Annual Leadership Awards Ceremony
2021 Housing Oregon Industry Support Conference
Wednesday, October 6, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm PDT
Star Player Awards
Oscar Arana
Director of Community DevelopmentNative American youth and Family Center
Oscar Arana is the driving force behind three innovative affordable housing developments that serve indigenous and tribal people in the Cully neighborhood in NE Portland. Nesika Illahee opened its doors to 59 households in early 2020. Mamook Tokatee and Hayu Tillixam are currently under construction, and will be home to a combined 105 households. Oscar has led his team building upon existing relationships and forged partnerships with NARA, the Siletz Tribe, Community Development Partners, HUD and a variety of funders.
Sarah Moll
Fiscal and Fund Development managerBienestar
Sarah Moll was critical to Bienestar’s response to COVID-19. She helped Bienestar fundraise nearly $250,000 in private funding to provide direct economic assistance to Bienestar residents during the pandemic via the “Esperanza Fund,” and helped maintain the organization’s office and staff morale throughout their COVID response. She also helped deliver the funds to Bienestar residents via rent checks, utility payments and other forms of direct assistance.
Patricia Haggerty
Resident Services program ManagerReach CDC
For the past seven years Patricia has dedicated herself to serving the mission of Reach. She originally was an onsite coordinator and lead their Youth Economic Empowerment work facilitating classes. When COVID hit, Patricia moved programing online to ensure classes continued and pivoted the school supply and holiday gift giveaway to ensure health and safety. She is actively engaged in their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work. This past year, she was promoted to Resident Services Program Manager.
Legislative Champion
In special recognition of courageous leadership by an elected official making a significant impact on the development of affordable housing during the previous year.
Representative Julie Fahey
Representative Julie Fahey, as Chair of the House Committee on Housing, had a key role during the 2021 legislative session helping secure a historic investment of over $765 million in resources for multi-family rental housing, homeless services and homeownership opportunities for low-income Oregonians. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she advocated for passage of an eviction moratorium for tenants, foreclosure moratorium for homeowners and hundreds of millions in federal and state resources for emergency rental assistance. She also sponsored multiple policy bills including SB 8 and HB 2008 making it easier to site and build affordable housing on a wider range of land use zones.
Golden Hammer Award
Honors a multifamily rental project that best shows the ideals of affordability, quality of design, livability, community revitalization or service integration.
Community Partners for Affordable HousingCedar Grove Apartments
The Cedar Grove Apartments respond to the urgent need for affordable housing with 44 units for low-income households, including eight for at-risk families recovering from houselessness. Mindful of this, the development team and design team prioritized trauma-informed design elements such as a low-contrast color palette, rounded corners throughout the building, clear wayfinding, and access to natural elements provided by Reflections Plaza. The plaza is the result of a partnership between CPAH and Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD) and is the first mini park in THPRD’s park system. It is also the very first development to pay no Systems Development Charges within THPRD. Cedar Grove exceeded initial Earth Advantage goals to achieve Platinum certification.
Gretchen Kafoury Award
FEARLESS ADVOCACY. SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
As a fearless activist as well as an elected official who always stood up for what is right, Gretchen Kafoury had a profound and lasting impact on our state and its people. This award will honor an individual, organization or endeavor that had a significant impact in the past year on affordable housing, community development and/or social justice in Oregon.
Reyna Lopez & The Oregon Worker Relief FundFarmworker Housing Development Corporation (FHDC)
The Oregon Worker Relief Fund (OWRF) is a historic initiative supported by stakeholders at all levels to invest in immigrant Oregonians who were excluded from federal relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. FHDC served as a fiscal administrator for the OWRF, distributing tens of millions of dollars in resources to more than 37,000 individuals who do not qualify for State or Federal relief funds and social services.
Leading the way was none other than FHDC’s Board Secretary and PCUN’s Executive Director, Reyna Lopez. With a fierce vision for the redistribution of wealth, protection for all workers, and that “Si Se Puede” outlook, the OWRF created a safety net for immigrant essential workers who experienced exacerbated inequities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The success of the OWRF resulted in the fostering of deep coalition partnerships, utilizing community-led design serves as a steppingstone for policy advocacy and community organizing that can be replicated across domains and jurisdictions to transform systems to be more equitable, inclusive, and effective.
Golden Key Award
Honors a homeownership project completed in the past year that best demonstrates the ideals of affordability, quality of design, livability, community revitalization or service integration.
Portland Community Reinvestment Initiative, Inc.North Blandena Townhomes
The North Blandena Townhomes are a 6-unit homeownership project completed in 2020 by Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI) located in N/NE Portland. The townhomes were designed with families in mind, offering two- and three-bedroom units. The project is exemplary of PCRI’s ambitious Pathway 1000 Initiative – a 10-year effort to help prevent and mitigate displacement in the Albina community. The homes were sold to pre-qualified clients in PCRI’s homeownership program. The project also exemplified integration of workforce development opportunities with small, minority, and women-owned businesses as well as supporting mentorship and training opportunities.
Strides For Equity Award
Recognizes the many different ways our members across the state embrace diverse populations in their communities and ensure that prosperity is a tide that lifts all boats.
Northwest Housing Alternatives
Northwest Housing Alternatives is recognized for their efforts to advance equity to change organization culture and achieve better outcomes for residents and clients. Equity work of two staff committees is guided by a strategic plan calling for an understanding of how historical impact does not predict the future and dismantling institutional racism by evaluating and reviewing policy, rules/regulations, and industry practice. Specific project examples include the Asset Management team is reviewing barriers to leasing; management is undertaking a “pay equity” project to consider employee compensation with an equity lens; and a Resident Advisory Council meets directly with the board of directors to give input and hold the organization accountable.
Steps To Success Award
Honors an outstanding resident services and/or asset building program that effectively improves the lives of low-income families or individuals.
Community Development PartnersAsset Management Team
Community Development Partners’ (CDP) Asset Management Team supports a robust resident services programming offered across the portfolio and CDP’s responsive approach to service contracts. CDP is recognized for both their exemplary efforts assisting residents through the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency rental assistance applications and their work with community stakeholders at the inception of a project to evaluate the needs of existing or prospective residents in order to select the resident-driven services partners for each property. CDP works with a variety of resident services organizations who provide services such as case management, referrals for rental assistance, financial literacy assistance, employment and education counseling, community building events, arts activities, afterschool programming, and food pantries.
