STATEWIDE NEWS
Housing Cuts Put 285 Households at Risk of Homelessness
Rising Number of Homeless in Oregon Mostly New Families
Senate Bill on Preventable Foreclosures Needs Your Help Fast
Ways and Means Approves OHCS Budget
FEDERAL NEWS
‘Helping Families’ Bill Protects Tenants, Borrowers, Changes McKinney-Vento
Federal Housing Market Conditions Report Released
HUD Seeks Feedback on Needed Administrative Changes
PORTLAND METRO NEWS
New Website Eases Access to Homelessness and Poverty Resources
New Volunteer Corps Keeps People Integrated with Community, Off Streets
Discriminatory Sit-Lie Law Temporarily Extended
First Director of New Portland Housing Bureau Announced
FUNDING AND AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
Addendum Is Issued Clarifying Neighborhood Stabilization Program RFP
Simplified Prequalification Proposed for Multifamily Weatherization
Lead Hazard Control Grants Available to State, Tribal, Local Governments
Small Business Administration’s PRIME Program RFP Closes July 15
EVENTS
Benefit CPAH When You Go to the Tigard Festival of Balloons – June 19
RESOURCES, CONFERENCES AND TRAININGS
NAYA Offers Free Post Secondary, Vocational, Financial Wellness Education
HAC Offers Summer CHDO Trainings
Free Labor Trainings June 24, June 30
New Items Added to NLIHC’s ARRA Clearinghouse
AWARDS
Innovative Housing, Inc. receives grants from OCF
Housing Cuts Put 285 Households at Risk of Homelessness – top
285 households in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties, most of whom are families with children, seniors and people with disabilities, will potentially become homeless as of July 1. In some cases, the vouchers cover more than 90 percent of their rent.
On May 26, the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority sent letters to 285 Section 8 housing assistance voucher recipients stating that as of July 1, they would no longer receive rent assistance. They announced the cuts at a time when the State of Oregon is reporting a 37% increase in homelessness across the state’s urban and rural communities.
Affordable housing advocates are calling for immediate, emergency measures to keep people in their homes.
“This is bureaucracy at its worst,” said Mike Cook of NeahCasa’s Emergency Housing Program. “There’s no way that small non-profits like ours, landlords and tenants, or even the state can pick up this massive shortfall alone. HUD needs to step up to the plate – not our most vulnerable families.”
Northwest Oregon Housing Authority, or NOHA, which administers the vouchers for elderly, disabled and low-income individuals and working families, sent the letters to the effected families with just barely over a month before the crucial rent subsidies would terminate, putting the families in a desperate situation.
NOHA made the cuts after the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) informed them that they would be given more than $600,000 less in needed HUD funding. There is some dispute as to whether NOHA should have anticipated this funding shortfall, but wherever the responsibilities lies, it is the people who are losing their vouchers that stand to be most damaged.
Four years ago when NOHA was faced with a shortfall, Oregon Housing and Community Services was able to fill the gap. Now, with the state facing it’s own billion-dollar deficit, a bail-out is considered unlikely.
In the letter to residents, NOHA Executive Director Carol Snell said they hope to have the funding reinstated at the end of the year, at which time tenants who have been terminated from the program could have their Section 8 vouchers restored. But for people on very limited incomes who relied on the subsidy for a significant portion of their rent, the rest of the year looks bleak.
“HUD has to find a way to make things work,” says Israel Bayer with Street Roots, Portland, Oregon’s street newspaper. “If not, it’s yet another glowing reflection of our broken system.”
To learn more about this issue please refer to these news stories:
Street Roots
South County Spotlight
The Daily Astorian
Tillamook Headlight Herald
Rising Number of Homeless in Oregon Mostly New Families – top
State Loses 2,664 Manufacture Dwellings
The State of Oregon has recently released new numbers showing a 35%-37% increase in homelessness across the state, mostly represented by newly homeless families: a total of 17,000 Oregonians experiencing homelessness.
