STATEWIDE NEWS
Oregon ON Welcomes Orion Lumiere to the Family
Rising Rents Increase Pressure on Oregon Families
OCPP: New Law Makes More Oregonians Eligible for Unemployment
Women’s Academy Improves Catholic Charities Maternity Home
“100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon” Survey Launched
FEDERAL NEWS
Foreclosure Activity Up 9% from Previous Quarter
Mortgage Modification Bill Faces Trouble in Senate
NACEDA Conducting Survey on Toxic Titles and Poisoned Properties
PORTLAND METRO NEWS
Commissioner Fish, Mayor, Come Through for Affordable Housing
Councilors Liberty & Hosticka Secure $850K to Invest in Affordable Housing
Julian Agyeman to Keynote Speak at CLF “Mobilizing for Equity” Summit
Catholic Charities Breaks Ground on New Clark Family Center
FUNDING AND AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
Economic Development Grants, Deadline Sept 30
NOFAs for Discretionary, MPR, and Household Water Wells
BOA Neighborhood Excellence Initiative: Local Hero, Deadline June
RESOURCES, TRAININGS & EVENTS
OCPP: New Data on What the Typical Oregon Family Earns
New NeighborWorks Foreclosure Intervention E-Learning Course
Report Lays Out New Vision to Put the “UD” Back in HUD
Treasury LIHTC Exchange Provision Expected by Month End
Modified Style Fashion Show for Sisters Of The Road May 17
Oregon ON Welcomes Orion Lumiere to the Family –top
Oregon ON is pleased to welcome Orion Lumiere to the new position of Communications and Development Coordinator. Orion comes to us from Sisters Of The Road, where she did communications and development work since 2004. She has a Masters Degree in Urban Studies and a two-month old son. She will be creating the Oregon ON Newsletter, so please send her news of your great activities, events, openings, etc.! You can contact her by email
Rising Rents Increase Pressure on Oregon Families –top
From The Housing Alliance
Oregon’s high cost of housing highlighted in 2009 housing affordability report
Higher prices in the rental market are forcing Oregon families to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table, and paying utility bills. A national study reports that the cost of renting an apartment in Oregon has increased again, an alarming trend for a state whose number of homeless children attending schools has nearly doubled in the last five years.
According to the recently report released, the Housing Wage for Oregon is $14.54. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn – working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year – to be able to afford rent and utilities in the private housing market. The average fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Oregon is $756-a number that has increased 24.1% since 2000.
“Every year it is becoming more difficult for hard working Oregonians to find decent homes they can afford,” said Jerralynn Ness, Executive Director of Community Action in Washington County. “If we want kids to succeed in school, or parents to succeed in the workplace, these people need a place to call home. “
The report, Out of Reach 2009, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and Oregon’s Housing Alliance. The report provides the Housing Wage and other data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country.
An estimated 44% of renters in Oregon do not earn enough income to afford a two-bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent, a federal statistic for determining market rents.
“The current recession and wave of foreclosures is only making it more difficult for hard working Oregonians to find a safe, decent and affordable place to call home,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the Housing Alliance, “The legislature took an important step forward by passing the Housing Opportunity Bill, to provide an on-going source of funding for affordable housing into the future. But the crisis for Oregon renters is now and people are choosing between rent and food.”
The typical renter in Oregon earns $13.08, which is $1.46 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a modest unit.
Working at the minimum wage, $8.40 in Oregon, a family in Oregon must have 1.7 wage earners working full-time – or one full-time earner working 69 hours – to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.
This year, Oregon is the twenty-sixth most expensive state in the nation for renters. The National Housing Wage is $17.84 in 2009.
For additional information, visit the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website.
OCPP: New Law Makes More Oregonians Eligible for Unemployment –top
Additional improvements to the system are still needed, says OCPP
Laid-off Oregon workers who recently entered or returned to the labor force will be more likely to qualify for unemployment benefits as a result of a new law signed today by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.
