Oregon ON the Beat – January 12, 2012
Oregon’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Digest
Oregon ON News
Please Save the Dates! Spring, Fall Conference and Gala
Starting the Year Off Right – Thanks Renewing Members
Is Affordable Housing Important to You? Tell Metro
New Phone System, New Web Design, New Enews Format
Member Events
Central City Concern Slum Dog Millionaire Benefit – Tomorrow Jan 13
Text to Help NHA Win Merch for Family Shelter – Now -Jan 20
Join PCRI and be a Portland Trailblazers Community All Star – Feb 6
Teach Your Kids About Money with Innovative Change$ – Feb 7
Cascadia Emerging Professionals to Team up with PCRI – Feb 7
Habitat Plays Match Maker – Feb 11
REACH, CCC at Passive House Conference in Portland – March 2
Dance with PCRI at a Dazzling 20th Anniversary Gala – March 31
Member News
NeighborImpact Weatherization Boosts Central Oregon Economy
New NAYA College and Career Center!
NAYA, CCLT and Proud Ground Again Benefit from Wells Grant
PCRI joins Alberta Main Street for Improvements
Enterprise Announces New Website
NeighborWorks Umpqua receives $50,000 from Wells Fargo
SVdP Partners with Umpqua Bank, Others to Gift Families
OMEN has New Director Contact
SVdP in on $3.3M in FHLB Affordable Housing Program Grants
Portland Housing Center Receives Wells Grant
REACH Turns 30! 1,000 New Homes, Party in the Fall
Chase starts Construction of New Downtown Bank Branch
Smokefree Housing as Social Justice
Rachel Bristol to Retire from Oregon Food Bank
Wells Fargo’s Judith Olsen Leaves for Impact Capital in Seattle
Year-End Letter from SVdP’s Terry McDonald
Member Media Coverage
Five Story Affordable Housing Project Planned for Outer NE Glisan
Central Oregon Needs More Affordable Housing
Greenroofs Project of the Week: The Ramona Apartments
McMinnville Habitat Project has Neighbors on Edge
Chaucer Court Apartment Renovation Getting Finishing Touches
Colas, Oden-Orr Appointed to OR Construction Contractors Board
First, a Place of Their Own
Calling on Portlanders to Help the Homeless
Bud Clark Commons: A Community on Common Ground
JOIN’s Immersions, in The Advocate
Funding and Award Opportunities
OCF Support for Local Programs in Oregon – Feb 1, Aug 1
Employment Programs for People with Disabilities Funded – Feb 3
Consolidated Funding Cycle – Training Jan 26, Due March 30
Ben and Jerry’s Social Change Initiatives – rolling
One Fun Thing
WRAP Dares You . . .
Oregon ON News
Please Save the Dates! Spring, Fall Conference and Gala - top
Please mark your calendar for three important Oregon ON events in 2012:
1. Spring 2012 Industry Support Conference will be held in Eugene, May 16 at the Lane Community College Center for Meeting & Learning. Join 200-300 of Oregon’s most involved affordable housing and community development practitioners and receive the most current and relevant technical and best practices training.
2. Annual Awards Gala will be held in Portland, Monday, September 24, 2012 at the Red Lion on the River. Join Oregon ON as we reaffirm our shared vision for a powerful, unified affordable housing and community development industry in Oregon, at the Annual Awards Gala!
3. Fall Industry Support Conference will be held Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at the Red Lion on the River.
Please check back soon for registration and agenda information. To learn more about the Industry Support Program and Conferences, please contact Terrie Hendrickson via email or at (503) 223-4041. For more information about the Gala and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Orion Lumiere at via email or call (503) 223-4041.
Starting the Year Off Right – Thanks Renewing Members - top
January is an important membership renewal month for Oregon ON. We would be unable do our work without the support and participation of our membership. A huge thanks to renewing members Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Inc. (CPAH), Home Forward, Farmworker Housing Development Corporation, Portland Housing Center, Proud Ground, Mercy Corps NW, Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO), REACH Community Development, Inc., ROSE CDC, Salem-Keizer Community Development Corporation, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc., Miller Nash LLP, Nick Sauvie, Leslie Schwarz, and William Wilson Architects!
Is Affordable Housing Important to You? Tell Metro - top
Opt In, an online opinion forum, is an excellent way for Portland metro residents to let Metro, our regional government, know what our priorities are in important decisions such as land use and transportation. Is affordable housing important to you? Tell Metro! Click here to sign up for Opt In. [Editor's note - it is amazing how you can include affordable housing in almost any Opt In survey when you put your mind to it . . 
]
As part of our partnership with Opt In, Oregon ON has reached out to our Resident Services Working Group and RSWG Managers group to encourage residents of affordable housing to Opt In. Metro is very interested in ensuring that residents’ opinions are heard in Opt In, and so are we.
To facilitate that, we are using funding from Metro to provide Resident Services programs with gift card door prizes to residents who attend Opt In info sessions. So far, ROSE CDC, REACH, Innovative Housing Inc. and Human Solutions have signed up or participated, with more to come.
We’d love to include your organization’s Residents Services program! If you are interested in learning more, please contact Terrie Hendrickson at 503-223-4041 or via email.