In order to prevent both urban and rural homeless numbers from swelling further, housing advocates are asking the Oregon Legislature to pass SB 5535, which would issue lottery-backed bonds to fund housing programs that preserve existing subsidized rental housing and manufactured home parks. $19.4 million in Lottery Backed Bonds is needed in 2009-2011 to keep vulnerable Oregonians in their homes.
The State’s homeless reports adds a sense of urgency to the Oregon State Senate and House Joint Ways and Means Committee budget deliberations for programs that help people experiencing homelessness and for affordable housing for hardworking families, seniors, and people with disabilities who are in danger of becoming homeless.
Data was collected during the January One-Night Homeless Count by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) partners throughout the state, and presented to the Ways and Means Committee in May. The report shows that two-thirds of Oregon’s 560,000 low-income households pay more than one-third of their household income for housing. OHCS blamed the increase in poverty and homelessness on Oregonians’ heavy jobs losses and resulting inability to pay rent.
The report also shows that since 2000 Oregon has lost 67 manufactured dwelling parks, which provided space for 2,664 homes. As of February 2009, three manufactured dwelling parks with 157 spaces were going through the closure process.
“Manufactured dwelling parks are an important source of affordable housing, and there aren’t a lot of affordable alternatives for the seniors and disabled folks living in them,” said Peter Hainley, Executive Director of CASA, which makes resident ownership a viable option for manufactured housing residents across the state. “If those parks closed, more people will end up living on the streets.”
Another appalling finding is that during the 2007-08 school year, 15,859 schoolchildren experienced some kind of homelessness – almost double the 2003-2004 level. The number of homeless veterans also doubled, and the number of childless couples increased 100 percent. Almost half of the households counted had a member with an emotional, mental or substance abuse challenge.
OHCS pointed out that as the need for a strong safety net grows, state resources are shrinking. Nearly 60 percent of the people identified as homeless received no services or shelter. Many, especially youth, instead turned to family and friends for help.
“In Clackamas County we are seeing increasing needs by homeless people who are part of families with kids,” Executive Director of Northwest Housing Alternatives (NHA) Martha McLennan says. “Our local numbers for 2009 showed an increased from 51% to 71% of the total, 3641. At the same time, the State funding for our shelters and transitional housing is on the cutting block.”
Senate Bill on Preventable Foreclosures Needs Your Help Fast – top
While we’re facing a record number of home foreclosures–with another wave expected in the next year–struggling homeowners are reporting that one of the biggest obstacles to keeping their homes is simply getting their lender on the phone. (Click here to see the latest KOIN News 6 report on what borrowers face when they try to call their lenders.)
SB 628 simply facilitates the conversation between borrowers and lenders, leading to fewer foreclosures. It’s a common sense bill that is desperately needed. But it needs your help. As of today, SB 628 is in process and there’s very little time left for it to pass through both chambers of the legislature.
Your legislators need to hear from you that this bill is too important to let die. Click here to find your Representative and Senator and let them know that Oregon homeowners and our economy are counting on SB 628 to start the conversations that can help end the foreclosure crisis.
Ways and Means Approves OHCS Budget- top
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is pleased to report that on on June 5, the Oregon Legislature’s budget-writing Ways and Means Committee approved their budget for the next two years, starting in July. The 2009-11 budget of $2.056 billion received unanimous approval and was sent to the House floor.
‘Helping Families’ Bill Protects Tenants, Borrowers, Changes McKinney – top
On May 20, President Obama signed S. 896, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (Public Law 111-22). This important law includes much-needed protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties, as well revisions to the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs long sought by advocates. The renter protection provisions of the law became effective May 20, 2009, immediately upon enactment. Passage of the protections was a major priority of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Their summary of the bill’s provisions is at http://www.nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=159.
S. 896 was passed by the Senate on May 6 with the tenant protections and the McKinney revisions (see Memo, 5/8). The House took up S. 896 on May 19 and passed the bill with some minor changes. The Senate passed the revised bill the same day and sent it to the President for his signature.
