Keynote Remarks by Marcia L. Fudge + Housing and Community Development in the National Spotlight
Date: Monday, Oct. 4
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT)
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Keynote:
Secretary Marcia L Fudge, U.S. Dept. Housing and Urban Development
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Description:
Secretary Fudge will discuss the critical role of community development organizations in the Biden administration's recovery agenda, which prioritizes equitable resource distribution, community power, and accountability. She will also share her vision for HUD’s role in advancing racial equity and addressing structural racism in the housing and community development sector.
After Secretary Fudge’s remarks, we will explore how the community development field can meet this critical moment. Over the past 18 months, our field has been on the national stage in a way never experienced. From the pandemic-driven acceleration of inequities in the housing market, to the eviction crisis, to the mainstream recognition of racial inequities, to the uneven health and economic impact among LMI neighborhoods, our issues are finally front and center in mainstream America. Federal resources are being dedicated and proposed for our work at a level that we're unlikely to experience again. How do we as a field use this moment to better serve our communities? What are the consequences for our movement?
Using “Multi-Solves” to take on the Housing and Climate Crises Simultaneously
Date: Monday, Oct. 4
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Presenter:
Odetta MacLeish-White, Director of Georgia Initiatives, Center for Community Progress
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Description:
Odetta MacLeish-White, Director of Georgia Initiatives for the Center for Community Progress, will explore the need to recognize the dynamics of power and privilege in our conversations around sustainability and the development of affordable housing. Under-resourced communities have been multi-solving, repurposing, and living sustainably for generations but structural and institutional racism make it disproportionately difficult for communities of color, and the development partners who want to work with them, to access the resources they need to demonstrate robust community engagement and accomplish projects on time and on budget. MacLeish-White has worked for twenty years in affordable housing development, policy and financing. Her career has included empowering residents and community members to influence development and funding processes that impact their neighborhoods.
The Identity of the Field – Our Past & Future
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT)
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Panelists:
Coming Soon
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Description:
Our field includes a parade of diverse organizations with different agendas, practices, and origins. Our common values bind us together in our diversity. We march together to advance equitable public policies and investments. Hear seasoned practitioners share their reflections on the core values and best practices that their organizations stand firm in as they work to equitably advance prosperity in their communities.
Making Voices of Color Central in Systemic Change
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Moderator:
Leslie Reid, CEO, Madison Park Development Corporation
Panelists:
Terrance Narcisse, CEO, East Harris County Empowerment Council
Rev. Bill Stanfield, CEO, Metanoia CDC
Katrina Holland, Executive Director, JOIN
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Description:
Community development is rooted in movements working for racial justice. But as the sector evolves, how can we make sure its future is shaped by the voices of leaders of color? Despite the fact that these leaders have been blazing the way forward and fighting the systemic barriers that their communities face, policy, funding, and decision-making structures have again and again shortchanged their community development initiatives. Join the discussion as leaders of color explore the challenge of addressing systemic racism within our industry. What can dominant-culture CDC organizations, philanthropy, and government agencies do to shift power structures and advance a more equitable and racially just economy?
Eviction and the Pandemic: What We’re Learning and What Comes Next
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Panelists:
Michelle Gilbert, Lawyer's Committee for Better Housing
Sarah Gallagher, National Low Income Housing Coalition ERASE Project
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Description:
A concerted national effort to protect public health and rein in COVID-19 has led to federal and state eviction moratoria, unprecedented investments in emergency rent assistance, and other policies to prevent evictions. As we plan this session, COVID-19 case rates are rising again, the CDC has reinstated a national eviction moratorium through October 3, and a small number of states still have their own moratoriums. Rent assistance is being distributed, although not quickly enough, and many communities are using local strategies to address eviction and its impacts. These include sealing eviction records and expanding access to legal assistance and court-based mediation programs. Join us to discuss the effectiveness of these strategies and explore reducing barriers to finding future housing. We'll spotlight current advocacy needs and additional policy reforms, especially those supported by the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s ERASE (End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions) project.
