CAPACITY MATTERS – PART 1 of an exciting new series!
Capacity Matters – Umpqua CDC Welcomes Constance Hammons Home
STATEWIDE NEWS
Now That Is Production – Oregon CDCs Top $1B in Housing Development
Urban League State of Black Oregon Shows Profound Poverty, Housing Gaps
Hope for Tenants Losing Section 8 in Clatsop County
LaMont Replaces Medinger as the Chair of the State Housing Council
FEDERAL NEWS
House Passes FY 2010 T-HUD Appropriations, Senate Committee Reports
HUD Responds to Shortfalls in Voucher Funding – Contact HUD by Aug 14
2010 Fair Market Rents Published
SEVRA Passes House Committee with Modified HIP Program
New Requirements for Nonprofits: Whistleblower, HIPAA, Billing, Mergers
Rural Housing and Economic Development Improvement Act Filed
USDA Announces ARRA Section 502 Funds, Other Rural Dev Admin Notices
Housing Begins Slow Rebound, but Affordability Still Threatened
Give Comments on Underserved Rural Markets, Insufficient Credit Histories
HUD Encourages Public Housing Authorities to Implement Non-Smoking Policies
Preservation Organizations Request Timely Access to REAC Scores
HOPE IV Blamed for Loss of 50,000 Affordable Housing Units
Housing Advocates Seek to Influence Climate Bill, Retrofit Assisted Housing
PORTLAND METRO NEWS
PDC Reports More Housing Affordable to the Wealthiest, Less to Poorest
AWARDS
WW Picks Elisa Aguilera of CAT as Best Advocate for Low-Income Tenants
FUNDING AND AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
Home Depot Building Healthy Communities Grant Opportunity
HUD Offers Funds for SHOP, Healthy Homes Tech Studies, HOPE VI, More
USDA Funds for Rural Housing, Utilities Service and Business Programs
EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
2009 Build it Green Home Tour and Info Fair in Portland – September 19
Sustainable, Affordable Communities Conference, More Details –Sept. 25
REPORTS
The Impacts of Foreclosures on Families and Communities: A Primer
Local Data on Seriously Delinquent Mortgages Published
RESOURCES AND TRAININGS
Renters’ Rights Workshop – Aug 12
HOME and NSP Training – August 25-26
Free Webinars on Microenterprise, Tax Prep, Financial Management, More
STATEWIDE NEWS
Now That Is Production – Oregon CDCs Top $1B in Housing Development–top
At an annual census of member developments, Oregon ON members have crossed the $1M mark. You can download a summary of their work from our website.
Urban League State of Black Oregon Shows Profound Poverty, Housing Gaps –top
Seven months after the inauguration of the first Black president, a statewide report on the condition of African Americans in Oregon reveals that black Oregonians remain at or near the bottom of every meaningful social and economic measure. African Americans in Oregon have significantly higher infant mortality rates, are more likely to live in poverty, have higher levels of unemployment, are half as likely to own their own homes and are far more likely to die of diseases such as diabetes than their white counterparts.
The State of Black Oregon was published on July 29th by the Urban League of Portland for the first time in 17 years. The report contains a stark inventory of statistics that show a persistent gap in living standards between black and white Oregonians – a gap that is growing wider as a result of the current economic downturn.
“During the last eight years, the poverty gap in America and in this state has continued to grow,” says Marcus C. Mundy, president and CEO of the Urban League of Portland. ”If there’s a poverty gap for Americans generally, the African-American poverty gap widens to chasm proportions. This flies in the face of the ideals our country stands for, and simply should not be acceptable here in Oregon or anywhere else.”
Visit The State of Black Oregon website.
Download a complete PDF of The State of Black Oregon. http://ulpdx.org/documents/UrbanLeague-StateofBlackOregon.pdf
Read a story about Black unemployment and the League’s report in the Oregonian by clicking here.
Hope for Tenants Losing Section 8 in Clatsop County –top
Please see related story in the Federal section of this newsletter, “HUD Responds to PHAs Facing Shortfalls in FY09 Voucher Funding.”
Clatsop Community Action, (CCA) has pledged to assist clients losing section 8 vouchers through December.
The volunteer Board of Directors authorized their agency Director to use operating funds, expected stimulus funding, and any charitable donations or city grants specified for the cause to assist all Clatsop County residents affected by loss of section 8 Northwest Oregon Housing Authority (NOHA) vouchers. They expect to help these families through December and hope NOHA will be able to reinstate families after that time. They also expect assistance from the communities, faith-based organizations, landlords, and concerned citizens to help fill the funding gap needed to ensure the families do not become homeless.
“The citizens of Clatsop County have stepped up to help their neighbors on many occasions,” said George Sabol, CCA’s Executive Director. “For example, the December storm of 2007 was catastrophic to many county residents. People helped their neighbors and they opened their hearts and wallets to help others in need throughout the county.” Various non-profit and governmental agencies teamed up to meet the challenge. “It makes me proud to live here”, Sabol continued, “and the help is happening again.”
“We need to address this crisis at hand,” Father Richard Loop, the CCA Board President stated, although he acknowledged a tough decision was made to use funding targeted for use over a three year period (if necessary).
“It would really be great if NOHA would pay back our agency over the next few years so that we can use the funding as originally intended,” said Loop. However, he added CCA did not expect repayment. Sabol stated his main concern is that NOHA has not been able to guarantee reinstatement dates yet and funds available through CCA are limited. He is optimistic all families will remain in their homes.
Contact Clatsop Community Action: 364 9th Street, Astoria, Oregon 97103; www.ccaservices.org; Telephone: 503-325-1400; Fax: 503-325-1153; Email.
Read more in the Daily Astorian:
Regional Leaders Rally to Solve Problem
Litany of Errors Dogged Housing Authority
Who is to Blame for Region’s Housing Voucher Crisis
LaMont Replaces Medinger as the Chair of the State Housing Council –top
The State Housing Council, meeting this morning, named longtime member Maggie LaMont as its chair. LaMont of La Grande has been a member of the council since July 2003 and replaces Larry Medinger of Ashland as chair. Medinger, who retired from the council last month, will be replaced on the council later in the year.
FEDERAL NEWS
House Passes FY 2010 T-HUD Appropriations, Senate Committee Reports –top
The Senate Committee on Appropriations met July 30 and reported out the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) FY10 appropriations bill. The Senate T-HUD subcommittee reported the bill to the full committee July 29. The House completed its work on the T-HUD bill July 23 (see Memo, 7/24).
At this time, complete details on the funding levels in the Senate committee bill are not available. However, from available information, it appears that generally the bill increases funding for HUD programs above both the FY09 levels and the President’s FY10 request. However, many funding levels are lower than the levels in the House-passed bill.
The Senate committee bill, which does not yet have a number, would provide more than $18.1 billion for tenant-based rental assistance, which is $1.16 billion above the FY09 level and $301 million above the President’s request. The House bill provided $18.2 billion for the program. Of the total provided by the Senate committee, $16.339 billion is for renewal of current vouchers, $75 million for 10,000 new HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers for homeless veterans and $20 million for new family unification program (FUP) vouchers. The House provided $16.387 billion for renewals and also included the $75 million appropriation for VASH vouchers, but did not set aside any funds for FUP vouchers.
