Neighborhood Partnerships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 6, 2012

For More Information:

Janet Byrd                                                                            Ryan Fisher
(503) 516-4698                                                                  (503) 807-7525

Foreclosure Relief comes to Oregon Homeowners

After much negotiation and dialogue, Oregon homeowners are set to receive significant assistance in keeping their homes with Tuesdays’ passage of SB1552 with the -25 amendments.  This bill brings critical relief to homeowners across Oregon who are at risk of foreclosure. SB1552 passed with large, bi-partisan majorities in the Senate, but stalled in the House before bi-partisan negotiations helped move the bills forward.  The bills passed the House in the early evening last night, March 5, with 59 aye votes.

“The overwhelming tide of foreclosures and financial security are threatening to permanently undermine the foundations of our state. Today, Legislators made the right decision to protect Oregonians, and took action to begin to rebuild our state,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the Housing Alliance. “These bills are positive and decisive action to stop the havoc and despair caused by foreclosures.”

SB1552 provides homeowners with timely and accurate information about their choices which will help allow them to make informed decisions. The bill also guarantees fair dealing by the banks, and equips homeowners to make good decisions based on good information. Together with the national bank settlement resources, these changes have the potential to significantly benefit Oregonians at risk of foreclosure and our communities across the state.

“We appreciate and commend the House of Representatives for their negotiations and continued work on helping families keep their homes,” said Patti Whitney Wise, Director of Partners for a Hunger Free Oregon and member of the Housing Alliance. “Dialogue on the challenging problems facing Oregonians is critical to the future of our state. There is no simple answer to this crisis, and we all have a stake in and must be part of the solution.”

SB1552 with its –25 amendments is a combination of many of the provisions from the original SB1552 and SB1564. It includes mandatory mediation, changes to advanced notification rules, attorney general oversight and an end to the dual-track processes.  It also includes sanctions for financial institutions that do not comply.

“While the path ahead will continue to be difficult for many Oregonians, we believe that  working together we can find solutions to the foreclosure crisis,” said Midge Purcell of the Urban League.  She continued, “today, the Legislature made the right choice to best protect and ensure the future we all want.  We are grateful for their work to put the needs of our communities first.”

“Members of the Legislature and House of Representatives worked together to reach a bipartisan solution to this problem.  Too many members of our communities are suffering from the stress and uncertainty that foreclosure can bring,” said David Leslie, Executive Director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, and member of the Housing Alliance. He continued, “this bill is a huge step forward for Oregon homeowners and communities.”

Download a PDF of the release here.

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The Housing Alliance brings together advocates, local governments, housing authorities, community development corporations, environmentalists, service providers, business interests and all others dedicated to increasing the resources available to meet our housing needs to support a common statewide legislative and policy agenda. To find out more about the Housing Alliance, go to: http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2012

For More Information:
Janet Byrd
(503) 516-4698

Ryan Fisher
(503) 807-7525

Oregon Homeowners will Suffer While they Wait for Foreclosure Relief

With the short February session winding down, advocates today believe that all hope of passing foreclosure reform is lost. Two bills, SB1552 and SB1564 would have brought significant relief to homeowners across Oregon who are at risk of foreclosure. SB1552 and SB1564 were passed with large, bi-partisan majorities by the Senate, but stalled in the House.

“The overwhelming tide of foreclosures and financial security are threatening to permanently undermine the foundations of our state. We needed our Legislators to make decisions to protect Oregonians, and take action to rebuild our state,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the Housing Alliance. “These bills would have been decisive action to stop the havoc and despair caused by foreclosures.”

SB1552 and SB1564 would have provided homeowners with timely and accurate information about their choices to allow them to make informed decisions. The bills would have also guaranteed fair dealing by the banks, and would have equipped homeowners to make good decisions based on good information. Together with the national settlement resources, these changes would have significantly and positively affected Oregonians at risk of foreclosure.