New Phone System, New Web Design, New Enews Format - top
Tomorrow (January 1/13/11) we will be delighted to begin operating a new phone system, complete with proper extensions. Please use our main number, 503-223-4041, followed by extensions for individual staffers:
John . . . . . . x 101
Terrie. . . . . . x 102
Orion. . . . . . x 103
Ruth .. . . . . . x 104
Renae. . . . . . x 105
Other changes . .. in the next week, our website will look a little different. We have rearranged our homepage to be more useful, dynamic, attractive, and to better highlight our members and partners. Internal page structure changes will soon follow. Our masthead links and Member log-in pages will remain largely unchanged. As you navigate around, please tell us what you think.
Later this month, we will also begin using a new blog format for our enews. You 
may have noticed our new Mail Chimp enews delivery system, debuted on Dec. 22.>
The new blog format means that we will be able to post enews submissions as they are sent, and readers will be able to sign up for an RSS feed.
What will be the same: We will continue to send out an Oregon ON the Beat digest enews every two weeks via Mail Chimp, with a digest of the stories from the last two weeks, looking much like the current enews. Each enewsletter edition will also continue to be archived on our site.
What will be different: when you click on a story headline, it will take you to a blog page with all the other stories in that category (matching our current enews sections like “Member News,” & “Events”) instead of one giant enews page.
What will be nicer: We hope the new format will be more navigable, less overwhelming, and easier to search for information by topic (i.e. “Research,” “Trainings and Conferences.”) That being said, because of Mail Chimp’s capabilities,
We hope you like the change! As always, we appreciate your feedback.
Member Events
Central City Concern Slum Dog Millionaire Benefit – Tomorrow Jan 13 - top
Remember this dance number from the movie Slumdog Millionaire? Learn it, have a great Friday night and benefit Central City Concern at the same time! This Friday at the Crystal Ballroom at 1332 W. Burnside. Starts at 9 p.m.
Jai Ho!
Text to Help NHA Win Merch for Family Shelter – Now -Jan 20 - top
IKEA of Portland has chosen Northwest Housing Alternatives, Inc.’s Annie Ross House to participate in a community vote to win $10,000 of IKEA merchandise to furnish and improve our emergency family shelter.
Please take a moment to TEXT “LIFE90” to phone number “62345” and a vote is counted for the Annie Ross House.
Best of all, you can vote once a day from 1/6-1/20!
Winning free furnishings will help us save money and help more Oregon families transition from homelessness in 2012. Over 40 families made up of over 125 people come through the Annie Ross House every year and we are in constant need of new furnishings.
For more information, please visit our website www.nwhousing.org
Join PCRI and be a Portland Trailblazers Community All Star – Feb 6 - top
Surely you’ve noticed that the Portland Trailblazers are undefeated at home so far this year. Join the Trailblazers and Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) on February 6 to team up as the Blazers’ Community All Star for the night.
While the games so far this season have been exciting, they’ll be nothing compared to the Community All Star game against Oklahoma City Thunder (who, incidentally, the Blazers recently beat on Oklahoma’s home court)!
PCRI is offering benefit tickets to the Blazers game on February 6 at 7:00 p.m. For every $36 ticket sold, 20% comes back to PCRI to support the community reinvestment, individualized resident services programs and affordable housing that we provide to help individuals and families stabilize their lives and achieve self sufficiency.
Pass along the word to your friends and family today – the quantity of tickets is limited. Email PCRI or give Ben a call soon at (503) 288-2923 to reserve yours!
Teach Your Kids About Money with Innovative Change$ – Feb 7 - top
Tuesday, February 7th 2012, 6pm-7pm, Lloyd Center Mall, Suite 2011
One of the best gifts you can give your children is teaching them the skills to manage money. Passing on good money management habits is a concrete way that you can set your children up for a successful future; even if you are living on a tight budget. In this workshop Innovative Change$ will discuss key ways to get your finances in order so you can serve as a model for your children. We will also cover activities and tips for teaching your kids about money and ways to save for all the extra expenses that come with having a kid (back to school, birthdays, college, etc.). It’s never too early to start learning and never too late to start teaching! Now’s the time to start your kids on a path to success!
This seminar is $5. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify. To Register: call or email Talia at (503)-249-5205/email.
Upcoming Financial Household Resiliency Workshops:
We will hold our winter round of FHR workshops every Tuesday from February 1st to February 22nd, 5:30-7:30pm.
- Tuesday, February 1st, 5:30-730pm: Making Ends Meet
- Tuesday, February 8th, 5:30-730pm: Budgeting and Saving
- Tuesday, February 15th, 5:30-730pm: Hands-On Banking
- Tuesday, February 22nd, 5:30-730pm: Building, Repairing and Protecting Credit
Our classes and seminar will be held at our Lloyd Center office:
3rd Floor of the Lloyd Center Mall (near Nordstroms), 2011 Lloyd Center.
To Register: call or email Talia at (503)-249-5205/email.
The classes and the seminar are open to everyone. The classes can be taken individually or as a series. They are $5 each and $15 for all four classes. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify.
Cascadia Emerging Professionals to Team up with PCRI – Feb 7 - top
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) is excited to announce a new partnership with the Cascadia Green Building Council’s Emerging Professionals! In February 2012, the Cascadia Chapter of Emerging Professionals will join PCRI for a hands-on volunteer project. The Emerging Professionals volunteers will complete home performance testing, efficiency upgrades and other refurbishments in one of PCRI’s affordable rental homes.
Want to get involved or learn more? Join the Emerging Professionals at their monthly meet-up, Tuesday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby. PCRI staff and Emerging Professionals organizers will be on hand to share details and enroll volunteers. We’ll also post additional details (including the exact project date—we’re currently looking at either February 25 or 26) on the PCRI News blog and on PCRI’s events calendar.