Advocates continue to seek $1.6 billion for 200,000 new vouchers in FY10 and will work to have these vouchers included in the final FY10 appropriations legislation.
The Senate committee bill would provide $8.1 billion for the project-based Section 8 program. In the summary provided by the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Committee states that this funding will allow for the renewal of all expiring project-based contracts for a full 12 months. The House bill would provide $8.7 billion for the program.
The Senate committee bill would provide $1.875 billion for homeless assistance grants, slightly more than the House level of $1.850 billion. Both bills provide funding at levels above the President’s request.
The Section 202 housing for the elderly program would receive $785 million under the Senate committee bill, which is an increase over the President’s request, but less than the $1 billion included in the House bill. The Section 811 housing for people with disabilities program would receive $265 million under the Senate bill, less than the $350 million provided by the House, but more than was requested by the President.
Housing opportunities for persons with AIDS (HOPWA) would receive $320 million under the Senate committee bill, less than the $350 million included by the House but more than the President’s request.
The Senate Appropriations Committee proposes to fund the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program at $3.99 billion, slightly more than the FY09 level, but less than the President’s request and the amount provided in the House bill, $4.599 billion. The HOME program would receive $1.825 billion, which is consistent with the FY09 funding level and the President’s request, but less than the $1.995 billion contained in the House bill.
The Senate committee bill would fund two of President Obama’s priorities, the Sustainable Communities Initiative and Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. As in the House, the Senate bill would provide $150 million from the CDBG program for the Sustainable Communities Initiative, to provide integrated housing and transportation planning efforts on both the regional and local level.
Unlike the House, the Senate bill would provide $250 million for HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, and no funding for the HOPE VI program. While the Choice Neighborhood program has yet to be authorized and there are no details available regarding the program, the Administration describes it as an effort to expand the HOPE VI program to encompass the revitalizing of neighborhoods, not just individual properties. The House-passed bill would provide $250 million to the HOPE VI program instead of funding the Choice Neighborhoods program.
The Senate committee bill would provide $4.75 billion for the public housing operating fund, slightly less than the House’s $4.8 billion, and $2.5 billion for the public housing capital fund. The House also provided $2.5 billion for the capital fund.
Both the House and Senate would provide funds to continue the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program that began in FY08. The House would provide $64 million and the Senate $65 million.
The full Senate is expected to take up the Committee-passed bill when it returns after the August recess. Then the Senate and the House will meet in conference to come up with a final bill.
With the end of the federal fiscal year looming soon after Congress returns in September, Congress may not have time to complete work on the T-HUD FY10 appropriation legislation and other pending appropriations bills before October 1, 2009, deadline. If it cannot meet the deadline, Congress will have to pass a Continuing Resolution to provide short-term funding for any programs that have not received their regular appropriation.
NLIHC’s budget chart will be updated at this website.
Read the full bill summary as passed by the appropriations committee.
Click here for the Committee’s report on H.R. 3288.
The Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) can be found by clicking here.
HUD Responds to Shortfalls in Voucher Funding – Contact HUD by Aug 14 –top
In response to voucher funding shortfalls being experienced by a number of housing agencies in recent weeks (see related story in this newsletter’s State section) HUD has notified the 2,400 public housing agencies (PHAs) that administer vouchers that it will “continue to work with agencies that have shortfalls and determine if these agencies are eligible to receive extraordinary administrative fees for technical assistance to prevent the termination of families.”
HUD’s actions are welcome news for voucher holders and the 15% of housing agencies that have been impacted by the shortfall in funds to renew existing vouchers in FY09, the current fiscal year.
Housing agencies that believe families will have to be terminated from the housing choice voucher program due to insufficient funding should email no later than August 14.
In a letter to PHAs on July 31, HUD stated that it has approximately $30 million to address the issue. And if HUD’s actions to address voucher shortfalls are insufficient, the letter states, HUD will work with Congress on “legislative changes to minimize adverse consequences to families and to the other PHAs that are not experiencing shortfalls.”
The letter is from HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Sandra Henriquez, who was the executive director of the Boston Housing Authority for 13 years prior to joining HUD. “It was only a few months ago that I was an executive director, and now I stand as a partner with my former colleagues so that we can work through this funding challenge together to continue helping families who need support to live in affordable housing,” Ms. Henriquez said.
According to HUD staff, HUD is aggressively scrubbing every individual housing agency’s finances to see where the shortfalls are, and why they are occurring. HUD is also in the process of looking at all of its accounts to determine whether there are funds that can be reprogrammed into the voucher program to address any crises that may exist. HUD is asking housing agencies facing voucher shortfalls not to terminate voucher holders from the program but instead to contact HUD for “triage” so that voucher assistance can be maintained.
Housing agencies’ voucher renewals are funded based on actual leasing and cost data from the previous calendar year, with various adjustments. The voucher program is funded on a calendar year basis. The FY09 HUD funding bill was not enacted until March 2009. HUD proceeded to notify agencies in early May of their 2009 allocations, when agencies were already into the fifth month of their voucher spending year.
To complicate matters, the FY09 HUD spending bill also included a “reserve-offset” policy, under which agencies with substantial reserves would receive reduced voucher funding allocations with the expectation that they would instead spend down their reserves to pay for voucher renewal costs. The FY09 HUD spending bill did include a $100 million pool of funds for HUD to allocate to meet unforeseen voucher renewal costs. As of July 24, HUD has awarded $89 million of these funds and expects to award the remaining $11 million in the next several weeks, according to the letter from HUD. The $30 million that HUD references in the July 31 is in addition to the remaining $11 million.
To help shed light on the issue, the National Housing Law Project’s Housing Justice Network held a briefing call on July 24 with Doug Rice from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Mr. Rice has been working to figure out the reasons for the renewal funding shortfall and the options housing agencies might have to address any shortfall.
Mr. Rice described a variety of reasons that agencies might be experiencing voucher funding shortfalls. One or more of these reasons could result in an agency experiencing voucher funding shortfalls:
The FY09 HUD spending bill underfunded voucher renewals by about $250 million, which represents about 12 months of funding for about 30,000 vouchers.
As described, the FY09 spending bill was late, which led to agencies not finding out until May their voucher allocations from HUD. A number of agencies fell into the reserve-offset category but did not know before May that they would be expected to use their reserves for existing renewals; some of these agencies had used their reserves to issue new vouchers earlier in 2009.
Some areas have seen significant declines in tenant incomes as unemployment grows. The voucher rent subsidy represents the balance of what tenants pay toward rent, about 30% of their income, and what the rent is for the apartment. When a tenant’s share toward rent goes down, the voucher subsidy must go up.
Rents are increasing in some markets, again causing the cost of voucher renewals to increase.
The economic downturn has created difficulties for agencies to manage their shortfalls. In a typical, non-recession year, voucher turnover might be 10%-12%. This rate has declined significantly as households keep their vouchers longer. Housing agencies cannot rely on saving money by shelving a voucher, as opposed to offering it to the next household on the waiting list, are now very limited in their ability to save funds by not reissuing vouchers because vouchers are not being turned in to be reissued.
The data from housing agencies that HUD used to calculate renewal needs may not be accurate due to reporting errors and other administrative and technological problems.
Some housing agencies might not have managed their programs well and might have, for example, significantly over-leased, resulting in more vouchers in use than were authorized.
