Neighborhood Partnerships

Neighborhood Partnerships is in the process of hiring a Fiscal and Program Assistant!

We are a dynamic, innovative, statewide nonprofit seeking a motivated person to provide quality bookkeeping, donor relations support, and data management to our Accountant and Program Staff.  Neighborhood Partnerships is looking for someone who is detail-oriented, accurate, computer savvy, and a team player with one to two years of related experience.

Salary is based on experience. The position is three-quarter time with excellent benefits.

Primary Duties

Accounts Payable

Accounts Receivable

Database management and maintenance

Donor acknowledgement and support

Grant and contract management and file maintenance

Provide other fiscal support as requested

Provide other program support as requested

Skills and Experience Requirements

1-2 years bookkeeping experience, nonprofit, and QuickBooks experience a plus

Possess high standard for accuracy

Able to multi-task while also being highly detail-oriented and balance shifting deadlines and priorities

Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and proposing new ways of creating efficiencies

Able to work independently to follow procedure and meet deadlines

Possess an innate enthusiasm for growing new skills

Ability to maintain confidentiality of data

Comprehensive computer knowledge

Able to cheerfully contribute to a small team environment

Minorities, women, and qualified individuals with disabilities are urged to apply.  To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references to:
Karie Herrlinger, kherrlinger@neighborhoodpartnerships.org

The deadline for applications is Tuesday, May 31, 2011.

No calls please.

Every year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition releases a report called Out of Reach. This report shows what it costs to rent a modest two bedroom apartment in every state, and shows what a renter would have to earn to afford an apartment at Fair Market Rent.  This year, the NLIHC is featuring State Partners on their blog, and how we use Out of Reach in our advocacy.  Alison McIntosh wrote for the blog today – check it out here: http://bit.ly/lGqKqg or read the text below. Out of Reach will be released on Monday, May 2nd at 9:30 a.m. PST. Stay tuned!

Neighborhood Partnerships and the Oregon Housing Alliance are State Partners in Oregon for the National Low Income Housing Coalition (www.nlihc.org), and we are excited about the upcoming release of the Out of Reach report.  Out of Reach is a great way for us to gain access to local data that can paint a picture of the scope of the problem faced by renters in Oregon who are in need of a safe, stable place to call home.

In the past, we’ve used Out of Reach in many different ways:

First, we use the Out of Reach data to help us with our County Need Sheets.  Our County Need Sheets detail the need for housing in each of Oregon’s thirty-six counties, and are a key tool for us to use as we talk to our State Legislature about the need for housing in their communities.  For example, each sheet talks about the Fair Market Rent for that community, as well as types of occupations and their incomes for people in those communities.

When we go to visit Legislators and educate them about the need for a continuum of responses to the housing crisis in our state – from homelessness to affordable rental housing to home ownership options – we use these sheets to talk about their specific communities.  We also give them to our members to talk about the need in their community, and we’ve found these sheets really helpful and very effective tools for legislators.

We are also big fans of something called Social Math here at Neighborhood Partnerships – it’s a way to make numbers more understandable and compelling to your average Legislator or reader.  For example, Out of Reach tells us that a worker earning minimum wage in Oregon must work 71 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom at the Fair Market Rent.  On our fact sheets, we say: “A worker earning minimum wage in Oregon had to work more than ten hours a day, seven days a week just to afford a two bedroom apartment in Oregon.”

Second, we also use Out of Reach to release media advisories and try to gather some local press on the high cost of housing in our communities. In the past, we’ve issued press releases, and have gained some media attention. This year, we’re planning a media advisory, and in addition, we will also release it on our blog and spread the word through Facebook.

We’re thankful to have partners like NLIHC who can help us with access to the Out of Reach data which we don’t have the expertise (or time!) to gather and analyze ourselves.   We’re looking forward to using it to highlight the need for affordable housing across Oregon.

Washington County has a faith based coalition, the Inter-Faith Committee on Homelessness (IFCH), which is active in a variety of ways around homelessness.  Neighborhood Partnerships has been working with the IFCH for some time now – they are long time members of the Oregon Housing Alliance, and have been very helpful as we work on issues of homelessness across the state of Oregon.

In early 2010, we spoke with several members of the IFCH regarding their history and work.

Catalyst

In 2006, the congregants at the United Church of Christ in Forest Grove, Oregon learned about the failure of a local public safety levy.  This levy funded many aspects of public safety, including partially funding the emergency shelter system for homeless people in Washington County.   The congregation was concerned about this failure and its impacts, and began working to raise awareness about the problem of homelessness in Washington County and the need for the Public Safety levy.

Raising Awareness

The group had two goals – first, to educate themselves about the problem of homelessness, and to share their knowledge with others; and second, to shine a light on the problem of homelessness in Washington County.  The group understood that homelessness was viewed as a “Portland-problem,” not as a problem that impacted Washington County.

As they worked to increase awareness of homelessness in Washington County, the group adopted a variety of strategies.  They worked to put a face on homelessness by helping other church members understand who was homeless in Washington County.  They held one event where they slept outside of a local church on a cold fall night.  In the context of IFCH’s mission – education, putting a face on homelessness and advocating for the homeless – they have also sponsored four county town halls which bring the faith community, service providers and elected officials together.  These both help to educate the public and generate media attention.

Opportunities for Engagement

The IFCH works to create a wide range of options for everyone to be involved in the work of ending homelessness.  Options include service, raising funds, and working with elected officials.  Each congregant or congregation can be involved in the ways they feel most comfortable and to the degree that they are available.  This tailored approach has been very successful, and has contributed to their impact.

Working with Elected Officials

One area where the IFCH found they could have very effective involvement was in working with elected officials.  This has taken several forms over the years.  The IFCH:

Provided funds raised from churches to the local Board of County Commissioners to keep shelters open in Washington County.

Is involved with the Oregon Housing Alliance, as a member and participant.  They have engaged their state representatives in the work to end homelessness and inspired them to be champions.

Provided pressure to County elected officials to keep the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness process moving forward.

They have found that they could often communicate with elected officials in a different and important way because they are not public employees or direct service providers.

Serving Others

The IFCH has created a range of options for churches and congregants to be involved. One way that many choose to be involved is direct service to the homeless.  IFCH often has issued a call to serve, saying “If we don’t respond, who will?” Some of these services have included:

Emergency Referral Training, which includes basic information and referral skills for church members.  The presentation helps others understand what to do when someone is asking for help.

Operating Severe Weather Shelters during the winter. Several churches in the Washington County area operate severe weather shelters or warming centers during winter months when the temperature drops. These shelters provide a warm place to sleep and a meal, and require volunteers from churches.

IFCH churches have also contributed in a variety of other ways, including providing meals, providing for homeless school children, operating compassion clinics, hosting Project Homeless Connect events, and even operating transitional housing.

We are pleased to work with the Washington County Inter-Faith Committee on Homelessness, and are always impressed by their work and dedication.  We know that by building these strong partnerships we can end homelessness for all Oregonians.

To find out more about the Washington County Inter-Faith Committee on Homelessness, visit their website at: http://ahomeoftheirown.com/.

Janet Byrd from Neighborhood Partnerships and Dung Ho from the Community Alliance of Tenants receive Senator Jeff Merkley’s congratulations on winning the State and Local Organizing award at the National Low Income Housing Coalition conference in DC.