Habitat Plays Match Maker – Feb 11 - top
What: Habitat’s most popular build day is back again for another match making 
extravaganza on the construction site! Join 20 single men and 20 single women for a day of meeting new people, building homes for a cause, learning savvy new skills and more. A donation of $20 per person covers the cost of building materials used through the day and includes lunch on site, a sweet Habitat T-shirt and fun games to help introduce you to other singles.
When: February 11, 2012 – 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Where: The day will start at Victoria Cottages Build site: SE 204th and SE Stark Street in Gresham. After the build we will have an optional Happy Hour at a location TBD.
How to Sign Up: For more information about the event click here: http://habitatportlandmetro.org/about-us/calendar-of-events/?event_id=246
You can also sign up right away through our online volunteer sign up site: http://pdxhabitat.volunteerhub.com/SignIn.aspx
REACH, CCC at Passive House Conference in Portland – March 2 - top
Passive House Northwest’s educational conference will be Friday, March 2nd at Portland State University’s University Place.
The Conference will feature Jerry Yudelson, renowned green building expert, on “Climbing the Summit to Passive and Zero Energy Buildings!”. Mr. Yudelson has written twelve books on green building in the US and Europe, particularly on zero energy buildings and Passive House construction. He is a leading authority on green development and marketing green buildings.
Other presentations on Opportunities and Challenges to meeting the Passive House Standard include—
Money: Is Passive House a Good Investment?
- Commercial real estate investor Mark Jewell’s analysis of the financial performance of commercial buildings meeting the Passive House Standard.
- Dee Walsh of REACH Community Development, Inc. on analysis and decision-making in developing affordable housing projects to Passive House Standard.
- Central City Concern’s report on renovating its Hatfield Building to the Passive House Standard.
Monitoring: How Do We Prove Passive House Performance?
- Best Practices In Performance Monitoring High-Performance and Passive House Buildings and Initial Results from Monitoring By:
- David Sailor, Portland State University’s Green Building Research Laboratory
- Jeremy Fisher, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Luke Howard, WSU Extension Energy Program
- Thorsten Chlupp, Cold Climate Housing Research Center
Regional Passive House Project Updates
Who should attend?
This event is aimed at seasoned practitioners of green building and low energy buildings as well as those just beginning to be interested in these approaches. Attendees include builders, developers, architects, engineers, teachers, professors, realtors, investors, media representatives, and interested others. There will be a mix of beginning and advanced presentations and discussions that will enable attendees to advance their knowledge, understanding, connections, and networking related to this relatively new and thoroughly exciting form of building that is beginning to transform how we view our built environment.
Dance with PCRI at a Dazzling 20th Anniversary Gala – March 31 - top
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) is preparing an exciting 20th Anniversary gala to celebrate two decades of service 
to the Portland community. Our gala event, Dancing with the Stars Portland will be a dazzling ballroom dancing competition pairing Portland stars (including OHCS Director/former Portland Housing Bureau Director Margaret Van Vliet and Oregon ON all-star Brian Stewart of JPMorgan Chase) with professional dancers from Fred Astaire Dance Studio.
This gala event, to be held March 31, 2012, promises to be a fun and festive evening, connecting and engaging community members and benefiting PCRI. In addition to the graceful and dramatic moves of the dancers, the evening will feature a lively reception, auction, cocktails and a gourmet plated dinner at the Portland Doubletree at Lloyd Center. All of the funds raised from the event will be directly utilized to preserve PCRI’s existing affordable rental homes, develop new homes for affordable rental and homeownership opportunities and expand PCRI’s award-winning, culturally-specific resident services programs.
Visit www.pcrigala.org to Register today … or visit the Get Involved page to learn more ways you can participate!
Member News
NeighborImpact Weatherization Boosts Central Oregon Economy - top
Recently, NeighborImpact’s weatherization program was awarded a one-time grant of approximately $1.1 million to install photovoltaic solar panels on low income homes in Central Oregon. After a statewide competitive bid process, NeighborImpact selected local contractor E2 Solar to install solar panels on multi-family complexes in Bend and in Madras.
It is anticipated that 84 households will save approximately $300 a year on their energy bills, a total savings of $25,186 annually that can be spent on other household needs. The solar project created four new full time positions at E2 Solar, and will be completed by the end of March 2012. Funding source is the U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Trust of Oregon is also contributing funding to the project.
New NAYA College and Career Center! - top
The Native American Youth and Family Center is excited to announce the grand opening of the College and Career Center!
Our youth will have access to laptops and computers; books and research materials on everything from careers to college entrance test preparation materials; as well as one-on-one mentors and staff support. We not only want to give our youth important tools to pursue their aspirations, but also create and foster a college going culture.
Alma Franco (Yakima/Colville), Early College Academy 2011 graduate, once remarked, “I never really saw myself as college material, but with everyone asking about my plans after graduation and telling me that I had it in me to go to college, I knew it was possible.”
Today, Alma is a Portland State University diversity enrichment scholar, pursuing a degree in psychology and Native American studies. Students, like Alma, helped us to recognize the growing demand for a college and career center.
“I would plan to accomplish things during College Nights because I knew that I would have a lot of resources there. College Nights have been really helpful and I hope that they continue.”