The White House issued a summary of P.L. 111-22 in conjunction with the bill signing, in which the Administration noted that, “One of the often overlooked problems in the foreclosure crisis has been the eviction of renters in good standing, through no fault of their own, from properties in foreclosure. To address the problem of these tenants being forced out of their homes with little or no notice, this legislation will require that in the event of foreclosure, existing leases for renters are honored, except in the case of month-to-month leases or owner occupants foreclosing, in which cases a minimum of 90 days notice will be required.”
“Because many responsible renters are being unfairly evicted from homes that go through foreclosure because the owners haven’t been paying their mortgages, [the bill] requires banks to honor existing leases, or provide at least 90 days notice for renters on month-to-month leases,” President Obama said upon signing the bill.
For renters in foreclosed properties, the new law will require that the “immediate successor in interest,” i.e., the person or entity that acquires the title at foreclosure:
· provide bona fide tenants with 90 days notice prior to eviction, or
· allow bona fide tenants with leases to occupy the property until the end of the lease term, except the lease can be terminated on 90 days notice if the unit is sold to a purchaser who will occupy the property.
A bona fide lease or tenancy is one in which the tenant is not the mortgagor or a member of the mortgagor’s family; the lease or tenancy is the result of an arms-length transaction; and the lease or tenancy requires rent that is not substantially lower than fair market rent, or is reduced or subsidized due to a federal, state or local subsidy.
The new law also provides specific protections for recipients of Section 8 assistance, including the requirement that the person or entity acquiring the property at foreclosure take ownership subject to the lease between the prior owner and the tenant, and subject to the housing assistance payments contract between the prior owner and the public housing agency.
None of these provisions preempt more protective state and local laws. All the renter protection provisions expire at the end of 2012.
In addition to providing tenant protections and revising the homeless assistance programs, P.L. 111-22 will make it easier for borrowers to use the Hope for Homeowners program, extend the $250,000 limit on insured deposits to December 31, 2013, and provide protections for servicers who modify troubled mortgages.
Because the rental provisions are effective immediately, it is important that advocates disperse information about the changes broadly. Copies of the NLIHC press release on the bill and a summary of the tenant protection provision can be found at http://www.nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=159
S. 896 includes provisions similar to the HEARTH (Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing) Act, which was considered by the 110th Congress but never enacted (see Memo, 5/8).
The newly adopted legislation authorizes much greater resources to communities for prevention and re-housing targeted to those who are at risk of homelessness, including people who have extremely low incomes and are doubled up, living in a hotel, or have precarious housing situations. The Emergency Shelter Grants Program will be converted to the Emergency Solutions Grants Program, which served as a model for the Homelessness Prevention Fund included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The bill also focuses on the rapid re-housing of people experiencing homelessness, programs that have been successfully used in many communities to significantly reduce homelessness.
The new legislation will also change HUD’s definition of homelessness to include people at imminent risk of losing their housing, and families or youth who live in precarious situations and are unlikely to become stable.
S. 896 as signed by the President will also consolidate the Supportive Housing Program, Shelter Plus Care, and the Moderate Rehabilitation/Single Room Occupancy Program into a single Continuum of Care program that will allow communities to apply to one program rather than three, reducing administrative burden and increasing flexibility and local decision-making.
Federal Housing Market Conditions Report Released – top
HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research has released U.S. Housing Market Conditions for the first quarter of 2009. The report contains a quarterly analysis of housing production, marketing, affordability and interest rates, and the multifamily housing sector. The data are compared to both the previous quarter and the first quarter of 2008. This issue also presents updated national data, overviews of economic and housing market trends within each HUD region, and reviews historical trends in national and regional housing markets. The feature article highlights an update of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Database, which now includes LIHTC-financed projects placed in service through 2006.
This and previous U.S. Housing Market Conditions reports are available online and can be downloaded for free at by clicking here.
Printed copies will be available shortly and can be ordered at no cost by calling HUD USER at 800-245- 2691, option 1.
