP LEGISLATORS ACCOUNTABLE!
Welfare Reauthorization Hearing Held; Must Submit Testimony By March 26
BACKGROUND: The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on TANF reauthorization on Wednesday, March 12th. Although the witnesses were clearly there to promote the President's proposal, the Committee made clear that there is no support -- from either side of the aisle -- for the proposal.
The Bush plan would require states to put more welfare recipients to work, and it require that each person work more hours. It would tighten the definition of what counts as work; for instance, it would be harder to enroll in vocational education, and job search would not count at all. The president's proposal would also provide hundreds of millions of dollars to promote marriage and sexual abstinence. It did not offer any new child care money, though the administration now supports a modest increase in spending provided by the House.
Because the Senate failed to renew the program last year, and the 1996 law has been extended several times to keep the program operating, and is currently extended through June 30, 2003.
Even though Democrats no longer control the Senate, the makeup of the Finance Committee has not changed much since last year, and moderates in both parties are again voicing concerns.
Senator Olympia Snowe, (R-ME), argued at the hearing that her state's program allowing welfare recipients to go to college has produced results that are "beyond astonishing" and said that everyone on welfare should be given the same opportunity. Education, she said, is the only way to break the multigeneration cycle of poverty. Snowe said it would be "impossible" for states to put 70 percent of their welfare recipients into "work" for 40 hours per week, as the Bush plan directs, without "tremendous cost."
Senator John Breaux (D-LA) expressed opposition to the increase hours, saying that there is no reason to increase the work requirements now in law, arguing that the overall welfare program is not broken and does not need fixing. Current law requires each person to work 30 hours.
The committee chairman, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) expressed reservations about significant new requirements on the states, which have quietly complained about the stricter requirements.
ACTION NEEDED: The Senate Finance committee is accepting public comment on TANF reauthorization. Individuals and groups are encouraged to submit written statements on TANF reauthorization. Statements must be received by March 26th (two weeks after the hearing).
Written Statements for the Record:
Any individuals or organizations wanting to present their views on these hearings to the Committee are urged to submit a single-spaced statement, not exceeding 10 pages in length, for inclusion in the hearing record.
The date and subject of the hearing must appear on the first page of the statement. Statements must be received no later than two weeks following the conclusion of the hearing.
Written statement must be submitted in a format that can be read by personal computers (Word Perfect text is preferred. PDF Files are not acceptable.) Submit statements for the record to Editorial@finance-rep.senate.gov.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel Gragg, CCC, 202-339-9332 or rgragg@communitychange.org.
SE Uplift Host Workshops to Develop, Support Leadership in March, April
DEMOCRATIC GROUP PROCESS- Monday, March 31st
Leadership Development Training Series for Low-Income People
With Chris Borte, ReVolt, Judith Gonzáles, Southeast Uplift, and Jamie Manuel, crossroads
Date and Location: March 31st, 6-8PM Southeast Uplift, 3534 SE Main
Request Childcare, Translation, or Transportation Assistance by March 24.
Call to register and with questions, 503 232 0010 x20
COMMUNITY DIALOGUES 2003: LIVABLE FOR WHO?-Saturday, April 5 and Saturday, April 12
Building relationships, educating ourselves, and creating actions that will improve our communities!
Workshops by low-income people, people of color, immigrants, refugees, tenants, youth, elders, homeless people and other groups who are underrepresented in neighborhood decision making. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to take part!
Dates and locations: Saturday, April 5th, 1pm-6:30pm at St. Francis Church, 330 SE 11th AND Saturday, April 12th, 8:30am-2pm at the Brentwood-Darlington Community Center, 7211 SE 62.
Request Childcare, Translation, or Transportation Assistance by April 3.
Call to register and with questions, 503 232 0010 x20
These activities are intended to support the leadership of low-income people, people of color, immigrants, homeless people, refugees, tenants, elders, people with disabilities, youth and other people and groups who are underrepresented in neighborhood decision making. They are sponsored by Southeast Uplift and the SEUL Diversity and Representation Committee. To register, with questions, suggestions, or comments, contact Amy Dudley at 503 232 0010 x20 or amy@southeastuplift.org. Flyers are available. Please spread the word!