The College and Career Center will provide ongoing College Nights, workshops for parents and students, Financial Aid Nights and assistance with applying for admissions and scholarships.
To learn more about the center or how to become a mentor, please contact Tamara Henderson at (503) 288-8177 ext. 296 or via email.
NAYA, CCLT and Proud Ground Again Benefit from Wells Grant - top
Wells Fargo’s $200,000 donation to nonprofit groups in Portland area will help37 low-income families buy affordable homes and stabilize neighborhoods
Thirty-seven low-income families will be able to buy affordable homes in the Portland metro area, thanks to $200,000 in grants from Wells Fargo.
The grants to three local nonprofit groups – NAYA, CCLT and Proud Ground – are part of the company’s Priority Markets program, Wells Fargo’s nationwide effort to increase the availability of affordable housing while stabilizing and rebuilding distressed neighborhoods. In 2010 Wells Fargo donated $5 million through this program, including $150,000 to the same three Portland-area organizations.
Proud Ground will share $124,000 with Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA Family Center). Both groups are in Portland. They will use the funds to buy and renovate approximately 23 foreclosed houses. NAYA Family Center will coordinate the renovation work into its job training program.
Wells Fargo will also donate $76,000 to Clackamas Community Land Trust in Gladstone, which will use the funds to help buy and renovate 14 foreclosed houses.
The three groups will then sell the renovated homes at affordable prices to low- and moderate-income buyers. The homes will be permanently affordable due to the organizations’ unique shared-equity model of homeownership, which ensures a growing supply of homes that will be affordable for generations to come.
“Wells Fargo is a vital partner to Proud Ground and all organizations that work to make homeownership affordable for hard-working families in our community,” said Proud Ground Executive Director Jesse Beason. “The families who will be served thanks to this grant will not only realize their dreams of homeownership, they will also have access to the stability and wealth-building opportunities that come with owning a home of your own – benefiting those families and our community.”
“We will work with these three groups to put foreclosed homes back on the market, which will stabilize and rebuild neighborhoods and increase the amount of affordable housing in our community,” said Don Pearson, Wells Fargo’s regional president of Oregon and Southwest Washington. “We want to do what we can to support efforts by nonprofits to revitalize our communities that have experienced financial difficulties.”
The $200,000 is among the 52 Priority Market grants totaling $5.53 million awarded by the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation. In the past three years Wells Fargo has contributed more than $40.8 million to community revitalization programs nationally.
Grant recipients were selected from requests submitted by local team members and nonprofits Wells Fargo identified as being in need of extra help with large-scale neighborhood revitalization projects. Priority Markets Initiative Program grants can be used for any costs associated with the development or redevelopment of the project except advertising and marketing.
PCRI joins Alberta Main Street for Improvements - top
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives (PCRI) and Colas Construction recently finished exterior improvements at the Maggie Gibson Plaza, located on the corner of NE Alberta Street and NE 17th Avenue.
The most visible improvement is the building’s new paint job along Alberta Street (don’t worry, we kept the Cycling Center mural!). As part of the Alberta Main Street Façade Improvement Program, which provided a portion of the upgrade funding, we incorporated some other meaningful improvements too. Those improvements included new energy-efficient lighting—now controlled by a more reliable and efficient light sensor—and a new, more prominent sign above the center windows of the building.
One of PCRI’s residential/commercial properties, Maggie Gibson provides affordable housing to several households and also contains neighborhood businesses, including Community Cycling Center (whose Holiday Bike Drive provided bicycles to several PCRI kids in December 2011–check out the oh-so-cute photos HERE), as well as Shape It Up Hair Salon, and Mimosa “Paint Your Own Pottery” Studios.
Enterprise Announces New Website - top
As Enterprise celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2012, we have also launched a redesigned website. We’ve integrated Enterprise’s wealth of information and resources into one interactive, intuitive and easy-to-navigate portal. This new website includes an expanded Policy and Advocacy webpage, which can serve as a daily source of housing and community development news. The site also includes new issue-specific web pages, legislative tracking and advocacy tools, and information on ongoing campaigns and coalitions.
Visit Enterprise’s redesigned website for all the tools and resources you need to meet your community’s needs. Same URL. Brand new experience.
NeighborWorks Umpqua receives $50,000 from Wells Fargo - top
Money to be used to help Southern Oregon residents avoid foreclosure
Roseburg, OR – Wells Fargo has donated $50,000 to the nonprofit NeighborWorks Umpquato help residents in Douglas, Coos and Curry Counties avoid foreclosure.
Based in Roseburg, the agency will use the funds to provide a wide range of foreclosure housing counseling activities, including foreclosure mitigation, reverse mortgage counseling, foreclosure intervention and mortgage payment assistance.
Information about the services can be obtained by calling 541-673-4909 or toll free at 877-291-5477.
“We are grateful to Wells Fargo,” said Betty Tamm, Neighborworks Umpqua executive director. “They know how tough it can be for a nonprofit group to obtain funding and they made it happen. This grant will enable us to fund operations to help local residents avoid foreclosure and remain in their homes.”
In the past 20 years Neighborworks Umpqua has brought in more than $100 million in investments to the community from private individuals, public funds and companies, built hundreds of apartments and dozens of homes for low income families, and helped hundreds of families avoid foreclosure.