HUD Seeks Feedback on Needed Administrative Changes – top
Rob Prasch from Network for Oregon Affordable Housing recently attended a meeting with Carol Galante, the new HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing.
Ms. Galante encouraged housing practitioners to take the time to respond to the Notice in the Federal Register published on April 29th which requests recommendations for administrative changes HUD should consider which would make their programs work better with other programs such as the LIHTC. Carol advised the Notice goes beyond asking for recommendations specific to FHA and LIHTC programs and encouraged HUD’s practitioners to send their comments and suggestions for improving HUD MF programs.
Comments are due to HUD on June 29th. Oregon ON’s Leon Laptook will be compiling comments to submit so feel free to send him your suggestions if you like, via email or by calling (503) 335-9884. Read the Federal Register Notice by clicking here: hud-request-for-recommendations-on-procedural-changes.
New Website Eases Access to Homelessness and Poverty Resources – top
Street Roots is proud to announce the next evolution in the Rose City Resource Guide, a new website that will revolutionize the way people experiencing homelessness and poverty and social workers access services in the metro region. The new Web site — whose address will be www.rosecityresource.org — will be user-friendly with the most updated list of services and information for people living in crisis in Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
Read more by clicking here.
New Volunteer Corps Keeps People Integrated with Community, Off Streets-top
Permanently moving beyond homelessness is an overwhelming transformation for most individuals. Moving into Central City Concern (CCC) housing is step one and connecting to a healthy lifestyle is step two in the journey. To achieve lasting self-sufficiency, CCC believes it is essential for people to reintegrate with the community. A crucial step is to make positive contributions and regain self confidence by giving back. Although joining the workforce is frequently the swiftest and most powerful way back into the mainstream, some people lack the skills and confidence to immediately enter the job market.
The Community Volunteer Corps (CVC) engages such individuals in meaningful volunteer opportunities, building marketable skills while also providing avenues for them to “give back” to the community. The first group of volunteers started at the beginning of May and logged 314 hours of service during the month. Over the next three years, CVC will create opportunities for more than 500 volunteers, resulting in 40,000 hours of service to the community. Volunteer projects are arranged through partnerships with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in the Portland area.
“At our first project, the volunteers spent about four hours spreading bark dust and cleaning up an area of the park,” said Program Director Tim Larson. “At one point, a mom and her child came by to ask who we were and she thanked us for our work. That just amazed one volunteer and he became the group’s cheerleader, urging people to pick up the pace and accomplish even more. Usually, the volunteers we work with have been on the fringes of society for awhile,” said Tim. “To be acknowledged, to be thanked for doing something positive — it has a lot of impact. It’s very motivating.”
”Giving back is restorative,” said CCC Executive Director Ed Blackburn. “We believe it’s fundamental to rejoining society. We’re very excited to bring this opportunity to our residents and to the community at large.”
When volunteers enroll in CVC they make a commitment to completing the program by volunteering for 80 hours over three months. On the projects, they learn new skills, improve work habits and prepare themselves for permanent work. As Cory, a new Community Volunteer Corps member said, “I wanted to get into it because it was a way for me to get back out into the community. I thought it would be a good way for me to build some work skills – get me used to working again. Also, I’ve taken my whole life and this was a way to give something back.” Jake, another volunteer, quickly saw the potential value of his involvement toward gaining employment. “I figured it was a good way to give back to the community…. a way to make untold amends. I enjoy it. I like going out to the parks and appreciate the before and after when we’re out there. I’m also getting some new ideas as far as career change….something community related.”
Discriminatory Sit-Lie Law Temporarily Extended – top
On Wednesday May 6th, Portland’s City Council voted to temporarily extend the Sit-Lie Ordinance (14A.50.030). This means that the new sunset deadline for the ordinance will be October 23, 2009. Sisters Of The Road is working to organize the community to abolish Sit-Lie. More details and ways to get involved are available on their Take Action page and Action Info List.