Voter Engagement – The Georgia Story
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Panelists:
Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown, President and CEO, Georgia ACT
Jerry Gonzalez
Rev. Fer-Rell Malone
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Description:
Join Georgia ACT’s President and CEO, Dr. Bambie Hayes-Brown, and representatives from Georgia's urban, rural, and Latino populations for a discussion of the 2020 Georgia voter engagement activities and 2021 initiatives, including the 42-city tour across the state that Georgia ACT and a group of collaborators recently completed. The group sponsored local town hall meetings on the impacts of Senate Bill 202 and the American Rescue Plan, and information on how local communities can access funds for community projects related to voter engagement. She'll speak about current activities too, such as campaigns centered around getting people out to vote or how they plan on getting to the polls to vote. Dr. Hayes-Brown will also discuss voter engagement activities for the upcoming mid-term elections, and panelists will provide suggestions for engagement at the national level.
Protecting Communities as LIHTC Affordability Periods Expire
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 5
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PDT (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT)
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Panelists:
David Davenport, Managing Partner, BC Davenport, LLC
Ellen Lurie Hoffman, Senior Director of Federal Policy, National Housing Trust
Robert Rozen, Policy Attorney
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Description:
Predatory Low Income Housing Tax Credit Investors are a growing threat to communities and organizations. We'll discuss how these disputes drain resources from nonprofits, threaten the long-term affordability of properties, and undermine the well-being of residents and communities. Join us to learn about how litigation, federal legislation, and state and local policies can help mitigate this destructive trend and how your organization can protect itself from predatory investors.
Best Practices in Co-located Domestic Violence Services: Home Forward and the YWCA of Greater Portland
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 6
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT)
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Presenter:
Jaidra Hennessey, Director of Domestic and Sexual Violence Programs, YWCA of Greater Portland
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Description:
Jaidra Hennessey, Director of Domestic and Sexual Violence Programs with the YWCA of Greater Portland, will examine the successes and challenges of embedding Domestic Violence (DV) Advocates within a Public Housing Authority (PHA). When Home Forward, the PHA for Multnomah County, Oregon, and the YWCA partnered to provide advocacy services to survivors of abuse in subsidized housing, the expectation was that DV would decrease. Yet, despite the program's success, more referrals than ever are being made. This workshop presents an opportunity to explore the nature and structure of the advocacy partnership, considerations when partnering with victim service providers, navigating complex and changing policies, managing conflict, and why increased referrals are actually a good thing.
Addressing Construction Workforce Gaps as Need for Affordable Housing Grows
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 6
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Moderator:
Mekha Abraham, Program Manager, OHCS Multifamily Energy Program
Panelists:
Michael Figueredo, OHCS, Weatherization Training & Technical Assistance Coordinator
James Metoyer, Workforce Development Training Manager, Earth Advantage
Lisa Palermo, Development Director, Oregon Tradeswoman
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Description:
In the next twenty years more than 580,000 new homes must be added in Oregon, and more than half of them need to be affordable. While the demand for new affordable housing continues to grow, a construction workforce shortage is also growing throughout the state. To meet the demand, the construction industry will need to attract new talent that's highly skilled, qualified, and diverse. In this session, you'll hear from state leaders offering multiple training programs to address this gap, including initiatives focused on the green building and energy-efficiency industry, which is growing fast as new energy policies are rolled out from the local to global level to drive down energy use and emissions from buildings. Audience participation is highly encouraged, so take part in order to better understand your construction workforce needs in affordable housing.
The 2021 Oregon Legislative Session: Advancing Affordable Housing Through a Time of Crisis
Date: Thursday, October 7
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PDT (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT)
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Moderator:
Nicole Stingh, Senior Legislative & Government Relations Coordinator, Oregon Housing and Community Services
Panelists:
Representative Julie Fahey, District 14, Chair House Committee on Housing
Senator Kayse Jama, District 24, Chair Senate Committee Housing and Development
Representative Jack Zika, District 53
Alison McIntosh, Policy and Communications Director, Housing Alliance
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Description:
Coming out of a year of co-occurring crises, the 2021 Legislature rose to the challenge resulting in a historic investment of nearly $900 million in new resources for multi-family rental housing, homeless services and homeownership opportunities for low-income Oregonians. This plenary session of Legislative leaders and housing advocates will reflect on these significant wins, a few loses, and work left to tackle moving forward into future sessions. Affordable housing advocates, guided by the Housing Alliance, and Oregon Housing and Community Services, under the leadership of Governor Brown, both set bold agendas. Hear reflections on how these new resources and policies respond to the challenges we face brought on by the COVID pandemic and catastrophic wildfires while advancing long-term housing solutions that will chip away at ongoing systemic racial disparities we face.