“Wells Fargo believes in investing in and supporting the communities where we do business,” said Kim Katic, Wells Fargo’s District Manager for Roseburg. “We partner with agencies such as Neighborworks Umpqua that share our goals of improving our communities. Foreclosure is the very last thing we ever want to see. We feel it’s bad for the homeowner, their neighborhood, the community and the region.”
Neighborworks Umpqua was created in 1991 to develop affordable housing for low and moderate income residents in Douglas County. In 1999 it added community-based economic development to its mission and expanded its service area to include Coos and Curry counties. More information is at www.nwumpqua.org.
Serving Oregonians since 1852, Wells Fargo is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores; 12,000 ATMs; the Internet (wellsfargo.com); and other distribution channels across North America and internationally.
SVdP Partners with Umpqua Bank, Others to Gift Families - top
As the holidays approach, Mia Russo stands at the intersection of children’s expectations and the ability of low-income parents to meet them. She faces the traffic boldly, knowing that times are as tough as they’ve ever been for folks in Lane County, but if she just keeps collecting kids’ wish lists and contacting past sponsors, miracles will follow.
And they did. In one case the long-reluctant husband of an established sponsor brought his entire business team on board to provide Christmas for a family. In all, the wish lists were filled for 170 families, including 289 children. Twenty seniors also received gifts.
Among them was Travis, the father of two girls, ages 6 and 3. The family has lived in St. Vincent de Paul’s affordable housing for the past three years.
A convenience-store clerk, Travis said his 2011 income was about half that of 2010. He still had the artificial tree from last year, but he doubted there would be much underneath.
That was before Travis and Alicia, 6, arrived at Mia’s Holiday Joy headquarters and beheld the pile of gifts rolled their way in a grocery cart. Alicia was delighted to find a big one bearing her name.
“This will make a great big difference for us,” Travis said. “I couldn’t have imagined that there would be that much. This will make the kids feel so much better.”
 |
| Mia Russo helps Edna and Phil Gori unload the Holiday Joy gifts provided by St. Mark Catholic Church. |
In Travis’s case the donor was Umpqua Bank, one of 44 sponsoring businesses, individuals, organizations, and faith communities that said “yes” this fall when contacted about the Holiday Joy program.
Mia called her role “refreshing and uplifting.”
“Among all the chaos and distress in the world, it’s amazing to be a part of such joy and hope,” she said. “This program makes my Christmas brighter.”
After the holidays, Mia returns to her regular job is as Resident Services Coordinator one of SVdP’s affordable housing complexes. The focus is still on kids, though, as she supervises Homework Club during the school year and Summer Camp, with its many field trips, swim sessions, and picnics.
Alicia is one of those kids. Travis noted that under regular circumstances he couldn’t afford most of the activities. “It’s all good stuff,” he said.
“Alicia won’t wake up for school, but she wakes up for Summer Camp.”
OMEN has New Director Contact - top
The OMEN Board announced on 1/3/11 that Valerie Plummer is no longer the executive director of OMEN. In the immediate future, the contact is Leanne Murray, Assistant Director. You may also contact members of the executive committee:
- President – Danny Crossman
- Vice-President – Kathleen Flanagan
- Secretary – Sanford Maddox
- Treasurer – Stephen Green
General inquiries or newsletter subscriptions may be directed to info@oregon-microbiz.org.
SVdP in on $3.3M in FHLB Affordable Housing Program Grants - top
Seven developments/renovations have been awarded a total of $3.3 million in Affordable Housing Program funds by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle.
Awardees include St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc.’s development of 19 units of permanent and transitional housing for veterans in Eugene, The Coquille Housing Authority’s roof rehabilitation project, the rehabilitation of the St. Joseph’s Shelter in Mt. Angel, the Yakima YWCA’s Almost Home housing for homeless families, the Kennewick Housing Authority’s renovation of a fire-damaged duplex to house homeless families, the Women’s Resource Center of North Central Washington’s development of 16 apartments for the mentally-ill homeless people in Wenatchee, and the Longview Housing Authority’s development of 20 apartments for veterans.
Bank partners involved in the project include Sterling Savings Bank, Umpqua Bank, Yakima Federal Savings & Loan, Banner Bank and Twin City Bank. Four other projects – Community Development Inc.’s Silver Creek development in Post Falls, Accessible Living Inc.’s Sherwood Forest Senior Community, Spokane Housing Ventures Broadwing Apartments in Liberty Lake and Washington State Housing Finance Commission’s HomeChoice Downpayment Assistance Program p were also selected as “alternate projects” that, explained the Bank, “may be funded if sufficient AHP subsidy becomes available.” The Bank received 28 applications for AHP funding this year.
Portland Housing Center Receives Wells Grant - top
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage donated $3,000 each to the nonprofit Portland Housing Center and ClearPoint Credit Counseling Solutions in Portland.
In the photo at right, Felicia Tripp of the Housing Center (second from right) meets with Mortgage team members, left to right: ChiEn Montero, Kurt Hill and Mark Haldeman. Both agencies provide counseling services to help homeowners succeed financially.
REACH Turns 30! 1,000 New Homes, Party in the Fall - top
It’s hard to believe, but REACH is turning 30! From our modest beginnings in 1982, REACH Community Development, Inc. has grown into one of the most trusted community development organizations in the state of Oregon . Turning 30 is a big milestone – and we want to celebrate! Our goal is to build a new home for REACH, and 1,000 new homes for our community (either through new construction or acquisition) by the end of 2015.