First Director of New Portland Housing Bureau Announced – top
Today Portland Mayor Nick Fish announced the appointment of Margaret Van Vliet as the first Director of the new Portland Housing Bureau.
Margaret currently works for Oregon Solutions in the Hatfield School of Government at PSU, a project that applies collaborative problem solving approaches to complex public policy issues. From 2000-2008, she served as Deputy Executive Director at the Housing Authority of Portland, and from 2006 oversaw all operations and an annual budget of more than $90 million.
Margaret’s work history also includes private sector experience with First Interstate Bank of Oregon’s Corporate Banking Group, nonprofit management as director for Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, and policy work as staff to Governor Kitzhaber.
FUNDING AND AWARD OPPORTUNITIES
Addendum Is Issued Clarifying Neighborhood Stabilization Program RFP – top
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) has issued an Addendum to the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) RFP #01071 for the purposes of clarifying and amending it. To view it, please click here and scroll down to “RFP Addendum.”
The Neighborhood Stabilization Plan 1 is the federal program to fund the purchase of bank-owned foreclosed properties under last year’s Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Grant agreements totaling some $11.4 million have been sent to guaranteed sub-recipients in the entitlement areas of Oregon where foreclosure blight is greatest. A request for proposals has been delivered to OHCS partners throughout the state where approximately $4 million in NSP1 funds will be spent to end foreclosure blight. OHCS is working with affected communities to apply for the competitive NSP2 money. It authorizes foreclosure blight relief under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
Simplified Prequalification Proposed for Multifamily Weatherization – top
The Department of Energy is proposing to allow multi-unit buildings with HUD or LIHTC assistance (not USDA) to qualify for the Weatherization Assistance Program without an extensive application process. The funds include $4.5 billion in HUD capital funds for public and Native American housing and $250 million to retrofit privately owned, federally assisted housing.
In addition, DOE has issued a notice of the proposed rules for eliminating duplicative income verification requirements that would make it easier for affordable housing providers to access $5 billion in DOE Weatherization Assistance program funding. The notice was published in the Federal Register on May 21, 2009.
Comments are due June 22 and should reference the regulatory information number (RIN) 1904-AB-97. To submit comments see Federal Register, 5/21/09; go to www.regulations.gov and enter (RIN) 1904-AB-97; or submit them via email and include the RIN in the subject line. You may also contact Gil Sperling, DOE, 202-586-1510, or via email.
Lead Hazard Control Grants Available to State, Tribal, Local Governments – top
$117M in grants are being offered to state and local governments through HUD’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control and Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Programs. Applicants for this funding may be state, tribal or local governments. The deadline for applying for a grant is July 20. See Federal Register, 5/22/09, click here, or contact Warren Friedman, HUD, 202-402-7574.
Small Business Administration’s PRIME Program RFP Closes July 15 – top
The Small Business Administration has announced the RFP for the PRIME (Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs) program funding. Note that the program is being run as a national program, meaning that Oregon service providers are eligible to apply.
Grants are for microenterprise organizations that provide any or all of the following services:
• Training and technical assistance to very low-income entrepreneurs.
• Capacity-building services to microenterprise development organizations.
• In addition, SBA is also looking for applicants to pursue research and development of best practices in the field of microenterprise and technical assistance for disadvantaged entrepreneurs.
Quick Facts
• Maximum Grant: $250,000 per year, for up to five years
• Targeted Assistance: Minimum of 50% of funds must be used to benefit very low-income persons
• Closing Date: July 15, 2009
• Match Requirements: In general, a 50% match is required. SBA may reduce or eliminate match in certain circumstances.
To learn more about the SBA PRIME grant announcement, click here. Questions concerning technical requirements should be directed to the SBA Microenterprise Development Branch at 202.205.6490.
Benefit CPAH When You Go to the Tigard Festival of Balloons – June 19 – top
For folks interested in heading out to the Tigard Festival of Balloons next Friday, June 19, there is an opportunity to support Community Partners for Affordable Housing! The weekend-long family festival includes hot balloon launches, live music, a soccer tournament, arts and crafts vendors, a carnival fun center, business expos, a community stage and more.