“It’s great news for Oregon’s economy and workers,” said Joy Margheim, policy analyst with the Oregon Center for Public Policy, who advocated on behalf of the legislative change. “Let’s hope the Governor gets to sign other bills that will fully bring our unemployment system into the 21st century and better meet the needs of unemployed workers.”
Until now, Oregon’s unemployment insurance (UI) rules disregarded up to six months of recent work experience in determining whether an applicant met hours and earnings requirements. These outmoded rules excluded many low-income workers, according to Margheim.
Story continues, click here
Women’s Academy IMproves Catholic Charities Maternity Home –top
Grant funds service project in support of students’ study of teen motherhood
Approximately 40 students and staff from the Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Academy at Jefferson culminated their service learning on Global Youth Service Day, last Friday, April 24, by sprucing up Elizabeth House, a residential maternity home for young women ages 14 to 22 that is operated by Catholic Charities in Oregon.
The students, who are from the fifth period leadership class taught by Dawn Schlegel, wrote the Youth Service America grant as a class project. They are one of 100 student groups nationwide to win a $1,000 State Farm Good Neighbor Service Learning Award – this amount was split between three separate projects, of which Elizabeth House is one.
Students painted two resident rooms at Elizabeth House, and built and planted a vegetable bed for the residents’ use. While the grant will pay for most of the building and painting supplies, the students have also been growing some vegetable starts from seed in their science class.
The students chose to support Elizabeth House as part of a unit under the theme “voices silenced.” Concurrently, their study of teen motherhood has been from the perspective of empowerment.
About Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Academy at Jefferson
The Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Academy at Jefferson is a college-preparatory school with a focus on preparing young women for careers in math and science. Having opened in the 2007-08 school year in Harriet Tubman Middle School, it is an academy of Jefferson High School. Its small learning environment provides students with personalized instruction and extra academic support as needed, and all programming incorporates a strong community service component. The academy also offers Saturday and summer enrichment opportunities.
About Elizabeth House
Operated by Catholic Charities in Oregon, Elizabeth House is a residential maternity home and care program for young women ages 14 to 22, who are homeless and pregnant or newly parenting. For more information, contact Catholic Charities’ Pregnancy Support office at (503) 238-5196, or go to www.catholiccharitiesoregon.org.
“100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon” Survey Launched –top
To recognize that nonprofits are key businesses critical to the economic health of our state, TACS and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (NAO) have partnered with Oregon Business magazine to launch this nonprofit survey. To learn more about this project, click here.
If you have at least 10 paid employees in Oregon, sign up now. You may sign up to participate until June 5th. Online employee and employer surveys run until June 12th. There is no cost to participate and organizations may be headquartered anywhere. Once you sign up, instructions will be emailed to you within three business days.
Top three reasons your organization should your participate:
1. Help raise the awareness of the nonprofit sector within the business community.
2. Receive a free basic survey report whether or not your nonprofit makes the list–a great tool for planning and marketing. Seize this chance to obtain valuable employee feedback and compare your workplace practices to nonprofits throughout the state!
3. It’s an excellent opportunity for publicity. Nonprofits in the top 100 ranking will be celebrated at an event, and be featured in the October issue of the Oregon Business magazine.
View survey guidelines & timeline.
Questions? Contact Brandon Sawyer, research editor, via email or 503-223-0304 x228.
P.S. Another nonprofit survey closes soon! MBL’s 2009 Nonprofit Salary & Benefits survey closes May 1st. Don’t delay, your participation is crucial. Visit MBL’s website for more information.
Foreclosure Activity Up 9% from Previous Quarter –top
Foreclosure activity is up 9% from the previous quarter, and nearly 24 percent from Q1 2008, according to RealtyTrac®, which released on April 16 its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report(TM) for first quarter 2009, showing that foreclosure filings–default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions–were reported on 803,489 properties (1 in every 159 U.S. housing units) in the quarter. March 2009 activity was up 17% from February and 46% from the previous March.
To read more, click here.