Eliminating a Barrier: Fair Housing and Advocacy for Housing Applicants with Criminal Histories
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 6
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm PDT (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT)
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Presenter:
Glenda Moyer, Eastern Oregon Education and Outreach Specialist, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
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Description:
Criminal history can be a barrier for some when trying to secure housing. And yet many people with disabilities who have criminal history and people of color continue to face fair housing discrimination. When criminal history is directly related to a disability or when a housing applicant can provide information about a positive shift or change in their criminal behavior, housing providers should consider the applicant. This session will provide advocates information on how to submit reasonable accommodation requests when assisting those with disabilities when related to their criminal record. Criminal history screening for housing has a disparate impact on communities of color due to inequality in the criminal justice system. We will learn about HUD’s 2016 guidance around people’s right to ask for individual consideration regarding their background.
Unpacking The Village: New Research Toward Better Alternative Shelter
Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT)
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Presenters:
Todd Ferry, Senior Research Associate and Faculty Fellow, Center for Public Interest Design, Portland State University
Dr. Marisa Zapata, Associate Professor of Land-Use Planning and Director of Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University
Dr. Greg Townley, Associate Professor of Community Psychology, Portland State University and Co-founder, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University
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Description:
The village model, which features non-congregate sleeping units and shared facilities, has emerged as a favorite alternative approach to providing shelter for houseless community members. Advocates argue that villages can be put in place quickly, use underutilized land, and offer common space for empowerment, healing, and community. Research at Portland State University’s Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative (HRAC) provides critical context for the practices and outcomes of the village model. Learn from members of the interdisciplinary team at HRAC who conducted this research. They'll share key lessons from a multi-year study, funded by Meyer Memorial Trust, that engaged a range of stakeholders, including villagers, village managers/support-specialists, village designers/architects, and neighbors. As interest in the village model grows both locally and nationally, this team aims to identify best practices for the creation of more impactful and equitable villages--practices that can also inform a range of other approaches to alternative shelter.
Pathways to Stability for People Experiencing IDD and Homelessness
Date: Thursday, October 7
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm PDT (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT)
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Moderator:
Margaret Van Vliet, Consultant, Trillium Advisors
Presenters:
Terri Silvis, Ph.D, CEO, Horizon Projects
Jennifer Knapp, Executive Director, Community Vision
Bryce Bahler, LICSW, Director, Transitional Community Treatment, Ryther
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Description:
This session will highlight the challenges and opportunities to securing stable housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Building off of EcoNorthwest's 2020 data study that revealed deep but still hidden unmet housing needs for this special population, three project sponsors will share how they are forging solutions for our neurodiverse neighbors in both urban and rural communities.
Engaging Neighborhood Associations and Navigating Appeals of Affordable Housing Proposals
Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT (12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT)
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Presenter:
Damien Hall, Chair of the Land Use and Real Estate practice groups, Ball Janik LLC
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Description:
Oregon has recently adopted changes to state law that provide protections for affordable housing projects in the land use appeal process. Neighborhood Associations are active participants in local land use processes and have, at times, utilized appeals to affect the outcome of proposed developments. In this presentation Mr. Damien Hall, Chair of the Land Use and Real Estate practice groups, with Ball Janik LLC, will provide an overview of the current land use appeal framework and a close look at how it affects affordable housing; strategies practitioners can use to decrease the likelihood of land use appeals; and ways to work for a successful resolution of unavoidable appeals.
Building Inclusive Communities: Promoting New Housing Developments Through a Fair Housing Lens
Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 10:30 am - 11:30 am PDT (1:30 pm -2:30 pm EDT)
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Presenters:
Jamie Gatewood, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
Samuel Goldberg, Education & Outreach Specialist, Fair Housing Council of Oregon
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Description:
Just bringing up inclusive housing can spark fraught discussions and resistance. This session will help attendees untangle these debates by seeing them in a civil rights framework. We will discuss the basics of fair housing, the history of residential segregation in Oregon, and current developments in state land use processes in order to help dispel common myths about new housing development and ensure that governmental jurisdictions understand their responsibilities for enforcing fair housing rules. We'll also discuss the differences between affordable and fair housing, and how to bridge the divide between them so that both goals can be achieved. Finally, we will talk about the status of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rules, and the impact they have on the development of inclusive communities.