To help CPAH, purchase a Friday June 19 admission pass and unlimited carnival rides online for a discounted rate of $18, with $3 per ticket sold going to CPAH. Here’s how:
1. Go to www.tigardballoon.org
2. Click on the ‘What is happening’ link on the left side menu
3. Select Z100 Friday Pass
4. Click on the link that says Buy Tickets Now
5. Make sure to select Community Partners for Affordable Housing from the drop down menu when checking-out so they can be credited for the ticket sale. Thank you!
RESOURCES, CONFERENCES AND TRAININGS
NAYA Offers Free Post Secondary, Vocational, Financial Wellness Ed - top
Working with a client that just had their financial aid reduced? NAYA Family Center in Portland is currently accepting applications for clients interested in Post Secondary and Vocational Education Program Individual Development Accounts (IDA). The IDA is designed to assist low to moderate income clients obtain assets, including education, by matching client savings 3:1. Clients have the potential to save $740 (for 6-12 months) and NAYA will match it at a 3:1 rate-$740 X $2,220= $2,960 towards post secondary education or a vocational training program.
Clients must be: Oregon Residents, at least 18 years old, have a net worth of less than $20,000, have the ability and desire to save, and have a qualifying household income (80% or below median family income in your county). Education IDA clients work with NAYA’s Achievement Coach on a 1:1 basis to achieve their goals. Please note that IDAs cannot be used to pay for previously accrued debt.
IDA cilents attending higher education for the first time are required to attend NAYA’s Education Class (description below). Successfully completion of the Financial Wellness class (description below) is a requirement for all IDA clients. For more information about the IDA Program please call: Irena Solomon, IDA Intake Specialist 503-288-8177 ext. 280.
To sign up for 1:1 Financial Coaching or NAYA’s Financial Wellness Class, please call: Ben Helgren, Financial Skills Coach, ext. 273. To sign up for 1:1 Education Coaching or NAYA’s Education Class, please call: Debra Clayton, Achievement Coach, ext. 296.
Financial Wellness Class Description
4-Week Series starting Mondays: August 3, 10, 17, 24
All classes are from 6:00 pm – 8:00pm
FREE Service, RSVP Required
Contact: Ben Helgren, Financial Skills Coach
Location: NAYA Family Center 5135 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland OR, 97218
Click here to email benh@nayapdx.org (P) 503.288.8177 x 273
Class description: “Interested in learning how to make your hard earned dollar stretch? Are you feeling overwhelmed by bills and collection agency calls? Tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck? NAYA’s Financial Skills Coach can help bring peace of mind back to your life by helping you: make small adjustments in your spending to save money, check your credit and fix credit challenges, find a realistic budget to live on, understand confusing financial statements, and calculate interest and charges on a car, house or education loan. These are just a few of the many vital financial wellness services provided. When you call Ben Helgren for questions or to make an appointment, you will be greeted warmly and feel comforted in knowing your financial situation and challenges will be met with a non-judgmental and helpful manner and is confidential. No matter your age, educational background or financial situation, he is here to help you realize your goals and calm your financial stress.”
Education Class Description
2-Week series starting Mondays: July 20th and 27th
All classes are from 6:00 pm – 8:00pm
FREE Service, RSVP Required
Contact: Debra Clayton, Achievement Coach
Location: NAYA Family Center 5135 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland OR, 97218
Click here to email debrac@nayapdx.org (P) 503.288.8177 x 296
Class description: “Thinking about going to college or entering a vocational training program for the first time? Our Achievement Coach is here to help you navigate the educational system by providing you 1:1 support by: helping you complete your FAFSA application, identifying scholarships, identifying what type of higher education program is right for you, answering questions about signing up for classes, and encourage you on your pathway to higher education. Our Achievement Coach is here to answer any questions you have using a client goal centered coaching approach in a non judgemental manner. Don’t let college intimidate you, we are here to help!”