In a June 30 webcast for housing agencies, HUD reviewed possible actions that agencies could take to reduce costs, including reducing the payment standard for all of its vouchers, reviewing utility allowances, restricting in-jurisdiction and portability moves that would result in higher costs, conducting a rent reasonableness assessment to ensure rents are in line with market rates, restricting the re-issuance of vouchers, and adjusting “overly generous” subsidy standards that might have provided larger apartments than are required by law, among other strategies. Of course, some of these actions would have immediate negative impacts on voucher families.
HUD has also acknowledged that agencies might try to access funds from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program, a much-needed $1.5 billion homelessness prevention program included in February’s economic recovery bill. NLIHC and other advocates object to the use of these or other housing funds to fill the gaps in a program that should have its own stable funding stream.
HUD is also looking to determine whether agencies experiencing shortfalls have administrative reserves to cover the shortfall, if state or local HOME funds are available to meet the shortfall, or if the agency has vacant public housing available to house voucher holders if necessary, among other checks on how agencies are responding.
The voucher shortfall issues are reminiscent of HUD’s 2004 voucher funding shortfall. At that time, however, HUD was unresponsive to the crisis, which ultimately resulted in the loss of more than 150,000 vouchers nationwide as housing agencies were forced to shrink their voucher programs. In response to the 2004 voucher funding crisis, the National Housing Law Project and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities issued a chart on actions that can reduce agencies voucher costs. The chart includes “pros” and “cons” columns that highlight particular actions’ impact on voucher holders. The chart could be useful today as agencies and other advocates work to ensure that the voucher program is working well. This chart can be found by clicking here.
Click here for the June 30 webcast, and click here for the PowerPoint materials for that webcast.
Click here for HUD’s July 31 letter to housing agencies.
Click here for HUD’s July 31 statement on its actions to address voucher shortfalls.
2010 Fair Market Rents Published –top
The proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Fair Market Rents (FMRs) were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, August 4, 2009: click here to see them.
The proposed FMRs, subject to comments, are used in the Housing Choice Voucher, the Moderate Rehabilitation, the project-based voucher, and any other programs requiring their use. Section 8(c)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 requires the Secretary to publish FMRs periodically, but not less than annually, to be effective on October 1 of each year. The FMRs are estimated at 40th and 50th percentile rent levels.
A 30-day comment period has been provided to ensure that final FMRs are published by October 1. In this notice, HUD is requesting suggestions for changes in the FMR
methodology that will be examined in a subsequent notice illustrating examples of possible methodological and geographic changes in FMRs. HUD will publish this additional Federal Register notice before the proposed FY 2011 FMRs are released to seek public comments on the proposed changes.
Some areas are granted higher FMRs (based on the 50th percentile rather than the 40th percentile of the local rent distribution) to achieve deconcentration of units in high poverty areas by voucher holders. An area that qualifies for a 50th percentile is set at that level for three years, and then its deconcentration progress is evaluated. For the proposed FY 2010 FMRs, 16 FMR areas are eligible to use 50th percentile FMRs.
To read a comparison of FY 2009 HUD FMR’s with Proposed FY 2010 FMR’s for all areas of the country in Tom Cusak’s Oregon Housing Blog, click here.
SEVRA Passes House Committee with Modified HIP Program –top
The Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA), H.R. 3045, passed out of the House Committee on Financial Services by a vote of 41-24 on July 23. The Committee held two previous meetings to mark up the bill, on July 8 and 9, at which Committee members agreed to keep the provision in the bill authorizing 150,000 new vouchers and accepted amendments on guns and identification requirements that are troubling to advocates (see Memo, 7/10).
On this final day of consideration, the Committee focused on the bill’s most controversial provisions, those surrounding the Housing Innovation Program (HIP), the bill’s name for the next iteration of the existing Moving to Work (MTW) demonstration program. How to address MTW had become one of the more contentious issues within SEVRA’s consideration. Many housing agencies were unhappy with Housing Innovation Program in H.R. 3045 when it was introduced, because the HIP would have given HUD more control over public housing and voucher resources and more protections for residents than the current MTW program does. Housing agencies and some members of Congress wanted the bill’s HIP to mirror the provisions from last session’s SEVRA bill, H.R. 1851. Since the Committee’s July 9 meeting on SEVRA, Committee members have worked on a compromise.
The changes to HIP came in the form of a manager’s amendment, which passed by voice vote, offered by Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA), the bill’s main sponsor. In her introduction of the manager’s amendment, Chair Waters said housing authorities wanted more flexibility to operate HIP, and that the manager’s amendment strikes a balance between what PHAs were seeking and resident rights. Subcommittee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Representative Steve Driehaus (D-OH), who had both pushed for greater flexibility for housing authorities in HIP, both praised the amendment and thanked the subcommittee chair for her work toward the compromise.
Currently, access to the MTW program is limited to about 30 housing agencies that, as a result of their MTW status, receive flexibility from most public housing and voucher program laws and regulations, including those around rent-setting, co-mingling voucher and public housing funding, imposing time limits on housing assistance, and great flexibility from existing income targeting standards.
The bill’s compromise on MTW/HIP would allow HUD to require HIP agencies to modify policies HUD finds harmful to families, prohibit rents that are substantially higher than rents customarily paid by federally assisted tenants, impose HUD’s Part 964 requirements for resident councils and jurisdiction-wide resident councils, limit HIP waivers from straying beyond waivers sought in the agency’s HIP application to HUD, and require a strong evaluation component to HIP. None of these provisions were in H.R. 1851.
The new bill also increases the number of housing agencies can participate in HIP than was provided in H.R. 1851, which set a minimum number of 40 new agencies. The new bill allows the HUD Secretary to increase the number of agencies to the number sufficient to demonstrate innovative housing strategies, but no more than 60 agencies (including existing MTW agencies.)
The Committee considered one other amendment on July 23, from Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), which would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the distribution and use of vouchers administered by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and by the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission. The study would look at the impacts vouchers have on property values, crime rates and housing affordability during the last 10 years.
Mr. McCarthy had offered a version of this amendment at the July 8 mark up and withdrew it with the understanding that his issue would be addressed at a later time. Committee Chair Barney Frank (D-MA) praised the amendment but asked Mr. McCarthy to hold off on a vote on it so the amendment could be broadened to apply not just to Los Angeles but to the entire nation. Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) agreed with broadening the study. The broader amendment is expected to be considered when the bill reaches the House floor.
Over the course of Committee consideration of the bill, several amendments were made to H.R. 3045, and two offered by Representative Tom Price (R-GA) (see Memo, 7/10) were adopted. One amendment would prohibit public and assisted housing providers from imposing firearms restrictions in the federally assisted housing units. Some Committee Democrats sharply criticized the amendment before it passed.
The other amendment would impose an identification requirement on all existing and prospective voucher holders. If enacted, the provision would require U.S. citizens to provide a Social Security Card and a state or federal photo identification, or a U.S. passport. The lack of such identification by one adult member of a voucher household would result in no one in the household being eligible for voucher assistance. Couched as a way to ensure that illegal immigrants do not access vouchers, the effect of the amendment would most certainly impact legal U.S. citizens, because undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for federal housing assistance. Advocates are working to change this amendment as the bill moves forward.
