Neighborhood Partnerships

Neighborhood Partnerships is excited to announce that we will launch a mini Advocate’s College in Corvallis on Tuesday, March 20 and Monday, April 23. This is a shorter, less intensive version, but the same topics will be covered. Neighborhood Partnerships will offer this unique training opportunity to up to fifteen participants. We have several goals for this work.

• First and foremost, our goal is to support established leaders and communications professionals who are working to create an Oregon which offers its diversity of residents opportunities to thrive, pathways out of poverty and disenfranchisement and adequately supported public systems and structures as shared tools for these goals.
• Second, we want to train and support an emerging cadre of leaders and communicators as they work on issues and in cross-issue coalitions to develop messages and materials that resonate and move an advocacy agenda. We will select participants who have a clear issue focus and advocacy or campaign plan, a commitment to strategic communications, and a recognition that building public support for governmental action and resources is an underlying priority.

Participants will be selected based on their (and their organizations’) commitment to:

• advancing defined policy changes through a deliberate communication strategy
• block off time for this training and for development of communications materials
• grass roots or direct engagement in Oregon communities and in coalition efforts, and
• commitment to development of / use of a strong shared theme which reinforces the need for effective public structures and adequate and reasonable revenues

To apply, please fill out the application. It is due at Neighborhood Partnerships on or before March 1, 2012, and applications will be accepted until all spots are filled. Our application and pre training questionnaire are designed to help us select the cohort most able to put these skills into use and to tailor our sessions to support their progress.

If you have any questions about the application process, please email Janet.

Oregonians facing the loss of their homes need clear and accurate information about their rights, obligations and the foreclosure process. Where possible, alternatives to foreclosure ought to be fairly considered. When there is no viable alternative, the foreclosure process ought to be conducted with adequate notice and transparent process. The Housing Alliance has adopted the following principles:

1. Mediation to stop preventable foreclosures – Mediation should be required before finalization of a foreclosure, to provide homeowners and lenders the opportunity to make timely decisions regarding alternatives to foreclosure.
2. Dual-track protection – Homeowners should be protected from foreclosure during the time they are actively engaged in loan modification or loss mitigation negotiations. Loss mitigation negotiations ought to be fair and transparent.
3. Servicer standards – Loan servicers should adhere to basic minimum standards of good faith and fair dealing, and should be held accountable for violations of those standards.

To lend your voice to this effort, please contact Janet Byrd at jbyrd@neighborhoodpartnerships.org. We’ll let you know of hearings and other advocacy opportunities as they arise in February. In the meantime, contact your legislator to let them know these issues matter to you, and that you want to see action in February.

On January 11th, Neighborhood Partnerships continued our work with Patrick Bresette of the Public Works Project (link: http://sites.google.com/site/demospublicworks/). He spoke about the role of the Occupy movement, and how it’s changed the national debate around inequality. He also shared research and insights from working across the country in support of efforts to build and maintain strong communities that meet the needs of all residents. While in Oregon, Patrick also spent another day with us during the second session of the Advocate’s College.

You can download the presentation from that evening here. You can also visit the Public Works website where you can download other presentations, research, or view webinars, including the most recent “From Occupation to Reclamation”.

Thanks are also due to NW Natural for their generous donation of the space and their assistance in hosting a small reception following the event. Stay tuned to our blog or newsletter for more opportunities as we move this work forward.

Take a look at some photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Neighborhood Partnerships and the Housing Alliance know that everyone deserves a safe place to call home. Unfortunately today, too many of our neighbors and families are sleeping in cars, on couches or outdoors.

The Oregonian recently published two articles about homelessness in our community—first, Monday’s editorial, which calls for community actions around homelessness in the wake of the Occupy Portland movement being evicted from their downtown camp; and second, a story in Sunday’s Oregonian about a local teen who has been surviving on the streets for several years while also battling addiction. These stories echo our own experiences and messages as housing advocates.

Monday’s editorial asks the people of Portland to “put our arms” around those experiencing homelessness. It sounds a lot like what we (and many others) have been saying for years—that everyone deserves a safe, stable, affordable place to call home. We know that our communities are better and stronger when everyone has a place to call home. We also know that homelessness is a solvable problem. We’re not saying it will be easy, but we are saying we know how to do it—if we make the right choices and find the political will, we can end homelessness together.

We were pleased to see this response from the Editorial Board, as well as an understanding that what we really need are permanent solutions. While shelters are an important way to help people come in out of the cold and stay safe, they simply manage the problem. We don’t begrudge dollars spent on shelter—we know it’s critical to have people inside where they can be warm and safe, especially during winter months. However we also know that permanent housing, plus the supports people need to address barriers and create pathways out of poverty is the only way to end homelessness. All too often, it seems as if we’re forced to take one avenue at the expense of the other.