“Without these protections, we will continue to see homeowners act in good faith on information provided to them, only to learn that the sands have shifted,” continued Byrd. “We still have choices to make that can help Oregon homeowners. Now is the time for Legislators and others to come to the table and figure out a way forward using the Attorney General settlement dollars to positively impact the lives of Oregon homeowners. We need to use this precious resource wisely.”

While the Housing Alliance knows that homeowners and communities will suffer as they wait until the next Legislative session for decisive action, we continue to be hopeful that the bi-partisan agreement by the Legislature to put funds from the Attorney General settlement into uses that will help support homeowners will continue. These resources can make a significant difference for Oregon homeowners.

“While the path ahead is difficult, we continue to believe that Oregonians working together can find solutions to the foreclosure crisis,” said Byrd. “We can make the right choice to best protect and ensure the future we all want.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Janet Byrd, Neighborhood Partnerships
503-226-3001 x 103

Lisa Joyce, Oregon Housing and Community Services
503-986-0951

Dr. Diane Yatchmenoff, Portland State University
503-725-4158

Independent Evaluation Concludes
Oregon Program Paves Pathways Out of Poverty

(Salem) In a new, independent evaluation, Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute concludes that the Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative is a highly effective way to aid Oregon families challenged by poverty. It helps them learn how to budget and save; establish a stronger, more stable financial footing; and ultimately, purchase a major asset that improves their lives – a home, business, or an education.

“Oregon’s IDA Initiative is recognized as one of the strongest in the nation. It reflects the state’s commitment to increasing financial resilience among low-income residents,” says Dr. Diane Yatchmenoff, lead evaluator for the new research. “We found significant, positive financial behavioral changes, including increased use of budgets and savings.”

More than 1,600 Oregonians have made – and met – their savings goals through participation in the Oregon IDA Initiative. Even in this time of prolonged economic hardship for the state, the majority of participants have been successful in saving for and achieving specific purchases: a small business, a house, a college degree.

Constance Hammons of Douglas County bought a home through the Oregon IDA program and Umpqua Community Development Corporation. “I wanted a better life, but I lacked the skills to escape the helplessness I felt at the first of the month as I struggled to stretch the money,” she says. “When I enrolled in Oregon’s IDA Initiative, my life changed in amazing ways. I learned how to handle my money. I now have no debt whatsoever, my credit score is higher and I just bought a brand new home. The IDA initiative provided the tools I needed to find my way out of the hopelessness of poverty.”

Launched in 1999 by the Oregon Legislature, the Oregon IDA Initiative is an important commitment by the state to develop more jobs, as well as give Oregonians the tools and encouragement to enjoy better lives and greater financial security.

“We envisioned creating a pathway of opportunity,” says Victor Merced, director of Oregon Housing and Community Services. “We sought a means to effectively support low-wealth, hard-working families and individuals to break cycles of unemployment, intergenerational poverty and financial hardship.”

The Oregon IDA Initiative is funded by private contributions, for which donors can receive a 75 percent tax credit in Oregon. More than 95 percent of donations go directly to participants.

The program is operated by Neighborhood Partnerships. Executive Director Janet Byrd calls it “a productive partnership” between Neighborhood Partnerships, capable Oregon nonprofits, generous contributors, program participants, and the State of Oregon.

“We want to recognize our shared success in the results to date, and to thank the many partners who make this program and its contributions to Oregon’s vitality possible,” adds Byrd.

Prospective donors have until December 31 to take advantage of this important tax credit for 2010 – and to do well, by doing good. More information on the Oregon IDA Initiative and the tax credit can be found online, at http://ida.neighborhoodpartnerships.org.

To download a version of Portland State’s evaluation report, also visit http://ida.neighborhoodpartnerships.org.

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Higher prices in the rental market continue to force Oregon families to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table, and paying utility bills.  A national study reports that the cost of renting an apartment in Oregon has increased again, an alarming trend for a state with unemployment at 10.6% and whose number of homeless children attending schools has more than doubled since 2003.