Even though H.R. 3045 was amended to include these provisions on guns and identification put forth by the minority party, all but three Republicans on the Committee voted to oppose the bill, with one Democrat joining in opposition. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL), one of the bill’s lead sponsors, Walter Jones (R-NC) and Mike Castle (R-DE) voted to support the bill. Representative Steve Driehaus (D-OH) voted in opposition to the bill. NLIHC understands that the “no” votes were primarily in opposition to the bill’s authorization of 150,000 vouchers in FY10.
The bill is expected to be considered on the House floor after August recess.
New Requirements for Nonprofits: Whistleblower, HIPAA, Billing, Mergers –top
The Community Development Law Center reports that when President Obama signed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (“the Stimulus Bill”) in February ‘09, there were new requirements for not-for-profit organizations and government agencies getting ARRA funding and even new rules for those not getting ARRA funds. Here are two worth noting:
Whistleblower
For those nonprofits expecting ARRA funded contracts, there are new whistleblower provisions directed toward your employees. The ARRA will protect an employee reporting evidence of safety, security and fraud or abuse internally to management staff or externally to government authorities. These whistleblower provisions are in addition to any other Federal False Claims Act or State laws. It would be wise to have a ‘whistleblower’ process in place as part of your corporate compliance program to manage employee concerns regarding fraud and abuse.
HIPAA
If you are a health care entity or a business associate of a health care entity, you will need to look at your business associate agreements this year. Before ARRA, HIPAA required only that business associates enter business associate agreements with the health care entity (or health plan). Now, business associates will need to comply with the bulk of the HIPAA regulations – and contracts will need to be amended accordingly – before February 18, 2010.
See www.recovery.gov or call the Community Development Law Center for more information, at (503) 471-1180.
‘Red Flag’ Billing Rules
Organizations now have until November 1, 2009 to comply with new ‘Red Flag Rules’. This law may apply to your nonprofit if you do not require payment when services are rendered (if you or your billing service bill a person later). These rules come from a federal law that governs fair and accurate credit transactions; guidelines were adopted to manage identity theft.
If you think that your organization conducts business this way, you will need to maintain a written identity theft prevention program to prevent, detect and mitigate identity theft in your organization. This program includes having internal processes that meet the federal requirements. Click here for more information (including sample guides) or call the Community Development Law Center for more information, at (503) 471-1180.
Mergers and Acquisitions
If you are considering combining your operation with another nonprofit, it’s important to understand the new standards that will govern how nonprofit organizations account for mergers and acquisitions. Until now, nonprofits accounted for combinations by analogizing to guidance developed for business entities. A new standard addresses the unique characteristics of not-for-profit entities and provides guidance specific to them. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 164 (SFAS 164), Not-for-Profit Entities: Mergers and Acquisitions.
This statement significantly changes the accounting for nonprofit combinations and requires enhanced disclosures to enable financial statement users to evaluate the nature and financial effect of a merger or acquisition.
“Because the accounting differs, the key to applying statement 164 is to determine whether the combination is an acquisition or a merger,” explains Mike Westervelt, an assurance and accounting manager with LarsonAllen.
Click here to read the full Web story and to learn about:
• How to account for an acquisition
• How to account for a merger
• The different effective dates for the two types of combinations
• How LarsonAllen can help
Rural Housing and Economic Development Improvement Act Filed–top
Last week Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) filed HR 3210: Rural Housing and Economic Development Improvement Act of 2009. Congressman Barney Frank and Congresswoman Maxine Waters have signed on as original cosponsors.
HR 3210 would authorize appropriations for RHED of $30 million for FY 2010 and $40 million for each of fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. RHED was not included in the President’s budget request.
Read HR 3210 by clicking here.
In related news, HR 2876, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity held a hearing on the recently-introduced Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2009 on July 15, 2009. The hearing focused on the legislative options for preserving federally- and state-assisted affordable housing and preventing displacement of low-income, elderly and disabled tenants. Joe Myer, Executive Director of NCALL Research, Inc. and NRHC board member, testified in HR 2876: Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2009 originally sponsored by Reps. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) and Geoff Davis (R-KY).
Additionally, Tammy Trevino, Administrator of RHS, spoke in favor of this bill as well. Ms. Trevino outlined the benefits of housing preservation which included: lower cost than new construction, faster than new construction, presents opportunities for energy efficiency, and minimizes the “NIMBY effect” because communities welcome revitalization of rental properties. She also expressed concerns regarding the revitalization program’s authorization as a demonstration program and stated that permanent authorization would make it easier to address long-term issues.
Other comments at the hearing in favor of HR 2876 emphasized the cost-effectiveness of preserving and rehabilitating housing units rather than developing new units. Witnesses also commented that while the RHS program has shown a lot of potential, there is still a significant need for restructuring assistance.
The hearing was cut short due to floor votes. Complete testimony of all witnesses can be found at by clicking here.
USDA Announces ARRA Section 502 Funds, Other Rural Dev Admin Notices–top
The application process is the same for Section 502 direct and guaranteed loans funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as for those provided by the 2009 appropriations law.
For ARRA loans, Davis-Bacon wages are required for any construction or repair (including painting) over $2,000. See Federal Register, 7/23/09. http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a090723c.html Contact a USDA Rural Development local or state office. http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html
Other Rural Development Notices:
AN 4465 (1980-D) Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program Checklist for Guaranteed Loans, July 16, 2009
AN 4464 (1942-A, 3570-B & 3575-A) Financing Thrift Stores Projects Using Community Facilities Funds, July 16, 2009
AN 4463 (1942-A, 3570-B & 3575-A) Definition of an Essential Community Facility, July 16, 2009
AN 4462 (1942-A, 3570-B & 3575-A) Evidence of Significant Community Support for Essential Community Facilities Projects, July 16, 2009
AN 4461 (1942-A, 3570-B & 3575-A) Poverty Line Guidelines for Community Facilities, July 16, 2009
AN 4460 (1942-A, 3570-B & 3575-A) Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans for Community Facilities Projects, July 16, 2009
Housing Begins Slow Rebound, but Affordability Still Threatened–top
By Andrian Sainz, David Twiddy, Daniel Wagner, Alex Veiga (AP)
It was — note the past tense — the worst housing recession anyone but survivors of the Great Depression can remember. From the frenzied peak of the real estate boom in 2005-2006 to the recession’s trough earlier this year, home resales fell 38 percent and sales of new homes tumbled 76 percent. Construction of homes and apartments skidded 79 percent. And for the first time in more than four decades of record keeping, home prices posted consecutive annual declines.
A staggering $4 trillion in home equity was wiped out, and millions of Americans lost their homes through foreclosure.
Now take a deep breath and exhale. The worst is over.
By every measure, except foreclosures, the housing market has stabilized and many areas are recovering, according to a spate of data released in the past two weeks. Nationwide, home resales in June are up 9 percent from January, on a seasonally adjusted basis. Sales of new homes have climbed 17 percent during the same period. And construction, while still anemic, has risen almost 20 percent since the beginning of the year.
Click here to read the full story.
Give Comments on Underserved Rural Markets, Insufficient Credit Histories–top
The Federal Housing Finance Agency will develop regulations to implement Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s duty to serve manufactured housing, affordable housing preservation, and rural areas. Comments are due September 18 on the types of transactions and activities that should be considered and how. See Federal Register, 8/4/09 http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a090804c.html or http://www.regulations.gov. Contact Nelson Hernandez, FHFA, 202-408-2819, or via email.