Sunday’s portrait in the Oregonian of Alec Bates is a great example of what should be happening. While the Oregonian’s portrait of Bates only showed glimpses of the people that helped him along the way, it is clear that Bates met many organizations and individuals that made a difference in his journey. He highlights one—Outside In—that helped him find housing and the supportive services he needed to maintain his housing. His story also highlights the need for more addictions and mental health treatment, so that as people are ready to make changes, the right doors are open to them.

Then came this morning’s article by Steve Duin, and this quote from Candidate for Portland City Council Steve Novick: “The occupation movement is helping some of us unlearn our learned helplessness.” We, not just people in Portland, but across the US have for far too long been helpless in the face of homelessness. We’ve seen it as a problem only affecting a few, without recognizing that far too many of us are one economic disaster from sleeping in our cars. We’ve seen it as a problem affecting “those people,” without recognizing that people in this country rise and fall as one. It’s time to unlearn our helplessness and understand that not only can we solve homelessness, but it does affect and impact us all. Our struggles and fate are tied together as one in this city and state.

Today, organizations and people all across the city, the state and the country are working hard to end homelessness. Every day we call on our elected officials to help us in our work. Now is the time to put our arms around the problem of homelessness, to declare it unacceptable, and to commit to solving this problem. We can do better. We can recognize that our fate is connected to the fate of our neighbors, especially those neighbors without a roof over their heads.

We know that Oregon is at a crossroads, and we continue to face difficult choices. The deepest recession in decades is lingering, impacting both families and state tax revenues. The choices we make today must be designed to spur our economic recovery and build the best possible future for the people and businesses of our state.

The Legislature has asked each State Agency and Department to prepare a list of proposed cuts to general fund dollars ranging from 3–14%. After the Legislative session in February which cut state budgets and basic safety net services, we are now cutting into bone and making choices that result in homelessness, hunger and other negative outcomes for our families. You can see the list of proposed cuts to Housing and Community Services here and the Department of Human Services here.

The unfortunate reality is that too many Oregonians are having to choose between paying for rent and paying for medicine and food. We know what works, and we need to make sure that we have systems in place to ensure that everyone has the basic necessities. The important and critical basic safety net services which DHS operates are designed to ensure that families can meet their basic needs. However, cuts made during the previous Legislative session have already stripped these programs bare and no longer give families pathways out of poverty. The further cuts outlined in the documents for public comment would make severe cuts to helping families meet their basic needs and would allow too many of our families and neighbors to fall into homelessness or worse.

At many pivotal moments in our state’s history we have chosen to build a brighter future for ourselves and our children. We did this not simply by asking what we can afford to do today but also asking what we must do to protect our future. Our state has tremendous resources at our disposal—hard working people, ingenuity and financial resources that can all be brought to bear in order to build a better quality of life for our state. The state budget decisions we make reflect our commitment to making that future a reality. Getting there may require more of our collective resources, but our future is worth it.

The Legislature will meet this week and hear a Revenue Forecast which will give us next steps. Will the Legislature implement these cuts? Or will they make different choices? We ask that the Legislature look to state agencies and departments which do not provide basic safety net services to make any additional cuts; look to revenue solutions; and look to tax-side expenditures including both deductions and tax credits.

As you know from reading this blog, there have been a lot of changes to safety net programs for Oregon families over the past several months due to state budget cuts. The Oregon State Legislature needs to know what the impact of the cuts were, and you now have an opportunity to help us tell the story!

In August, a workgroup was formed which is seeking to help the Legislature understand the impact of the budget cuts that were made during the 2011 Legislative session. The workgroup is mainly comprised of DHS staff, but also incorporate partners, including members of the TANF Alliance, such as Neighborhood Partnerships.

As part of the workgroup’s interest in understanding the impact of the budget cuts, we have created a survey. The survey is sponsored by the workgroup, the Family Services Review Commission, the Oregon Department of Human Services, among others.

We need your help! Please consider filling out this survey on changes to the TANF Program! Have the changes to the TANF program affected your agency or your agency’s ability to serve clients? We want to hear from you!

We’d like to hear from organizations or churches that serve people who also receive TANF, current or former TANF clients, family and friends of someone with TANF benefits, people who have applied for TANF, and DHS case workers or JOBS contractors.

Help us tell the Oregon legislature how changes to the TANF program are affecting families with children by filling out this survey: http://www.fsrcoregon.org/. The survey is available now until Wednesday, November 9th. Please fill it out today!

This survey is anonymous and participation will NOT affect anyone’s TANF benefits. You will not be asked to share your name.

Thank you for sharing your story. This information can help shape the future of TANF in Oregon. Interested in passing along the survey to others? Download a flyer here: http://bit.ly/v73dmf. Questions? Contact Alison at amcintosh@neighborhoodpartnerships.org or Jessica at TANFsurvey@gmail.com or 503.595.5501 x305.