We are well on our way to achieving this ambitious goal. Construction on our new “home” has begun at “Block 49.” In 2012, a new, permanent name will be chosen for Block 49, which will house 209 new affordable apartments, and REACH’s new headquarters!
Throughout 2012, we want to offer you lots of ways to be involved in helping us provide 1,000 more safe and affordable homes for our community.
For one, an anniversary of this size calls for a celebration! We’re planning a party for the fall that highlights the impact REACH has had on our community, and what the next 30 years look like! Watch this space for sponsorship opportunities and how you can be involved . . click here to read more.
Chase starts Construction of New Downtown Bank Branch - top
By Lee Fehrenbacher, DJC Oregon, January 11, 2012
JP Morgan Chase started construction this week on a new Chase bank branch in Southwest Portland. Located at 2121 S.W. Fourth Ave., the 7,457-square-foot space composes the entire ground floor of the building. Unitus Credit Union previously occupied the space. Read more>>
Smokefree Housing as Social Justice - top
By Becky Wright, Multnomah County Health Department | Community Wellness & Prevention Program
We all want a community where everyone has a safe and healthy place to live. We all have a role and responsibility in protecting the most vulnerable, especially children and chronically ill, from known dangers such as secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, many people who find themselves in dire need of safe housing are disproportionately the most impacted by the health effects of smoking, including children and minorities.
Click here: Smokefree Housing as Social Justice to read a brief on tobacco-related health disparities, and how smokefree housing can reduce health disparities for people of color. Thank you Multnomah County for your important work.
Rachel Bristol to Retire from Oregon Food Bank - top
Portland Business Journal, January 5, 2012
Rachel Bristol will retire as CEO of the Oregon Food Bank at the end of June.
[Thank you for your amazing work, Rachel, and congratulations on your retirement!]
The food bank sits at the center of a statewide network of agencies providing hunger-relief in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Few have played a larger role in serving needy residents than Bristol, who joined what was then called Oregon Food Share in 1983 as a volunteer. She soon became acting executive director.
Oregon Food Share merged with Interagency Food Bank to form the Oregon Food Bank in 1988. Bristol became executive director in 1990 and CEO in 1995.
She is one of Oregon’s most honored nonprofit leaders. The University of Portland presented her with an honorary doctorate of public service and the Paul G. Allen Foundation gave her its 2010 Founders Award.
Bristol helmed the food bank through successful capital campaigns that allowed it to grow from one 10,000-square-foot facility to four facilities with more than 155,000 square feet, allowing it to more than triple its distribution network in just a decade.
The food bank’s board of directors has created a task force to conduct a national search for a new CEO.
Wells Fargo’s Judith Olsen Leaves for Impact Capital in Seattle - top
Impact Capital, a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) operating in Washington State, has named Judith Olsen as its new Executive Director. Olsen, currently Vice President and Community Development Officer at Wells Fargo in Oregon, will succeed Heyward Watson, who is retiring at the end of 2011. Olsen will start in her new position on January 9, 2012.
Congratulations Judith – you will be missed! We appreciate your many years of support in our community.
Click here to read more.
Year-End Letter from SVdP’s Terry McDonald - top
Greetings Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you for your interest in the work of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc.
 |
| Terry McDonald, Executive Director |
In a time of great unrest and economic insecurity in our country, our supportive community has helped us craft some solutions.
Emergency Services — The Egan Warming Center has provided approximately 1,000 shelter beds since the season began on Nov. 15th. Its dedicated volunteers are saving lives, and the program serves as a model for other communities.
The Atkinson Food Room distributed nearly 2,900 Holiday Food Boxes, thanks to generous help from Betty Snowden, Eugene Grocery Outlet, Capella Market, Franz Bakery and many others.
First Place’s Dinner Theatre had another successful year — and makes such a difference for homeless families with children. Thank you for your help with these endeavors.
Housing and related services — Just prior to Christmas our lobby was filled with socks, underwear, gloves, and hats for low-income community members, thanks to such diverse groups as Southtowne Rotary, Oregon Festival Choirs, Guaranty Chevrolet, and O’Hara Catholic School.
Stellar Apartments will break ground next spring and bring 54 more units of affordable housing.
The Vets’ Housing Project has completed one home and is days away from finishing its second.
Recycling and manufacturing — St. Vinnie’s is one of the larger employers in our city due to our many recycling businesses. With our opening in Oakridge, we’re at 11 retail thrift stores, which provide funding for our many charitable works and help reduce the cost of living in our community. Our mattress recycling program is being replicated in other communities around the country, and we may flex our muscles with mussel farming off the coast in the future. Seriously.
This is all good news, but the reality is that we say ‘no’ more than we say ‘yes’. The need is just so very great. We need your help more than ever.
If you haven’t made a gift yet, please do. Online giving is quick and easy, but an old-fashioned check in an old-fashioned envelope with a stamp is equally appreciated. And please consider recommending St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County to a friend. An invitation to check out our website, Facebook account or Twitter page is an easy way to help spread the word.
Thank you again for caring about our community. Best wishes to you and yours for the coming year.
Member Media Coverage
Five Story Affordable Housing Project Planned for Outer NE Glisan - top
By The Oregonian News Network, Friday, January 06, 2012
Gateway Commons, a collaborative development by three non-profits [Human Solutions, Inc., Ride Connection and REACH Community Development] planned for Northeast Glisan Street at 99th Avenue, had a Design Advisory — an informal discussion prior to a formal application — with the Portland Design Commission last month. The Commission called for some changes, but generally gave both the project and its design high marks.