HAC Offers Summer CHDO Trainings – top
“Becoming a High Performing CHDO” is scheduled for June 25 in Colorado Springs. This one day training on Becoming A High Performing CHDO will help CHDO staff navigate their way to success in a changing environment that is placing increasing pressure to perform in the HOME program. It will also assist potential CHDOs to understand the environment in which they will be operating and the expectations that accompany the CHDO designation. Limited travel scholarships are available.
“Single-Family Housing Development” and “Advanced Financial Management” will be held July 29-30 in Burlington, Vermont and August 5-6 in Boise. “Building HOME for CHDOs and Nonprofits” and “Fitting the Pieces Together” (combining HOME and private financing for homeownership) are set for July 15-16 in Orlando and August 12-13 in Milwaukee. Limited travel scholarships are available.
For details and to register online, click here. Contact Dan Stern via email, or 202-842-8600.
Free Labor Trainings June 24, June 30 – top
HUD and the U.S. Department of Labor will conduct free, all-day training for contractors on the “ins and outs” of Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage rates, the Contract Work Act’s overtime requirements and the Copeland Act’s restrictions on payroll reductions on June 24th at the Oregon Association of General Contractors building at SW Commerce Circle in Wilsonville and on June 30th at the Washington Association of General Contractors building on Westlake Avenue in Seattle. For more about the Portland training, contact HUD Portland’s Bill Toxvard at 971/222-2607 and for more about the Seattle training, contact HUD Seattle’s Jim Harrell at 206/220-5378.
New Items Added to NLIHC’s ARRA Clearinghouse – top
NLIHC continues to expand the content of its new ARRA Clearinghouse, an ongoing collection of information about the 12 housing-related economic stimulus programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). As HUD, DOE, and national or regional organizations post new material, we will add them to the Clearinghouse.
New links have been added (for example, look for ‘Added 5/20/2009’) to Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to the ARRA components of the CDBG, Green Retrofit (GRP), and Public Housing Capital Fund programs, as well as links to recent HUD webcasts and powerpoints about eight of the ARRA housing-related programs. Look for the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association’s summary of and set of concerns about the Tax Credit Assistance Program (TCAP) and Tax Credit Exchange Program (TCEP). Enterprise Community Partners has a webpage devoted to Neighborhood Stabilization, at where there is a summary of the NSP2 NOFA and a summary of the changes to the NSP program as reflected in the NSP2 NOFA.
The ARRA Clearinghouse is at http://nlihc.org/template/page.cfm?id=207
Innovative Housing, Inc. receives grants from OCF – top
Innovative Housing, Inc. (IHI) is the recipient of a $23,000 grant from the Betty Lou Roberts Fund and a $2,000 grant from the Robert McMahon Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation to support the expansion of Innovative Housing’s School and Community Success Program. These grants enable IHI to increase housing stability and academic success for students and families living in IHI’s affordable housing sites. They do this by working closely with parents, students, community partners, and schools to retain students in school, increase parent participation in their children’s education, and provide students with the supports they need to increase overall academic success.
According to Jeff Anderson, Senior Program Officer at Oregon Community Foundation, “Innovative Housing’s pilot partnership with Jason Lee Elementary School has helped students from low-income and minority families to perform better in school and has also encouraged greater family stability. OCF is pleased to help replicate this research-based program at other proposed sites in Gresham, Aloha, and Troutdale: “We look forward to hearing results from the new sites and to learning more about effective ways to promote student success.”
The mission of Innovative Housing, Inc. is to develop, preserve, and operate high-quality, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households and to help its residents maintain their housing stability, improve their quality of life, and break the cycle of poverty.
The mission of the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awards more than $60 million annually in grants and scholarships.
The Foundation makes grants through an application process that involves local citizens in the review and evaluation of requests for funds. Application materials are available through the foundation’s Portland office. Individuals or businesses interested in establishing a fund may contact the Portland office at 1221 SW Yamhill, Suite 100, Portland OR 97205, 503.227.6486.