For Immediate Release
October 3, 2011

For More Information, Contact:
Janet Byrd
503.516.4698

Cuts continue to impact Oregon families

Oregon’s Department of Human Services implemented additional cuts on October 1 as a result of the budget passed by the Legislature for 2011-2013 in June. These cuts impact hundreds of Oregonians, and are on top of cuts that took effect on July 1.

The Department of Human Services made additional cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program on October 1. The TANF program supports families in times of crisis by providing safety net services such as small amounts of cash assistance, help finding employment and meeting basic needs.

“The 2011 Legislative session was a disaster for low income families in Central Oregon,” said Kenny LaPoint, Housing and Resident Services Director for Housing Works in Redmond. “The continuing recession and cuts to safety net services have left too many of our neighbors at risk of homelessness. These devastating cuts to essential services and supports will hit hardest and be hardest felt by those who are already most affected by the recession. “

On October 1, there will be additional cuts implemented as a result of the 2011-2013 budget. As a result of these cuts, there will be cuts to a program that helped provide supplemental assistance for families with disabilities. On October 1, there will also be changes to the eligibility process for TANF, which may make it more difficult for families in crisis to get the help they so desperately need.

“The Legislature can make different choices. We can have a strong safety net in Oregon to protect those among us who are struggling,” said Mike Fieldman, Executive Director of United Community Action Network in Roseburg. “The TANF program provided a safety net for families who were struggling to keep a roof over their head and their children fed. We need a state that will help protect families and children and give children an opportunity to succeed in school and life.”

These cuts come a few months after a series of other devastating cuts to these critical safety net services. On July 1, there were cuts to a program which helps families get back to work, including services such as job placement and training, child care assistance and transportation assistance. These services often were the only services available in communities to help families get the skills and assistance they needed to go back to work.

“Cuts to the safety net that we provide for families in Oregon have been devastating. We all have moments of needing assistance, and too many of our families are without personal safety nets to protect them during times of recession,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the Housing Alliance. “We need the Legislature to prioritize providing basic needs to help families most affected by the recession, including restoring any available funding to the TANF program.”

The Housing Alliance is calling on the Legislature in February to consider the impact of their 2011-2013 budget, and the consequences for our families and neighbors.

For Immediate Release
September 28, 2011

For More Information, Contact:
Alison McIntosh
503.816.2882

Oregon passes a grim new milestone: more than 20,000 students were homeless last year

Homelessness among Oregon’s school children has increased again, according to the latest report by the Oregon Department of Education. Each year, school districts across Oregon count the number of children who experience homelessness at least once during the school year.  During the 2010-2011 school year, homelessness increased to 20,545 students enrolled in K-12, an increase of nearly 8% despite federal stimulus funds designed to prevent increases in homelessness during the recession. The State of Oregon can and must do more to protect those among us most affected by the economic downturn.

Too many families in our community can’t afford a safe, stable place to call home,” said Katey Townsend, Homeless Outreach Program Coordinator for the Lincoln County School District.  “We work hard to make sure that homeless children have the support and resources needed to stay in school; stable housing is a critical ingredient to our students’ wellbeing and success.”

Across Oregon, the number of homeless school children is now over 20,000.  In the Medford School district, more than one in ten students is homeless, and statewide an average of one student per classroom is homeless.  As the recession continues, more and more of our Oregon families find themselves homeless for the first time.

The Housing Alliance knows that the devastating cuts to essential services and supports are impacting our families and neighbors, and we know that these impacts hit hardest those who are already hurting.  “There are more homeless children in Oregon than ever before.  Without a safe place to call home, kids struggle to succeed in school,” said Martha McLennan, Executive Director of Northwest Housing Alternatives.  “We’re asking the Legislature to protect programs that support hard working families. The prolonged recession and the continuing shortage of affordable housing have left too many of our neighbors at risk of homelessness.”

“In Oregon, we believe everyone needs a place to call home.  While the Legislature accomplished many things before they adjourned in June, it’s important to recognize and understand that overall this past Legislative session was a disaster for low income Oregonians,” said Alison McIntosh of the Oregon Housing Alliance.  “We’re failing our children by letting them experience homelessness.  We all want kids to succeed in school and life – for their future and ours.  To succeed, they need a place to call home.”

Each year, school districts across Oregon and the United States track the number of students who experience homelessness.  Districts and homeless school liaisons work to ensure kids can stay in school and try to help students with transportation and other assistance like food and housing.

As the 2012 session approaches, the Housing Alliance is calling on the Legislature to consider the impacts of the 2011-13 budget and the possibility of allocating additional resources to help families most affected by the economic downturn.

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Neighborhood Partnerships has had the opportunity to work over the past year with many talented and capable advocates who are advancing policy initiatives that promise a better future for Oregon communities.