Click here to read more.
Central Oregon Needs More Affordable Housing - top
By Angela Kellner, KLCC, January 9, 2012
Federal funding for low-income rental assistance has not yet been appropriated by congress. But a Central Oregon agency is helping applicants with the process of getting on the waiting list.
Housing Works provides services to low-income families in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties. Kenny LaPoint says Central Oregon’s housing boom went bust along with the economy, leading to a high foreclosure rate.
Click here to read more. Click here to read about the story on RCAC’s website.
Greenroofs Project of the Week: The Ramona Apartments- top
by Linda Velazquez, December 30, 2011, “Greenroofs.com Project of the Week: 12/05/11″
The Ramona Apartments • Portland, OR, USA • 31,600 sf. Greenroof
Project Description & Details
The Ramona Apartments is a new mixed-use, LEED-Gold certified midrise apartment building consisting of six stories of wood-framed construction over a concrete podium. It includes 138 affordable apartments and ground floor facilities leased by Portland Public Schools and the Zimmerman Community Center.
The Ramona’s roof holds both a 30kWh photovoltaic array and 64 solar hot water panels over the ecoroof, receiving the City of Portland’s Ecoroof Incentive which funded $5/sf. Two different soil types were installed, each 3.5” deep, and 26 species of potted succulents and grasses were planted. The City of Portland provided flumes at two of the roof drains and will monitor the amount of stormwater released to the storm system. In the summer, the soil and plants are expected to keep the surface of the roof cooler and reduce the build-up of heat in the attic space and improve PV panel efficiency. Low irrigation rates will be tested on different zones by the City because it’s anticipated that the solar arrays will provide enough shade for the plants to sustain themselves.
McMinnville Habitat Project has Neighbors on Edge - top
By Lindsey O’Brien, DJC Oregon, December 30, 2011
Plans for a Habitat for Humanity development in McMinnville include some of the most energy-efficient building techniques the nonprofit has used to date. But the strong sustainability angle isn’t enough to win over a group of local residents opposed to the project. Read more>>
Chaucer Court Apartment Renovation Getting Finishing Touches - top
By Sam Tenney, DJC Daily Blog, January 4th, 2012
General Contractor Walsh Construction Co. is expecting to finish a yearlong renovation of the six-story Chaucer Court Apartments building in downtown Portland this month [Archictect: Carleton Hart Architecture]. Read more>>
Colas, Oden-Orr Appointed to OR Construction Contractors Board - top
By Stephanie Basalyga, DJC Oregon, December 28, 2011
Andrew Colas and Melvin Oden-Orr were appointed to the Oregon Construction Contractors Board by Gov. John Kitzhaber. Read more>>
First, a Place of Their Own - top
By The Oregonian Editorial Board, OregonLive.com, January 03, 2012
In 2012, Oregon should: 1. Bolster programs to feed and house hungry children. . . 2. Put housing first. Portland-based JOIN and other nonprofits … homes and turn them over to nonprofits for affordable rentals . . . click here to read more.
Calling on Portlanders to Help the Homeless- top
By The Oregonian Editorial Board, December 20, 2011
Very soon, some Portlanders will once again hear an old story about a couple on a cold night. Problem is, they’ve got nowhere to go. Wife is about to have a baby. Baby winds up arriving in, well, let’s call it “an emergency shelter.”
That’s how the Rev. Brian Heron describes it when he reminds his congregation at Eastminster Presbyterian that they’re doing something new about something old. In 2010, Heron’s church took the brave step of throwing its doors wide, wide open.
By day, the Parkrose church at 12505 N.E. Halsey St. is one of many mainline churches in decline. About 35 people attend services regularly. Average age: 79 or 80.
By night, however, Eastminster transforms into a winter warming shelter overflowing with people in need. From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., the nonprofit Human Solutions, Inc. puts up cots and welcomes upward of 80 or 90 people, including families and pregnant women with children.
Churches are not, by far, the only institutions in this community that could do more, but Eastminster’s story is one worth pondering. Several years ago, Eastminster gave up its inward-looking quest to stay alive.
It stopped obsessing on what it doesn’t have — new members — and instead focused on what it does have: three acres, a sanctuary, a fellowship hall and five classrooms. Like many churches, it has space.
“We made a decision to get out of survival thinking and into legacy thinking,” the Rev. Heron said Tuesday. “We can’t last forever.” But what his and other churches in decline can do, he said, is “follow the energy” of the community and figure out how best to leave a mark.
To be sure, many other Portland churches and nonprofits have been working for years to help the hungry, homeless and desperate. This week, in fact, both the city and county governments will be acting on new initiatives. The city will consider a pilot project that allows some overnight camping in vehicles on church parking lots. The county is looking at an emergency allocation for the homeless of $787,833.
Still, Eastminster’s example raises an important question: What more and what else should we all be doing? By working together and thinking more creatively, governments, nonprofits, businesses and, yes, churches have the power, resources and space to alleviate a great deal of despair.
Following Eastminster’s inspiration, it’s time to fling the doors — and our minds — wide, wide open. To new life.
And old stories.
Reach Human Solutions, Inc. at 503-256-2280. To contact JOIN about sponsoring a homeless family, call 503-232-7052, ext. 201.