Attend "March for Oregon's Future" Saturday, April 5 in Salem
On April 5, 2003 a huge march will be held from the Salem Civic Center Peace Plaza through downtown Salem to the Capitol, stopping a important symbolic locations along the way. This will be both a tour of shame and a March for Oregon's Future. State and local government public employees, teachers, students, parents, people with disabilities, immigrants, health care workers or those needing health care, and other concerned members of the community will highlight the devastation being wrought upon our public services and to demand that the Governor and legislature to provide the revenue necessary to ensure the future Oregonians deserve. The coalition planning this event urges you and any organizations you belong to or represent to fill out the endorsement form below and return it as indicated. Also attached is a copy of the event flyer. Time is short, so please complete the form and return it ASAP, and begin recruiting your members to go on this historic march.
If you live outside the Salem area, we are planning bus transportation, but first priority goes to those who have a specific list people wanting to go.
This is going to be an event which is both vital to Oregon's future, but also one you will tell friends about for a long time to come. DON'TMISS IT!! The March for Oregon's Future begins at 12 Noon - 2 :00 PM; Gather at Salem Peace Plaza 555 Liberty St. SE
CLF Hosts Regional Equity Atlas Work Session April 14
The Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF) would like to invite you to participate in a working session on April 14 from 9 AM to 11 AM to develop tools for assessing regional equity as it relates housing affordability and stability in the four-county metropolitan area. As a member of the Housing Advocates Group and as a knowledgeable leader in regional housing issues, your expertise is needed to ensure the Coalition's Regional Equity Atlas Project produces the best possible results.
Background:
In partnership with Portland State University Institute for Metropolitan Studies, the Coalition for a Livable Future is developing a Regional Equity Atlas. The project will create a visual portrait of equity conditions related to growth and development in the four-county Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area and propose strategies for addressing regional disparities between communities sharing a common geography, institutional/cultural interest, ethnic/racial background or economic situation.
The Equity Atlas will:
· map regional Equity Indicators for transportation, parks and greenspaces distribution, economic development, housing affordability and stability, community and environmental health and food security;
· include qualitative case studies helping illustrate equity issues that cannot be mapped;
· provide Equity Action Strategies designed to address the disparities identified in the maps and that support the work of CLF members and allies;
· support the efforts of Affordable Housing NOW!, by strengthening the case for new funding for affordable housing; and
· broaden regional understanding of "sustainability," by laying the groundwork to develop clear objectives for regional equity that have parity with regional objectives for the built environment and economy.
At the Work Session, we will:
· identify housing affordability and stability mapping indicators and data sources;
· discuss how the research would strengthen the Affordable Housing NOW! campaign, as well as the work of your organization and other regional housing equity objectives; and
· identify other stakeholders who have expertise/interest/resources in these issues and should be invited to participate.
Meeting Details:
When: April 14, 9 - 11
Where: Community Development Network, 2627 NE MLK Jr. Blvd. #202
RSVP: PLEASE RSVP BY MARCH 25 to Jill Fuglister, Coalition for a Livable Future, 294-2889 or jill@clfuture.org.
Additional background materials on the work session and project will be sent closer to the meeting date.
Also, if there is an individual who you feel should be invited to participate, especially from Clackamas, Clark and Washington Counties, please forward that information to me as well.
Thank you for considering helping us with this important effort!
One more thing, if you can't make this meeting, but would like to be involved or stay informed about the project, contact Jill at jill@clfuture.org or 294-2889.
Fair Housing Council of Oregon Hosts Fair Housing Forum April 25
The Fair Housing Council of Oregon is hosting a community forum "Fair Housing: Moving Forward in Uncertain Times" on Friday April 25, 2003 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at the Double Tree Columbia River Hotel in Portland. The forum will feature a Keynote address from Senator Margaret Carter, workshops on fair housing for people with disabilities, families with children and immigrant populations, a plenary session on strategies for moving forward, and recognition of the winner of the annual fair housing poster contest. Registration is $30. Scholarships are available. The registration deadline is April 16. For further information, call (503) 412-6000.