Mortgage Modification Bill Faces Trouble in Senate –top
Republished from the Washington Post
The Washington Post ran an article on Tuesday, April 28 reporting on a bill in the US Senate that would allow bankruptcy judges to alter mortgages. The bill is facing trouble due to lack of support from the financial services industry, but is up for vote later this week.
To read the article, click here.
NACEDA Conducting Survey on Toxic Titles and Poisoned Properties –top
The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) is conducting a survey on Toxic Titles and Poisoned Properties.
The information that you provide to NACEDA will be used to make the case to the federal government on how serious these issues are in your community. NACEDA activities include a forum hosted by Alan Mallach sponsored by the Federal Reserve and presentations at national conferences such as the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in Louisville, KY this June. Knowing how pervasive this problem is will make a huge difference in how seriously the federal government pays attention to these issues.
Just take 5 minutes to go to the link below and fill out a short questionnaire on “Toxic Titles and Poisoned Properties”:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gpChV8rJycQos18jQejJbg_3d_3d
Commissioner Fish, Mayor, Come Through for Affordable Housing –top
Friday, May 1, Commissioner Nick Fish announced that his work with Mayor Adams to secure $7.5 million for affordable housing in the City of Portland Budget was successful.
The funds breakdown as such: $5.2 million in General Fund, $1 million in ongoing money and the remaining $2.3 in Federal Stimulus dollars.The Commissioner requests that members of the public turn out to support fully funding this proposed budget at a hearing on May 21st. Details are available on-line at http://www.portlandonline.com/omf/index.cfm?c=26061. To learn more, please read the Commissioner’s message, below:
“Although the economic situation continues to present us with historic challenges, I am very encouraged by the $5.2 million in new General Fund allocated to housing in the Mayor’s Proposed Budget. With continued support from the community, and my fellow Portland City Commissioners, I am confident that the adopted budget will maintain this level of funding. These funds will allow us to move forward on the three priorities I set at the beginning of the budget process:
Provide a safety net of services, and protect housing and homeless programs from a potential $6.7 million cut.
With the proposed allocation of new General Fund dollars, augmented by federal stimulus funds, we can fully fund our safety net and add more capacity to our housing and homeless delivery system. This funding will support a continuum of housing strategies, from permanent supportive housing for people with disabilities who have been living on our streets, to educational programs that prepare families to become homeowners, to stepped-up enforcement of housing health and safety codes in blighted neighborhoods. It will pay for foreclosure prevention, school stabilization, and public safety.
Launch a new Portland Housing Bureau that is innovative, efficient, and accountable.
The proposed budget includes funding to carry out the planned integration of the City’s housing funding and functions into one streamlined Portland Housing Bureau, an organization with the capacity to meet our city’s growing housing needs. The budget also includes new funding for the City’s Economic Opportunity Initiative, an award-winning program that uses a broad range of strategies to assist very low-income Portland residents to increase their incomes through work. This program will be moving over to PDC as part of the bureau transition.
Fund a Resource Access Center that will assist provide shelter, day access, job placement assistance, and other services to people experiencing homelessness.
The proposed budget includes $1 million of new on-going General Fund that will pay for RAC operations beginning as soon as 2010. In the next year, building the RAC will provide needed jobs to our community. The project is expected to generate $5.5 million dollars in local contracting opportunities for state-certified women- and minority-owned businesses. There will be 125 construction jobs at the site. The RAC will also contribute to Portland’s green profile. While the City Council has set a bar for LEED Gold rating, I have challenged the project team to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.”
Councilors Liberty & Hosticka Secure $850K to Invest in Housing–top
On Thursday April 30th, two Metro budget amendments totaling $850K which promote investment in affordable housing passed at a Metro Regional Council FY 2009-2010 public budget hearing, thanks to the work of Metro Councilors Robert Liberty and Carl Hosticka and testimony from Oregon ON’s Executive Director Michael Anderson and other Oregon ON Members.
Funding from both amendments, brought forward by Councilors Liberty and Hosticka, will be used to invest in affordable housing projects in Metro’s 2040 Growth Concept areas. It is specifically intended to fund mixed-income, mixed use, green housing for families with below-average incomes located in the centers, corridors and light rail station areas designated for future growth.