The Federal Housing Administration is developing a pilot automated process for providing alternative credit rating information (e.g., rent payment histories) for homebuyers whose credit histories are insufficient to determine their creditworthiness. Comments are due September 28. Click here to learn more. Contact Margaret Burns, HUD, 202-708-2121.
HUD Encourages Public Housing Authorities to Implement Non-Smoking Policies–top
HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing and its Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control on July 17 jointly issued a notice to “strongly” encourage public housing authorities (PHAs) to implement non-smoking policies in public housing units. The notice says that PHAs should consult with their resident boards before adopting non-smoking policies. This is the first HUD guidance on smoking in public housing.
The approach would allow PHAs to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in multi-unit public housing units without retrofitting buildings. Since 65% of the public housing inventory was built prior to 1970, most public housing units were not constructed with the filtered ventilation and air sealing mechanisms that might be used today. The age of the stock allows volatile indoor pollutants to spread easily among units. Elderly and young neighbors of smokers are especially vulnerable to the effects of second hand smoking. The notice also warned of the increased dangers of fires from smoking.
PHAs will have discretion over whether and to what extent to implement the policy and are encouraged to provide residents with smoking cessation information and support.
PIH 2009-21 “Non-Smoking Policies in Public Housing” is posted here.
Preservation Organizations Request Timely Access to REAC Scores–top
Forty-three organizations that work on the preservation of federally assisted rental housing signed on to a letter to Carol Galante, HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs, that outlines the steps HUD should take to ensure the timely and useful release of the scores from physical inspections of HUD assisted housing done by the Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC). The letter was sent via e-mail on July 21, which turned out to be the same day that an updated list of scores was released.
Historically, obtaining REAC physical inspection scores required a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to be filed. In the past two years the scores have been released publically on HUD’s website, though inconsistently. The last update to the scores occurred 10 months ago, in September 2008.
The letter urges HUD to post updated scores on at least a quarterly basis. It also calls on HUD to clarify to all HUD Multifamily Hubs and Program Centers that these scores can be released as they become available without a formal FOIA request, which can be a lengthy process that limits the usefulness of the scores once they are obtained.
REAC scores are a useful tool in local preservation efforts since failing scores can indicate disinvestment in a property and the failure to improve a low REAC score can prompt HUD to remove a subsidy from a property. The letter notes that it is critical that these scores be released on a timely basis so that local officials, advocates and tenants can work with the owner to ensure that the property is preserved as affordable and the condition of the building is improved.
The letter is available by clicking here.
The most recent REAC scores are available by clicking here.
HOPE IV Blamed for Loss of 50,000 Affordable Housing Units–top
“HOPE VI has accelerated the loss of public housing,” House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) said in her opening remarks at a July 29 hearing, “Academic Perspectives on the Future of Public Housing.” Chair Waters spoke throughout the hearing on her concerns about the program, including that HOPE VI has resulted in a net loss of more than 50,000 public housing units, the displacement of public housing residents, and a low rate of return to the redeveloped public housing units by original residents.
The hearing drew on the testimony of witnesses from both inside and outside of academia and built on Chair Waters’ interest in the impact of public housing redevelopment on residents. The hearing comes at a time when HUD continued to advocate for its Choice Neighborhoods Initiative to be included in the FY10 HUD spending bill (see article on Senate appropriations elsewhere in Memo). Presumably, any new program of such scope would be first authorized by the Financial Services Committee before funds are appropriated for its implementation, and the issues raised at the hearing could help direct how the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative proposal takes shape.
Subcommittee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said in her opening remarks that federal spending for public housing is at an all-time high and any new funding should be looked at in a “smart and efficient way.” Mrs. Capito also urged more flexibility for local public housing agencies and more attention to rural housing needs.
James Fraser, associate professor in the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University, described HOPE VI as having both place- and people-based goals. When these goals compete with each other, often one of the goals can be neglected, he said.
He also discussed the program’s impact on residents. “HOPE VI has been geared for a specific type of low income citizen, namely those who have clear paths in mind to achieve their goals, access to decent paying jobs, relatively few barriers in their way, and they view HOPE VI as providing quality, income-stabilized housing as a stepping stone on their journey,” Dr. Fraser said. “Evidence suggests that the large majority of people in poverty do not fall into this category.”
He noted that many low income families live in isolated poverty, have multiple barriers to work, and lack access to living wage jobs. “Indeed, HOPE VI has been designed to create mixed-income communities based on the belief that somehow low income families would benefit from being around more middle-income populations,” Dr. Fraser said. “We now know that there is little, if any, evidence to show that living in a mixed-income community, HOPE VI or otherwise, has actually empowered low income residents to move into economic self-sufficiency, accumulate wealth, or even find living wage jobs.”
Dr. Fraser also focused on the importance of resident participation in public housing redevelopment. “[T]he main drawback in a program like HOPE VI is that the very residents we are trying to empower to achieve greater economic self-sufficiency and increased quality of life have not been provided the authority to actually make the decisions about how HOPE VI is implemented and what types of communities are to be built,” he said.
Dr. Edward Goetz, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota, acknowledged that research on HOPE VI indicates that the program has succeeded in improving neighborhood conditions in public housing communities. But, he said, “many of the community-level benefits identified by researchers are associated with population turnover rather than the upward mobility of the original low income residents.” Dr. Goetz said his research shows that the benefits of HOPE VI to original residents are “quite limited, modest, and inconsistent.”
“The program has shown no effect on health, on the educational experiences of children, or on the economic security and self-sufficiency of families,” he said. “In fact…there is some evidence that forced mobility increases economic insecurity. There is some consensus among researchers that the relocation of public housing residents often disrupts social support systems and creates new difficulties to overcome. This is a disappointing record of individual-level benefits.”
Dr. Goetz recommended halting the demolition of public housing, incorporating provisions into redevelopment that limit or avoid forced displacement of residents, incorporating anti-displacement techniques so that the existing residents of HOPE VI neighborhoods can experience the neighborhood benefits produced by the program, using the lessons of HOPE VI to expand production of new public housing units, and providing voluntary mobility opportunities for families wishing to leave public housing communities.
During the hearing, Chair Waters reiterated her commitment, expressed in the June 15 letter she and Financial Services Chair Barney Frank (D-MA) wrote to HUD, asking HUD to impose a one-year moratorium on the demolition and disposition of public housing units (see Memo, 6/19). “I am committed to a moratorium on demolition for the next year,” Chair Waters said.
Orlando Cabrera, who served as HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing under President George W. Bush, said that public housing’s future is entirely dependent on both adaptability to new provider models and predictability that the decisions made by local public housing practitioners, to the maximum extent that Congress can allow them such flexibility, will endure over time.
Community Service Society of New York president and chief executive officer David Jones focused his testimony on the New York City Authority’s (NYCHA) implementation of Section 3 of the 1968 Housing Act, which requires that HUD funds be used to maximize job and training opportunities for low income residents.
He noted that NYCHA receives more than $1 billion in HUD funds each year, and this year will receive several hundred million dollars in economic stimulus funds as well. “NYCHA is a major engine of economic activity within the New York City megaplex,” Mr. Jones said. “We have good reason to expect its Section 3 efforts to be significant, but we find it falls short of providing economic opportunity to residents at a comparable scale.”