Committee for Economic Development (CED) Opposes Bush’s Plan
The Committee for Economic Development (CED), an influential organization of business leaders and educators, released a report on March 5, 2003, titled "Exploding Deficits, Declining Growth: The Federal Budget and the Aging of America."
http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1364/1/167/
OMB Watch Comments Oppose Rule Allowing Federal Funding for Church Buildings
On January 6 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed new regulations implementing the President’s December 12, 2002, Executive Order requiring "equal treatment" of faith-based organizations in the federal grant process. The proposal is similar to regulations proposed last month by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). However, they go further, allowing religious organizations to partially fund construction, acquisition or rehabilitation of structures to be used for both religious and government funded purposes. OMB Watch opposed this proposal, writing, "This is a can of worms that should not be opened." http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/1356/1/167/
IRS Audits May Target Charities That Lobby
The Alliance for Justice has learned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) appears to be targeting audits against public charities that lobby. Within the last several weeks, the IRS has informed at least half a dozen Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) organizations that the IRS was auditing them, apparently because the organizations reported more than $10,000 in lobbying activity on their annual Form 990 return to the IRS. Further conversations with IRS staff confirmed this practice as part of a national project. The Alliance for Justice has complained to the IRS that the program unfairly targets groups that have elected to use the expenditure test. The Alliance expects that the IRS will change this audit practice because of its potential to discourage groups from engaging in legitimate lobbying activity and from accurately reporting their activities to the IRS.
According to IRS staff, these audits are part of a program under which the IRS conducts limited audits on specific aspects of an organization's activities. The IRS has apparently identified lobbying as a trigger for such an audit - a so-called "Non-Compliance Indicator." The IRS claims that this series of audits has, in fact, been going on for several years. However, the lack of previous reports about such audits leads the Alliance to believe that the focus on lobbying activities is new or that the IRS has at least increased its attention to lobbying activities by charities.
Note that even if your organization has reported more than $10,000 worth of lobbying, it might not be audited. Some regional IRS offices may not have sufficient staff resources to participate in this national IRS program. Nor is it clear that all charities in a region that report $10,000 or more in lobbying will be audited. Even if your organization is audited, the scope of the audit is likely to be focused on lobbying, and most organizations will be able to resolve the issue quickly and easily.
The targeting effort appears to contradict previous IRS statements that charities making the so-called 501(h) election would not be targeted for audit. Charities may choose to measure their lobbying under the 501(h) test - a test that allows charities to spend a certain portion of their budgets on lobbying - or under a vague test allowing an "insubstantial" amount of lobbying. The IRS has long encouraged charities to elect to use the 501(h) test because the test offers greater clarity than the "insubstantial" test while repeatedly assuring electing charities that they were not at any greater risk of audit. Now, however, the charities facing audit seem to be those that complete the section of the annual Form 990 designed for charities that have made the 501(h) election, not the section designed for non-electing charities. In short, the IRS appears to be targeting only those that have made the 501(h) election.
The Alliance for Justice has sent a letter to Rosie Johnson, Director of Exempt Organizations Examinations at the IRS, protesting the new policy. The Alliance is demanding that the IRS end any discriminatory targeting of charities making the 501(h) election and that the IRS reiterate its long-standing policy that making the 501(h) election does not increase an organization's risk of audit.
The Alliance will continue efforts to address this issue within the IRS, in the Treasury Department, and, if necessary, in the U.S. Congress. In the interim, we encourage public charities nationwide to continue to operate under the clear lobbying guidelines established for electing organizations. Should we determine that targeted auditing of electing organizations is inevitable, we will alert all public charities. In addition, we ask organizations that receive a call or letter from the IRS notifying them of an audit to contact us immediately so we may continue to monitor this pattern of audits.
Tech Soup Offers New Microsoft Software Donation Program
We're excited to announce a new and improved Microsoft Software Donation Program. Now nonprofits will have access to more products, more licenses, lower administrative fees, and a Software Assurance program that offers free upgrades to new releases of eligible products during a two-year period.
Read more about the program, check out the FAQ, eligibility requirements, and more: http://www.techsoup.org/discountech.cfm?id=368
The new program includes an important caveat: requests for products can only be made every two years. That means it's even more important that nonprofits plan their technology needs carefully. An effective technology plan will help you save time and money, and focus on what your organization needs to accomplish its mission.
Here are some resources that can help:
Technology Planning Resource Center:
http://www.techsoup.org/discountech.cfm?id=367
Some of the new products are:
Exchange 2000 Server Standard Edition
Designed for small-to-medium organizations, Exchange 2000 Server provides a powerful e-mail server, group scheduling capabilities, discussion groups, and team folders. http://www.techsoup.org/discountech.cfm?id=397
Office XP with FrontPage
Office XP Professional gives you the essential applications commonly used in office environments: Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Access. This offering is bundled with FrontPage, a Web site creation application. http://www.techsoup.org/discountech.cfm?id=398
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