Background:
In March 2006, Metro’s Housing Choice Task Force identified an acute need for increased housing choices for families and individuals of modest means. The Task Force recommended that Metro “direct efforts towards development of resources, and especially a new, permanent regional resource for affordable housing.”
In response to this recommendation, and to help implement the region’s 2040 Regional Framework Plan, Councilor Robert Liberty proposed that Metro allocate $1 million as seed money for the creation of a $10-$20 million Regional Housing Choice Revolving Fund (RHCRF). In September 2007, the Metro Council approved a $1 million contribution to help establish the loan fund. The intent was to leverage $9-$19 million in matching contributions from public, private, and charitable partners to create the fund, which would be managed by an experienced, nonprofit community based fund administrator, and governed by a regional board of directors.
Changes in the composition of Portland City Council, a slowing economy and a Portland housing delivery system in transition have slowed the ability to leverage dollars and catalyze the growth of the fund. The passage of these budget amendments demonstrates Metro’s commitment to sustain and fulfill its promise to those in need of affordable housing.
Julian Agyeman to Keynote Speak at CLF “Mobilizing for Equity” Summit –top
CLF is pleased to announce that environmental justice activist and professor Julian Agyeman will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2009 Regional Livability Summit “From Hope to Change: Mobilizing for Equity” on May 20.
From London to Australia to the US, Agymen has been a government advisor, academic and activist. Currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University, Ageyman is the co-founder of the Black Environmental Network, the first environmental justice-based organization of its kind in Britain. He is the co-Founder and co-editor of Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability. With degrees in botany, geography, conservation policy and environmental education, Agyeman adeptly navigates the intersection of environment and society, expanding our thinking about the possibilities for social justice and sustainability. The title of Agyeman’s keynote address is “Toward a Just Sustainability.”
CLF hopes that you will be able to join them for this amazing event. The Summit will bring together leaders from every sector to develop and implement strategies for healthy and fair communities. From green jobs to healthy homes, summit participants find new pathways and new partnerships for advancing equity in our region.
To find out more and to register,visit the 2009 Regional Livability Summit website.
Catholic Charities Breaks Ground on New Clark Family Center –top
Cornerstone of a new campus at SE 28th Ave. and Powell Blvd. will consolidate programs to more effectively serve more than 25,000 annually
On Thursday, April 30 at 10:30 a.m., more than 100 donors and friends of Catholic Charities in Oregon are anticipated to attend the groundbreaking of the organization’s Clark Family Center, a 60,000 square foot 4-story building located at SE 28th Ave. and Powell Blvd. The $12.5 million building – funded in large part through foundation, corporate and individual donations, as well as New Markets Tax Credits – will be the cornerstone of the organization’s campus and will house operations for nearly all of its programs and services.
Mary Clark, capital campaign honorary chair, Chris Folkestad, executive director of the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, and Joe Weston, a local developer and long time supporter of Catholic Charities, will be the first to put shovels to dirt at the event. Other ceremonial diggers will include Archbishop John Vlazny, Archdiocese of Portland, Dennis Keenan, executive director of Catholic Charities, Mark Ganz, CEO of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and capital campaign chair, and Kim Randles who served as Catholic Charities’ capital campaign director and is now the organization’s chief development officer.
Archbishop Vlazny will also offer remarks and a blessing at the event. Representatives of R&H Construction, general contractor, and Lundin Cole Architects, project designers, will also be on hand for the festivities.
Prior to the groundbreaking, students of the Central Catholic High School choir will perform a mix of upbeat celebratory compositions. Immediately following the ceremony there will be a reception at Kateri Park, one of Catholic Charities’ affordable housing complexes located directly east of the project on SE 28th Ave.
Economic Development Grants, Deadline Sept 30 –top
Economic Development Administration offers a grant to assist communities and regions experiencing chronic high unemployment and low per-capita income to create an environment that fosters innovation, promotes entrepreneurship, and attracts increased private capital investment. Nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status are eligible to apply. The deadline is September 30, 2009. For more info, click here.