Part of our work and thinking has focused on the question of talking about equity, about the disparities that exist between population groups and communities, and about race and institutional racism. As we all know, conversations about equity and race are challenging conversations everywhere, perhaps particularly challenging for those of us who live here in the northwest. But, change and progress depend on these challenging conversations helping all of us develop a more complete understanding of reality.

As a City of Portland resident, I find the current controversies about high school re-design illustrative of the ways we all lose when we allow inequity to pervade our systems. For years, the Portland Public Schools lauded themselves as one of the more successful urban school districts, and took pride in their ability to keep middle class kids in the public schools. But the ugly side of that is that the systems offered unequal access to opportunity and provided drastically different educations to kids based on their home address and the ability of parents to negotiate the maze of transfer policies and magnet schools.

While many kids received exceptional educations in Portland Public Schools, far too many kids dropped out, received substandard support or opportunity, and lost their interest and engagement in learning. We have failed those kids, and we have failed our communities.

The real tragedy in this story is of course the kids. We know that kids who don’t  graduate from high school have drastically lowered expectations for success.

The second tragedy, though, is that as a community we’ve allowed ourselves to pretend that things have been better than they are. By not acknowledging our inability to adequately serve all kids, and by spreading the financial cuts to schools in ways that protected opportunities like Advanced Placement classes for some schools while offering none in others, we’ve been ignoring the full impacts of state and local funding shortfalls. We’ve lost years of opportunity to work harder for adequate resources and for the structural and programmatic changes that would help all kids succeed, and help us build a stronger future for our neighborhoods, our cities, and our states.

It’s time we all got better at listening to one another, facing reality, and finding solutions together. I’m grateful for the many talented colleagues who are willing to engage with me in this conversation and this work. I look forward to collectively building a better future.

In the July 22, 2011 edition of Street Roots, we recap the 2011 Legislative Session for housing. Purchase a copy today from a Street Roots vendor downtown, or read the article here. The full text is below:

The State Legislature has been adjourned for over two weeks now, and we’re a little more than two weeks into the new state budget. The dust is settling, but the full impact of the work of the Legislature on Oregonians struggling to make ends meet won’t be known for many months.
We all need a safe, stable place to call home. Our state and our communities are stronger and better when everyone has access to opportunity, which comes from having a place to call home.

The Oregon Housing Alliance—a coalition of organizations from across the state concerned about the lack of affordable housing—has worked along with other housing advocates since 2004 to secure the resources we need to create strong communities across Oregon. The Oregon Housing Alliance made progress this past legislative session, but it was not nearly enough. Our victories were important: we secured funding to help preserve existing affordable housing across Oregon; protected tools such as the Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit and others to help build new affordable housing; we protected funds for emergency rent assistance; we helped pass protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties; and we worked in coalition with partners to prevent the worst of the cuts to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Despite these small gains, this Legislative session was a disaster for low income Oregonians. The prolonged recession and the continuing shortage of affordable housing have left too many of our neighbors at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Too many of our families and neighbors are struggling to keep both a roof over their head and food on the table.

Devastating cuts were made to essential services and supports, and we know that the impacts of these choices will hit hardest and be hardest felt by those who are already hurting. While we made progress on many fronts, overall we have stepped backwards this session. Protecting the most vulnerable among us and maintaining a strong safety net is one of the core functions of our government. The Legislature should make decisions that uphold and advance this purpose.

Instead, the Legislature made a choice in the 2011 session to pass a budget for human services and housing that will barely keep emergency services afloat during the next two years. The decisions made will have far reaching and very real consequences that will include thousands of Oregonians unable to access emergency rent assistance or affordable housing, or the supportive services they need to get back to work. When the Legislature returns in 2012 and 2013, we need them to be ready to make choices that will put all of our options—including new revenue—on the table, and we need them to make the best choices for our state.

We need your voice and your help in the coming months to ensure that this happens. We know how to solve the crisis of homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. The solution begins when housing advocates begin to speak louder.

We must do everything we can to build up our voices, to work across issues, and to help legislators understand the impacts of their decisions on the men, women, and children in their districts who need the opportunity that stable housing provides in order to fully engage in their life and their community.

Over the next year, three years and five years, we must work to expand the voices of those concerned about the lack of safe, stable and affordable housing for all Oregonians. We must document the effects of the economic recession, and the effects of the 2011-2013 budget on our neighbors passed by the Legislature this session, and share what’s happening with decision makers. Housing advocates must speak louder and do more to ensure everyone has a place to call home. If we’re going to build a movement across Oregon that speaks out for our communities and our neighbors, we have to shift the conversation in our state from “we can’t” to “we must”, and we need to talk to our neighbors and communities about our vision of what we want our home towns and our state to be, rather than about the budget and the deficit. We can solve the problems we face. We can make sure everyone has a safe, stable place to call home, and the opportunity that comes with it.