SB 8 – Expanding Affordable Housing Options on Commercially Zoned Properties
Date: Thursday, Oct. 7
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm PDT (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT)
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Moderator:
Mary Kyle McCurdy, Deputy Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon
Panelists:
Ariel Nelson, Lobbyist, Oregon League of Cities
Joel Madsen, Executive Director, Mid-Columbia Housing Authority & Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation
Emily Reiman, Executive Director, DevNW
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Description:
SB 8 was passed during the 2021 legislative session making it easier for affordable housing developers to build on land not zoned for residential use bypassing local zoning and conditional use development processes. Join this panel discussion to learn more about strategies for engaging with planners to ease implementation in your local jurisdiction. Hear from local developers who advocated for this project and the types of projects they envision will now be easier to site and build working in partnership with faith-based communities and on land zoned for commercial use. Also learn how HB 2008 provides for property tax exemptions on property of religious organizations used solely to provide affordable housing to low-income households.
SB 458 – Expanding Homeownership Through “Missing Middle Housing” Legislation
Date: Thursday, Oct. 7
Time: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm PDT (6:00 pm – 7:00 pm EDT)
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MODERATOR
Ethan Stuckmayer, Senior Planner of Housing Programs, Oregon Department Land Conservation and Development
PANELISTS
Shannon Vilhauer, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Oregon
Ariel Nelson, Lobbyist, Oregon League of Cities
Ellen Miller, Senior Lobbyist & Owner, Bau Oregon and Government Affairs Director for the Oregon Home Builders Association
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Description:
Missing Middle Housing describes a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units - duplex, triplex, or more - compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes. SB 458, passed in the 2021 legislative session, streamlines the permitting process and allows land division to separate dwelling units for new middle housing in cities across the state. Join this panel discussion to learn more about the parameters of what will be allowed for such land divisions and when the changes will go into effect. The learning process leading to passage is a great lesson in working closely with local jurisdictions that will be responsible for implementation and finding solutions that will work for them. While the legislation expands a new homeownership opportunity, how can we help ensure they’ll be accessible for low-income working families?
Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley: New legislation championing affordable homeownership and ending homelessness
Friday, October 8
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm PDT (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT)
PRESENTERS
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
Madison Moskowitz, Domestic Economic Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
Matthew Traylor, Housing Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley
DESCRIPTION
Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley join us to explain new legislation they have introduced designed to address America’s crisis of housing availability and affordability by reducing the shortcomings of current housing policies and funding levels. After brief comments, the Senators’ policy staff will join for Q & A. Senator Ron Wyden’s DASH Act will make a generational investment to end childhood homelessness and tackle the housing affordability crisis by issuing Housing Choice Vouchers to all families with children; greatly increase the production of deeply affordable housing for families exiting homelessness and reform the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Senator Merkley’s Affordable HOME Act will invest $40 billion per year in the National Housing Trust Fund; lower the cost of housing so everyone can afford a place to live; and build an emergency housing program to deploy resources during large-scale disasters like wildfires.
Advocate to lower the financed by threshold for 4% PAB from 50% to 25% – Contact U.S. Representatives Schrader & Bentz
Housing Oregon is making a push to make change happen in the congressional lame duck session. We’re trying to secure a congressional fix for LITHC 4% Private Activity Bonds into one of the must pass bills at the end of the year. New affordable housing development in Oregon and 21 other states will slow down significantly as we approach our state's private activity bond cap. Congress can support Oregon and the other 21 states that have reached their Private Activity Bond cap by allowing a lower percentage of Private Activity Bonds (PABs) needed to access 4% LIHTC funds. By changing the financed by threshold requirement from 50% to 25%, a housing project which is 25% funded using PABs would still be able to use the LIHTC, ensuring that this critical federal tool remains available to build more affordable housing.