NOFAs for Discretionary, MPR, and Household Water Wells –top
Discretionary Programs: Policy Requirements and General Section to HUD’s FY2009 NOFAs for Discretionary Programs, posted on April 16 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are available by clicking here.
MPR Program: June 29 is the application deadline for Section 515 rental housing new construction and the Multi-family Housing Revitalization Demonstration (MPR) program for Section 515 and 514/516 housing. For Section 515, contact Sue Harris-Green, 202-720-1660, or by email; for MPR, Cynthia Foxworth, 202-720-1940 or by email.
Household Water well: Applications for household water well grants are due May 21. For wells, contact Cheryl Francis, 202-720-1937, or by email.
BOA Neighborhood Excellence Initiative: Local Hero, due June –top
As previously reported, the Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative program provides two Neighborhood Builder grants ($200K). However, the initiative also includes five Local Hero ($5K each) grants. Deadlines at the end of June. Brief applications are submitted online.
OCPP: New Data on What the Typical Oregon Family Earns –top
From the Oregon Center for Public Policy
How much does the typical Oregon family — a family at the “median” or center of the income distribution — earn, and how does that compare to the income of an Oregon family at the poverty line?
OCPP has taken estimates of Oregon’s median family income — a more accurate reflection of a typical family than “average income” — recently released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and displayed them alongside federal poverty income guidelines released earlier this year. The table shows, for example, that HUD estimates the median income for an Oregon family of three to be $55,000 in 2009, three times the income of an Oregon family at the poverty line.
HUD’s median family income data is used to determine eligibility for a variety of local, state, and federal programs, mainly housing programs.
See Oregon Median Family Income Compared to Poverty Income, 2009.
New NeighborWorks Foreclosure Intervention Course –top
NeighborWorks is offering a new online course for foreclosure intervention. Seasoned foreclosure counselors can explore a wide variety of intervention options available to homeowners in distress by taking this online learning course. Focus on little-known loss mitigation tools. Learn to identify the most critical financial factors in foreclosure cases, review and analyze brief case scenarios, and then choose the loss mitigation tool that best addresses a homeowner’s mortgage problems. Additional resources on the most recent foreclosure initiatives created to assist homeowners are also provided.
This advanced level course is intended for counselors with one year or more of foreclosure intervention counseling experience. Specifically, if you have obtained your Foreclosure Intervention and Default Counseling Certification through NCHEC, this course will further your professional development. Learn more online: HO346el – Understanding and Applying Foreclosure Intervention and Loss Mitigation Tools. This course is brought to you in coordination with the NeighborWorks Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC).
Report Lays Out New Vision to Put the “UD” Back in HUD –top
Published by the Penn Institute for Urban Research, “Retooling HUD for a Catalytic Federal Government: A Report to Secretary Shaun Donovan,” is a collective effort of over 50 urban policy practitioners and academic researchers. It develops in 10 chapters a new vision of urban development that seeks to put the “UD” back in HUD. The report is available for free download.
Treasury LIHTC Exchange Provision Expected by Month End –top
Treasury has provided on its website an update that promises guidance on Grants to States for Low-Income Housing Projects in Lieu of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Allocations for 2009 to be posted by the end of April and posted as it becomes available. Check www.treasury.gov to look for updates. Treasury is required to provide guidance on this program, following passage of the Second Stimulus bill earlier this year.
Modified Style Fashion Show for Sisters Of The Road May 17 –top
Fashion meets sustainability in this Do-It-Yourself fashion show! Local designers with no sewing experience are using scraps gathered around town to create fashion wonders. The night will include a silent auction when you can bid on the amazing garments!
This event is being held May 17 at 7 pm at the Secret Society Ballroom, 116 NE Russell, Portland. Tickets are $10-15, and all benefits go to Sisters Of The Road and two other great non-profits. Tickets will be available for purchase soon; check the Modified Style site often for the latest information.