According to the report released today, the Housing Wage for Oregon is $14.93. The Housing Wage is the hourly wage a family must earn – working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year – to be able to afford rent and utilities in the private housing market. The average fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Oregon is $776—a number that has increased 27.5% since 2000. These increases continue despite high unemployment and foreclosures. As rents continue to increase, more and more Oregon families find themselves homeless for the first time.

“Every year it is becoming more difficult for hard working Oregonians to find decent homes they can afford,” said Bill Hall, Lincoln County Commissioner. “In the past year, rural Oregon has seen huge increases to the number of children and families experiencing homelessness. If we want kids to succeed in school, or parents to succeed in the workplace, people need a place to call home.”

The report, Out of Reach 2010, was jointly released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group, and Oregon’s Housing Alliance. The report provides the Housing Wage and other data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country.

“Housing gives people an opportunity to build better lives,” said Cathey Briggs, Executive Director of Oregon Opportunity Network, “And yet an estimated 45% of renters in Oregon don’t earn enough income to afford a two-bedroom unit at the Fair Market Rent.”  Fair market rents are a federal statistic for determining market rents.

“The on-going recession and increasing rate of foreclosures in Oregon continues to make it more difficult for hard working Oregonians to find a safe, decent and affordable place to call home,” said Janet Byrd, Chair of the Housing Alliance, “The Housing Alliance will call on the legislature in 2011 to help all Oregonians have a safe place to call home.  Over the past year, we’ve seen significant increases in the number of families with children who’ve become homeless.  All too often these days, people are forced to choose between rent and food.”

The typical renter in Oregon earns $12.84, which is $2.09 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a modest unit.

Working at the minimum wage, $8.40 in Oregon, a family in Oregon must have 1.8 wage earners working full-time—or one full-time earner working 71 hours—to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.

This year, Oregon is the twenty-sixth most expensive state in the nation for renters. The National Housing Wage is $18.44 in 2010.

Oregon’s unemployment rates remain high—10.6% statewide.  Many of Oregon’s counties have even higher unemployment:  Crook County’s unemployment is the highest in the state at 17.9%, Harney County is second with 16.1%. Columbia, Curry, Deschutes, Douglas, Grant, Jefferson, Josephine, Klamath and Linn counties all have unemployment rates above 13%.

For additional information, visit http://www.nlihc.org/oor/oor2010/.

Want to find data on your local community?  Download a PDF here.

You can download a PDF of the media advisory here.

Yesterday, Neighborhood Partnerships and Oregon Thrives, in conjunction with the national Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) released its 2009 – 2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard. The Scorecard gave Oregon a “C,” and highlighted areas for improvement in Oregon. To help more Oregonians, the state could expand the refundable earned income tax credit, remove asset limits for public benefits and help to promote and preserve homeownership.

Neighborhood Partnerships, as the leader of an emerging coalition, was offered the opportunity to release Oregon’s Scorecard for 2009-2010 this year by CFED. We held both a press conference, and a forum for advocates to discuss the results of the report and possible improvements to Oregon policy to improve the lives of hard-working Oregonians.

Oregon is doing well in important business and education matters but lags behind national performance in annual pay, extreme asset poverty and health care for adults, according to a report released today by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED), a national economic nonprofit. The state earned a “C” on the 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard, with Oregon showing room for improvement in important financial assets and income measures, as well as health care.

Advocates at the press conference called for changes to three main policy areas:
• First, an expansion of the refundable earned income credit. The state should increase the value of the Oregon credit to 18% of the federal credit.
• Second, the state should increase access to and ensure access to foreclosure prevention services, as well as safe, affordable mortgage products.
• Third, Oregon should remove asset limits for public benefits.

You can learn more here:
• Download the Press Release 9.21.2009
• Download Oregon’s scorecard for 2009-2010,
• Visit the CFED website for detailed information about each of the issue areas.

Thanks to everyone who attended the forum and the press conference – both were a huge success! We’re excited to move forward building a strong coalition to improve the lives of all Oregonians. Check back soon for more updates, and links to media coverage.