How to Take Action NOW:
Housing Oregon’s goal is to get Representative Bentz and Representative Schrader to sign onto an Oregon State Delegation letter to congressional leadership to take meaningful action on the 25% test fix for private activity bonds.
Please call and email Rep. Bentz & Rep. Schrader’s offices. Unsure what to say? Read Housing Oregon’s sample message and email script here.
New Report Highlights the Added Value of Affordable Housing Nonprofits
A new report commissioned by REACH CDC seeks to better understand the added value of local affordable housing nonprofits, primarily in the Portland Metro area. The report, titled “Community Development Corporations (CDC) Are Important,” highlights how nonprofit CDCs are reinvesting in their communities, supporting diverse communities, and contributing to the local tax base and creating long-term construction and operating jobs.
Participating organizations included Bienestar Inc., Central City Concern, Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH), Farmworker Housing Development Corporation (FHDC), Home Forward, Innovative Housing, Inc., Northwest Housing Alternatives, and REACH CDC. The study, examining data covering 132 developments with 8,789 units, was conducted by ECONorthwest.
While rents in Portland increased nearly 40 percent between 2021 and 2022, rents in these developments averaged only 42 percent of the Area Median Income, well below a typical Low Income Housing Tax Credit project in Oregon. In addition, 44 percent of all residents in these mission driven affordable housing developments were People of Color.
These eight nonprofit CDCs reinvested $31.7 million, or 44%, of developer fees back into their housing communities subsidizing upwards of 60 percent of programmatic costs for resident services, community spaces, or other programs for residents or contributed to new affordable housing developments.
Over the past two decades, these developments contributed a combined investment of $1.45 billion. Combined, the annual average direct and indirect fiscal effect from their activities on state and local governments was equal to nearly $2.9 million. Ongoing property management and operations of these units added an additional average of $3.3 million in direct and indirect tax revenue.
Lastly, these investments over 20 years supported an average of 594 direct construction jobs annually, paying $44.5 million in labor income. Property management and other building operations and activities directly and indirectly employ 380 workers annually contributing $22.6 million in labor income.
Oregon Community Reinvestment Coalition Organized to Work with NCRC on Bank Merger CBAs
For years, the Pacific Northwest had trailed other parts of the country in bank investments under the Community Reinvestment Act. This began to change when Oregon and Washington organizations joined with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) to negotiate Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) with the merger of Umpqua and Columbia Banks and with US Bank’s purchase of Union Bank.
These agreements were built on the convening of the Oregon Reinvestment Summit in 2017, which Housing Oregon helped convene. This past month on October 11, Housing Oregon and NCRC brought together fifty people from a diverse range of organizations as the Oregon Community Reinvestment Coalition to begin identifying strategies for engaging with these banks as their CBAs go into effect in 2023.
Through these and additional agreements, Oregon organizations have an opportunity to build the capacity of Communities of Color led organizations, to implement Communities of Color mortgage initiatives, to transform community and housing development lending and to partner on Communities of Color and rural wealth creation strategies.
Many of the same organizations participated in a meeting last fall 2021 with the CEOs of Umpqua and Columbia banks to share priorities for investments in their communities. As a result of those meetings, and with the leadership of NCRC, the banks have agreed to strong CBAs that include many of the priorities advocated for.
We now have a renewed sense of urgency to come together to identify strategies and action steps to hold the banks accountable to follow through on implementation of their respective Community Benefit Agreements.
Umpqua/Columbia Bank’s merger is committing a total of $8.1 billion, of which Oregon and Washington are the primary states. While a smaller dollar amount, this is a significant investment for Oregon. US Bank is committed to a $100 billion multi-state agreement.
In addition, NCRC is nearing completion of a CBA with BMO Harris which is acquiring Bank of the West, which has numerous branches in Oregon.
Housing Oregon wants to thank both Jerry Kellman, Senior Advisor for Organizing, and Catherine Petrsz, CRA Coordinator, both with NCRC, for their leadership on these efforts.
Several workgroups being organized will prepare a strategy and process for meetings with Umpqua Bank in early 2023, in areas already prioritized in the Umpqua Community Benefits Agreement. We are also exploring organizing a second Oregon Reinvestment Summit in autumn 2023.
If interested in getting involved, contact Brian Hoop at 503-475-6056 or brian@housingoregon.org.