Dr. Jones spoke in support of forthcoming legislation from Representative Nydia Velazquez to improve the implementation of Section 3 (see Memo, 7/24).The bill would give first hiring and training priorities to residents in developments where HUD funds are being expended; provide a “private right of action” that enables aggrieved parties to take legal action against agencies or contractors; strengthen the requirements for hiring and training for agencies and contractors receiving HUD funds; and creates a Section 3 Office within the office of the HUD Secretary.
“We urge Congress and the Secretary to consider performance incentives that enable housing authorities to retain a reasonable share of increased rental revenue that is attributable to its Section 3 efforts,” Dr. Jones said in suggesting how the Section 3 bill could be improved.
Susan Popkin of the Urban Institute described “hard-to-house families” as the most vulnerable families for whom HOPE VI has not been a solution. “Hard-to-house” is a term Dr. Popkin applies to families facing “multiple complex problems including mental illness, severe physical illness, substance abuse, large numbers of young children, weak labor-market histories, and criminal records.” Her research indicates that families falling into one or more of these categories ranged from 37% to 62% in HOPE VI developments.
“In many cities, public housing has served as the housing of last resort for decades, with the poorest and least desirable tenants warehoused in the worst developments,” Dr. Popkin said. “As these developments have been demolished, housing authorities have often simply moved these vulnerable families from one distressed development to another. With a concentration of extremely troubled families and a lack of adequate supportive services, these replacement developments have the potential to become even worse environments than those from where these families started.”
Dr. Popkin recommended incorporating “intensive case management and permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable into Choice Neighborhoods and any other comprehensive redevelopment effort is one way to ensure these initiatives truly meet the needs of all public housing families.”
The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative has been proposed by HUD as the next iteration of the HOPE VI program. Unlike HOPE VI, which focused on particular developments, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative would be more holistic, address entire distressed neighborhoods, and would include public housing, assisted housing and market rate housing.
The Administration has yet to release details of how the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative would work, how it would be similar to, or different from, HOPE VI, and what the program’s eligible uses would be. The Administration requested $250 million for Choice Neighborhoods in FY10.
The testimony can be read by clicking here.
Housing Advocates Seek to Influence Climate Bill, Retrofit Assisted Housing–top
As the Senate drafts climate legislation for consideration in September, a group of organizations that work on the preservation of federally assisted rental housing sent a letter to key legislators asking that the Senate bill target $750 million a year in revenues from the climate bill toward energy retrofits in public and assisted housing. Such a set-aside would expand a similar set-aside in the House-passed climate bill, H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES; see Memo, 2/26).
The July 27 letter was coordinated by the Preservation Working Group, which is co-convened by NLIHC and the National Housing Trust, and was sent to Committee on Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK). The letter was signed by 41 organizations, including NLIHC and eight NLIHC state partners.
At the core of the climate proposals in Congress is a cap and trade mechanism that sets a limit (cap) on pollutions, and allows polluters to purchase and trade permits (allowances) to pollute. By allocating the proceeds from the sale of allowances, Congress can provide additional funding for specific programs.
NLIHC, along with partner organizations, successfully advocated for the inclusion in ACES of a provision to make 10% of funds that states would receive under the bill’s Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) program available to public and assisted housing on a preferential basis. This allocation would be roughly 0.05% of total allowances granted in the bill, and is estimated it will yield $65 million annually. A $750 million set-aside would increase the allocation to approximately 1% of all allowances.
NLIHC has long supported energy improvements targeted specifically at public and assisted stock as meeting four important climate and housing goals:
· First, most public and assisted buildings are more than 25 years old and, through depreciation and design, are highly energy inefficient. As a result, this stock represents some of the most accessible for rapid reductions in greenhouse gases.
· Second, the households in these developments are the least able to make their own investments in energy efficiency, and are unable to benefit from many of the programs that provide incentives for private efficiency investments.
· Third, the investment in this stock would improve and perhaps serve to preserve buildings that might otherwise be lost to the affordable housing stock.
· Finally, and perhaps most importantly in the current political climate, these investments should lead to direct long-run savings for taxpayers by cutting the operating costs and utility bills for these buildings and tenants that the federal government is often responsible for paying at least in part.
The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates this higher set aside would provide meaningful energy efficiency improvements in more than half the subsidized housing stock over 10 years.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on revenue distribution in the climate bill at 10 am on August 4 in room 215 of the Dirksen Senate office building.
The letter to Senators Boxer and Inhofe is available here.
PORTLAND METRO NEWS
PDC Reports More Housing Affordable to the Wealthiest, Less to Poorest–top
A recently-released report from the Portland Development Commission shows that housing affordable to Portland’s wealthiest has increased in the central city since 2005, while housing for the poorest has decreased by almost a quarter.
“Despite the City’s well-intended policies, the number of affordable units downtown continues to drop,” said Bobby Weinstock, Housing Consultant for NW Pilot Project. “The reality is, people who need housing can’t get it.”
The report, compiled by PDC to evaluate the city’s No Net Loss housing policy, shows the percentage of total rental units in the 0-30% and 31-50% Median Family Income (MFI) categories decreased by almost 23% in the last three years.
The report inventories housing in the “Central City,” defined as Central Eastside, Downtown, Goose Hollow, Lloyd District, Lower Albina, River District, South Waterfront and the University District.
This decrease was mirrored by an 11.8% increase in units affordable to households earning at or above 120% MFI, due largely South Waterfront development and conversion of planned condo developments to high-end rental units.
“To truly address the loss of affordable units, the City needs to spend urban renewal Affordable Housing Set-Aside dollars more effectively,” said Debbie Aiona, a representative of the League of Women Voters. “The policy is in place, but has not yet been used to its full advantage.”
The City of Portland created the Affordable Housing Set-Aside two years ago as a way to avoid the displacement and gentrification often caused by the creation of urban renewal districts.
Despite the decrease in affordable housing in the central city, the report concludes that Portland continues to meet the No Net Loss Policy. This is because while numbers of affordable units continue to plummet, they have not yet fallen below the policy’s 2002 benchmark of 8,286 units. Currently the number of units meeting Policy requirements is about 200 above the benchmark. By contrast, in 2005, around 10,000 units met Policy requirements.
The data from the report will be used for the Portland Plan update, the discussion the creation of a potential new downtown Urban Renewal Area, and updates of central city housing strategies. Click here to read the report. For more information, visit PDC’s website.
CAPACITY MATTERS – PART 1
Capacity Matters – Umpqua CDC Welcomes Constance Hammons Home–top
Capturing the full impact of nonprofit community development organizations is often hard to measure. Indicators such as the size of an organization’s rental portfolio or number of units developed are the most common way their success is evaluated.
It is more difficult and uncommon to measure the positive outcomes that result from their grass-roots nature and these nonprofits’ positioning within their communities. Arising from within their communities, they are connected to and in tune with, community needs. When the capacity and expertise to quickly respond to need and opportunity is added, extraordinary things can happen!
Many of the most important accomplishments of Oregon On’s membership result because of their ability to respond quickly to circumstances in their communities as they arise.
For the next 9 months, Oregon ON will be running “Capacity Matters,” a series of feature articles in our bi-weekly enewsletter that highlight the many ways that community based nonprofit capacity strengthens and builds communities.