Bud Clark Commons: A Community on Common Ground- top
By Peter Korn, The Portland Tribune, Jan 12, 2012
These are the residents of the $47 million building, near Union Station in Old Town, that [Portland Housing Bureau] opened in June with the intention of housing in private apartments what might be called the 130 worst-off among Portland’s homeless community. These are the men who have been on the street for years, sometimes … click here to read more.
Check out this great article in The Advocate about JOIN’s unique “immersions” into the experience of homelessness. JOIN has been leading immersions since 1992…twenty years of helping bridge the gap between housed and homeless communities.
Funding and Award Opportunities
OCF Support for Local Programs in Oregon – Feb 1, Aug 1- top
The mission of the Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. The Foundation’s Community Grants Program supports projects that address one of the Foundation’s four primary funding priorities: Nurture Children and Strengthen Families, Enhance Educational Opportunities, Increase Cultural Opportunities, and Preserve and Improve Oregon’s Livability through Citizen Involvement. Grants, which generally average $20,000 to $22,000, are typically provided to small and moderate-sized nonprofit organizations. The application deadlines are February 1 and August 1, annually. Guidelines for submitting application packets are available on the Foundation’s website.
Employment Programs for People with Disabilities Funded – Feb 3- top
The Kessler Foundation: Signature Employment Grants Program is dedicated to improving the lives of people with physical disabilities caused by stroke, multiple sclerosis, injuries to the brain and spinal cord, and other cognitive or neuromuscular disabilities. The Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants Program funds cutting-edge, non-traditional solutions that increase employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. These solutions may include new pilot initiatives, demonstration projects, or other social ventures that lead to the generation of new ideas to solve unemployment. Preference will be given to interventions that overcome specific employment barriers related to long-term dependence on public assistance, advance competitive employment, or launch a social enterprise project. Funded projects must be collaborative, serve a large geographic area, and include multiple funding partners and stakeholders. Grants of $100,000 to $250,000 per year for up to two years are available to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies throughout the U.S. The deadline for concept submissions is February 3, 2012. Visit the Foundation’s website for program details.
Consolidated Funding Cycle – Training Jan 26, Due March 30- top
from January 3, 2012 Technical Advisory from Oregon Housing and Community Services
Oregon Housing and Community Services will soon begin the Consolidated Funding Cycle (CFC) process for 2012. This year, we have rewritten and restructured the document to help applicants navigate the process.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions. You should also contact your Regional Advisor to the Department (RAD). I recommend you work with your RAD early in the process.
- Heather Pate,
- Multifamily Programs Manager
- Housing Division
- heather.pate@hcs.state.or.us
- 503-986-6757
2012 CFC Application Availability and Due Date:
The 2012 CFC Application will be available on our web site at:
http://www.ohcs.oregon.gov/OHCS/HRS_CFC_Overview.shtml or on compact disk (CD) as of January 9, 2012. Applications will be due March 30, 2012.
The Following programs and proposed funding allocations will be available:
- HOME $ 3,700,000
- HDGP $ 5,000,000
- HELP $ 240,000
- LIHTC $ 8,000,000
- LIWP $ 700,000
- OAHTC $10,000,000
CFC Webinar Training – For 2012 CFC Applicants – January 26
Oregon Housing and Community Services will provide its 2012 CFC training via a Webinar. All partners planning to submit applications can participate from any computer with internet access. You will be able to see the Power Point presentation and hear the presenters, right from your own computer. Questions about the CFC can be posted on an electronic bulletin board during the
Webinar and until January 31, 2012. Answers to all the questions asked will then be posted. The only training offered will be the Webinar. We will not offer training here at the department.
- CFC Webinar Training is set for:
- Date: January 26, 2012
- Time: 10:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M.
- Location: Your computer
- We will send out a link to the Webinar closer to the training date.
If you have questions regarding the training, please contact your Regional Advisor to the Department or Roz Barnes via email.
Please Note: We encourage you to print the 2012 Application and have it available during the training. We will refer to it extensively during the training. If you would like a copy of the application on CD, contact Sarah Dornon at (503) 986-2054 or via email.
Ben and Jerry’s Social Change Initiatives – rolling- top
Through the National Grassroots Grant Program, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation provides support to nonprofit community organizations throughout the United States that bring about progressive social change by addressing the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems. The broad goals of the program are to further social justice, protect the environment, and support sustainable food systems. Grants of up to $15,000 are provided to grassroots, constituent-led organizations that are using community organizing strategies to accomplish their goals as well as organizations that provide technical support and/or resources to such groups. The Foundation does not make grants to support social service programs. Letters of interest may be submitted at any time. Visit the Foundation’s website to review the funding priorities and submit an online letter of interest.
One Fun Thing
WRAP Dares You . . .- top
One of the things I like best about WRAP (Western Regional Advocacy Project) – besides the fabulous Paul Boden and their mission to make housing a human right, that is – is their great artwork and sense of style. Their latest:
>Click Here To Download a Copy of WRAP’s 2012 HUD Budget Fact Sheet
Some of their other classics (click here to see all of their organizing artwork):
Nili Yosha, Homeless Go Home, digital print
Art Hazelwood, The Beast of Hatred, screenprint
Claude Moller, Housing Crisis, screenprint
Art Hazelwood, A Spirit of Abandon, screenprint
Ed Gould, America’s Forgotten Homeless People, digital print
Art Hazelwood, Where’s Our Change?, digital and drawing, 2009
Jos Sances, Federal Expenditures, Digital print
Thanks, WRAP! To learn more about WRAP, click here.