To launch our series, we start out with the story of Umpqua CDC in Roseburg Oregon. Since 1991, Umpqua CDC has assisted low-moderate income homebuyers in Coos, Curry, and Douglas Counties in Southwest Oregon to obtain decent, safe, structurally sound, and affordable homes.
This May, Umpqua staff were delighted to help first time homeowner Constance Hammons walk through the door of her brand-new house. And while many groups and resources contributed to her success, Umpqua CDC was the hinge in the middle to make it all happen.
The relationship between Umpqua CDC and Constance began in 2007, but the staff that assisted her through this process has crossed paths with Constance for many years. Mike Charette is a program specialist who would counsel Constance on her home purchase, but in 2000 he was working at UCAN, the local cap agency in town and began working with Constance as a property manager. Meanwhile, Rebekah Barger, another program specialist who would work with Constance on her home purchase, first met Constance in 2002 when Constance’s grandson Stephen was a member of the Boys and Girls Club where Rebekah worked.
In 2004 Rebekah ran into Constance again when she worked for the Housing Authority of Douglas County, where Constance received her Section 8 voucher. Neither Mike nor Rebekah anticipated that Constance would one day be one of their homeowners until she came knocking on their door in November of 2007. Both Mike and Rebekah knew she was dedicated and persistent when her mind is set, so when she did come in for counseling, they knew one day she would succeed.
As Hilary Clinton once said, it takes a village, and for Constance it did. She initially had to be eligible to participate in the Section 8 to Homeownership voucher program through the local Housing Authority. Constance had a fantastic rental history and never paid her rent late, so she qualified without any problems. Next she had to utilize Umpqua CDC for pre-purchase homeownership counseling. Mike and Constance reviewed her credit, and discussed the possibility of buying a home and what that would mean for someone on a fixed income.
During the counseling session they realized that Constance would benefit from some additional dollars by participating in their Dream$avers Individual Development Account (IDA) Program. IDAs are matched savings accounts available to eligible low-income people to help them purchase a home or car, start or develop a small business, or pursue post-secondary education. All Oregon IDA’s are funded through Oregon Housing and Community Services, via Neighborhood Partnerships.
Umpqua CDC also realized Constance would benefit from both financial and homebuyer education classes, they also provided for her.
As time wore on, Constance began filling out her loan application for USDA Rural Development. Raquel O’Connor at the Roseburg office began reviewing her application and helping her overcome obstacles to her approval. The local USDA office hit a glitch in funding using the Section 8 voucher and they contacted Rebekah at Umpqua CDC. Rebekah worked with Sandy Halonen from the Oregon Homeownership Alliance and Barb Brandon from USDA Rural Development to finalize and implement guidelines that the local office could use to move the loan along. When that was complete, Kristy Carroll at the Housing Authority of Douglas County stepped in and worked with Constance, Raquel and Mike to smooth out all details and get Constance a loan approval.
Behind the scenes, Constance was building a village of her own. She began taking notes and making phone calls to look at homes. Once she had an idea of how much she could afford, she started shopping and pricing items. She knew she had her IDA money and would not require a traditional down payment because her loan was 100% financed. She also knew that she wouldn’t be able to do expensive maintenance in the future because of her fixed income, so she chose to look only at newer homes.
When the deal was final, Constance negotiated her way into a brand new home that was $30,000 less than her neighbors, had a new stove, fridge, washer and dryer, covered porch and was fully fenced. They even paid her closing costs.
All in all, Constance utilized several of Umpqua’s programs, and others in the community to attain homeownership, including Dream$avers, pre purchase counseling, and the Section 8 to Homeownership Voucher. Constance was only the second person to utilize the housing voucher to purchase a home in Douglas County.
“Getting Constance into a home was a HUGE group effort,” said Betty Tamm, Umpqua CDC’s Executive Director. “Our staff spent many years with her in several capacities and I think we are all pretty pleased to see her so happy. She sent us a gingerbread replica of her new house as a gift; she made it from scratch and it’s quite lovely. I had no idea Constance was so crafty. She makes wedding cakes, window coverings, gingerbread houses, etc., not to mention the woman is a phenomenal negotiator.”
For more information about Umpqua CDC, click here.
AWARDS
WW Picks Elisa Aguilera of CAT as Best Advocate for Low-Income Tenants –top
by Beth Slovic, Willamette Week, Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
Elisa Aguilera would probably reject the idea she should be singled out for praise for the work she does on behalf of low-income tenants in Oregon. As a co-director of the 13-year-old Portland-based Community Alliance of Tenants, Aguilera works closely with a handful of other dedicated employees advocating for renters’ rights and affordable housing in the state. That includes the alliance’s other co-director, Ari Rapkin, not to mention the nonprofit’s board of directors (made up of tenants, just like the people they serve). Without them, the alliance’s mission would be far less powerful. It’s true.
But it’s precisely because she wouldn’t want to be singled out that Aguilera and her organization are worthy of special attention.
During the 2009 legislative session that just wrapped up at the end of June, the alliance promoted two successful measures that speak to both the group’s effectiveness and the need for its work during difficult economic times. On June 24, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 952, which gives tenants more rights in the event their apartment buildings face foreclosure. Also, starting next year, tenants who have lived in a unit for at least one year will be given two months instead of one to vacate their apartments if they’re issued a no-cause eviction, the equivalent in landlord-tenant law of a “Dear John” letter.
Aguilera, 28, was raised in Southern Oregon and attended Portland State University. She knows the law on what landlords can and cannot do so well one might think she had aspirations of becoming a lawyer. But that would be a mistake; Aguilera is happy just where she is. “It is hard work,” she says. “But it’s work I find meaningful.”
FUNDING AND AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
Home Depot Building Healthy Communities Grant Opportunity –top
The Home Depot’s Building Healthy Communities Grant Program awards grants of up to $2,500 each, paid in Home Depot gift cards, to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations, public schools, or tax-exempt public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their community.
Grants are for community improvement projects that include activities such as construction or refurbishment of affordable or transitional housing, building, rebuilding, painting, refurbishing, increasing energy efficiency or sustainability, landscaping, planting of native trees, community facility improvements, and the development and/or improvement of green spaces. Grants must support work completed by community volunteers in the United States.
There are two remaining grant cycles for 2009: July 15-September 15; October 15-December 15. Click here for more info.
HUD Offers Funds for SHOP, Healthy Homes Tech Studies, HOPE VI, More –top
NOFAs for SHOP, Healthy Homes Technical Studies, HOPE VI, and previously announced programs are available by clicking here or here.
USDA Funds for Rural Housing, Utilities Service, Business Programs –top
Stimulus assistance provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now available for programs of The Rural Housing Service (RHS), Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), and Rural Utilities Service (RUS), which are administered through USDA Rural Development (RD).
Read the notice by clicking here. http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-17512.htm
Unless otherwise specified in the notice, applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are expended. Program funding expires September 30, 2010.
To apply for assistance or receive further information, contact Oregon’s USDA Rural Development State Office, 1201 NE. Lloyd Blvd., Suite 801, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3300/TDD (503) 414-3387.
VP Joe Biden Launches Broadband Initiative, Funds Available –top
Initial details, ongoing developments and Notices of Funding Availability relating to the broadband initiative can be found on this newly-created national web site here. http://broadbandusa.sc.egov.usda.gov/index.htm
On that page there are also links to several new programs that will be administered by RD’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and its partner agency the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). These programs are:
> Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP) – administered by RD’s RUS
division, it will offer loans and grants to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas.
> Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) – administered by
NTIA, it will offer grants for deploying broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas.
> State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program – administered by
NTIA, it will offer grants for broadband mapping and planning.
Applications for each program will be accepted from July 14 to August 14, 2009.
Click here to learn more. For information specific to Oregon, click here.
EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
2009 Build it Green Home Tour and Info Fair in Portland – September 19 –top
Saturday, September 19 | 11am – 5pm
Eighteen green remodels and new homes will be open from in the Portland metropolitan area. Chat with homeowners and contractors about affordable housing, solar panels, rain water harvesting, ecoroofs, natural landscaping, eco-friendly building materials, co-housing, energy efficiency, alternative construction techniques, salvaged materials, and healthy indoor air quality.
An Info Fair will follow with green vendors, demonstrations, food, drink and music.
Build It Green Info Fair at ecohaus | 3pm -7pm | 819 SE Taylor, Portland, OR | 503-222-3881
$15 admission, on sale mid-August online. Info Fair is FREE and open to everyone.
The 2009 Build It Green! Home Tour is presented by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. Thank you to Tour Sponsors: Metro, Energy Trust of Oregon, City of Portland Bureaus of Environmental Services, Development Services and Water, Oregon Home Magazine and Solar Oregon.
More info click here or call 503-823-5431.
Sustainable, Affordable Communities Conference, More Details –Sept. 25 –top
There is now a website and more detailed information available on the “Seeing Beyond Green: Building Sustainable, Affordable and Diverse Communities” is presented by Housing Land Advocates (HLA), Friday, Sept. 25th 2009, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM at the Gresham City Hall Conference Center: 1333 NW Eastman Parkway, MAX Blue Line Gresham City Hall Station. HLA was formerly known as the Oregon Alliance for Housing and Land Use. Click here to see their website and get more information on the conference.
REPORTS
The Impacts of Foreclosures on Families and Communities: A Primer –top
The foreclosure crisis is now having dramatic effects throughout America. In mid-2008, recognizing that this phenomenon was still quite new, the Open Society Institute asked the Urban Institute to scan available research to document what we know about: (1) the way foreclosures impact families; (2) how foreclosures affect communities; and (3) the efforts now underway, or being suggested, to address the crisis, focusing on actions at the local level. This brief summarizes a longer report presenting the results of this review. To read the full brief, or to read the full report, click here.
Local Data on Seriously Delinquent Mortgages Published –top
A Government Accountability Office report includes the number and percentage of seriously delinquent mortgages in every congressional district. Characteristics and Performance of Nonprime Mortgages, GAO-09-848R, is available by clicking here or for a fee from GAO, 866-801-7077.
RESOURCES AND TRAININGS
Renters Rights Workshop – Aug 12 –top
The Community Alliance of Tenants http://oregoncat.org/ will be hosting their next quarterly membership meeting on August 12th. This meeting will feature guest appearances by City of Portland Commissioners Nick Fish and Amanda Fritz. Please join us and help CAT and other affordable housing advocates thank the commissioners for their leadership on low-income housing issues, and their support to preserve the 30% Urban Renewal Set-Aside for affordable housing projects in the Lents neighborhood. This event is open to the public.
5:30 Learn about your rights at this interactive Renters’ Rights Workshop
6:15 Enjoy a meal with other CAT members
6:45 Learn the latest in CAT news and changes in Landlord/Tenant law! Hear about tenant victories! Special thanks to Commissioners Fish and Fritz.
CAT’s membership meeting will be at 2710 NE 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97212
On the bus 8 line.
Contact us for more information or to RSVP 503-460-9702 or via email.
*Please rsvp so we can accommodate all of our guests and members.
HOME and NSP Training – August 25-26 –top
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) Oregon Field Office is offering a free one and a half Day training for its HOME PJ’s.
Portland, Oregon: August 25-26, 2009
Embassy Suites Hotel
319 SW Pine Street
Portland, Oregon 97204
Schedule:
August 25 – Check in: 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. • Training: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
August 26 – Training: 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Registration Deadline: Friday, August 14, 2009
Register by clicking here. Capacity is limited. Register early to reserve a spot!
Course Description:
HOME and NSP focuses on key program topics such as NSP eligible activities; ways that HOME can be invested in NSP homebuyer and rental projects; meeting low income targeting rules for both HOME and NSP; and key program implementation issues such as administrative costs, program income, and affordability periods. The course will include a combination of lecture and short exercises. In addition, the course will provide answers to common HOME and NSP questions and will highlight HUD interpretation of key policy issues.
Who Should Attend
The HOME and NSP Training is appropriate for HOME Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) who receive NSP funds directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or are currently receiving NSP funds from another NSP recipient (e.g., the State). This class covers the HOME and NSP Federal program requirements. HOME PJs receiving NSP funds from a state may attend the class but should be advised that the state’s HOME or NSP program requirements may be more targeted or stringent than the Federal program requirements. Other HOME and NSP recipients such as other public agencies, CHDOs, subrecipients or other nonprofits will be wait-listed and admitted only if space permits. For-profit organizations are not allowed to register.
Lodging
The HOME and NSP Training will be conducted at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Downtown Portland. No sleeping room block has been arranged for this location. Attendees are encouraged to check rates and availability by clicking here.
Refreshments/Meals
Under HUD’s grant agreement, technical assistance and training providers are not permitted to spend training funds on coffee, meals, and/or other refreshments during training sessions. Please feel free to bring beverages to the training. Participants will be responsible for their own meal arrangements.
Questions
Participants with special requests or questions should contact Noé Noyola via email or 415.677.7109.
Free Webinars on TCAP and Exchange, Tax Prep, Finance – August 20 –top
Miller Nash is offering a free one-hour webinar to catch up on the latest developments in affordable housing in Oregon. Topics to be covered include the latest guidance on the TCAP and Exchange (1602) programs established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as well as the latest on Oregon’s implementation of those programs.
Miller Nash affordable housing attorneys Ronald Shellan, Ryan Nisle, and Steven Christensen will provide interpretation and discuss how these developments affect affordable housing projects in Oregon.
Date: August 20, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m – 11:00 a.m.
Cost: None
Registration: Click here to register for this webinar. After registration you will receive an email with the two-step instructions on how to log into the webinar on August 20 (both phone & web). Additionally you will see an option to test your system compatibility, have your IT person assist you if needed or call the help line listed on the confirmation email.
Questions? Call us at 503.205.2608 or email us and we’d be happy to assist in the registration process or answer questions.
Tax Prep for Microentrepreneurs
FIELD has made their recent webinar, “Tax Prep Services for Microentrepreneurs,” available for download from their website. The discussion featured the efforts of microenterprise development programs and free community tax preparation sites to use tax preparation as a tool to help the self-employed access free tax credits, learn about their financial position, do long-term planning and access asset-building products. To access the webinar, click here.
Financial Management, Managing in Crisis
Nonprofitworksheets.com provides free and low-cost webinars on topics relevant to nonprofit leaders such as: Scenario Planning, Financial Management and Managing in Crisis. For more information, visit their website here.
