Neighborhood Partnerships

On February 12^th, people from across Oregon will travel to Salem for three important events to support our hardworking neighbors, families, and their children.   We will ask our legislators to “Have a Heart,” with Oregon Thrives; we will join faith leaders for an interfaith prayer vigil for homeless children and families; and we will attend a hearing on the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tool which helps low and moderate income families build assets.

First, we will join with Oregon Thrives and meet in Salem at the State Capitol to support our legislators in continuing to “Have A Heart.”  We will ask our Legislators to continue to work their hardest to find resources to meet the needs of vulnerable Oregonians in our midst.

We’ll convene at 8 am for check in and coffee.  We will begin promptly at 8:30 with a legislative briefing in the Public Services Building, 255 Capitol Street NE, Basement Room A.

After a legislative briefing, participants will move to the state capitol and deliver Valentine messages to their legislators.  Please join us for this special event! RSVP today. (Link to: Claudette@capooregon.org)  Download the invitation here.

Next up, we will participate in an Interfaith Briefing and Dialogue on Homeless Children and Families and Prayer Vigil.  This important event will bring faith leaders from across the state to help draw attention to the growing number of homeless families statewide and the increasing number of homeless children in our public schools.

The interfaith briefing and dialogue, sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Interfaith Project on Homeless Children and Families begins at 10:00 am.  Briefings and discussion will focus on education of homeless children and youth, and on programs that prevent and reduce homelessness.  We’ll meet across the street from the Capitol at the Public Service Building, 255 Capitol Street NE, Basement Room A.

At noon, join us as we move across the street to the capitol steps for a rally and prayer vigil in support of homeless children and families.  Find out more about the Briefing or Prayer Vigil by contacting Kevin Finney or Rev. Chuck Currie.

Last up, at 1:00 pm we will join an important legislative hearing on reducing taxes on low‐income working families by increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit.  The Earned Income Tax Credit is an important tool which helps low and moderate income families build savings and assets.  Help us show the legislature that we care about our hardworking families and their children in Oregon.  This is a hearing of the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee on SB 1044 in Hearing Room A. Please join us! Questions, please contact us.

If you only come to Salem once in 2010, please come on February 12^th.  Let’s thank our State Legislators for continuing to Have a Heart, and show them how important it is that everyone has a safe place to call home.

The Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative will reach all corners of the state in 2010, thanks to the support of a wide range of Oregonians. Neighborhood Partnerships is happy to report that we received contributions over $4.7 million dollars to support the IDA Initiative.  In what was described as one of Oregon’s worst economic years in decades, we saw support for the Initiative increase by over $100,000 from 2008. Hard working Oregonians will benefit as they are supported by Initiative partners to increase their future financial stability and resilience.

Support for the Initiative has a broad base, thanks to the collective efforts of all our partners and donors. Nearly 30% of contributions came from donors giving between $50 and $1,000.

Over 95% of every dollar raised goes to support Oregonians seeking to start or expand a small business, pursue higher education, or purchase their first home. Every dollar a participant saves toward their goal is matched by three dollars of Initiative funds.  Thanks to the State of Oregon’s support of the Oregon IDA Tax Credit more than 1,200 individuals to date throughout Oregon have met their savings goals and purchased their asset. And, through the research collected by Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute, we know that IDAs are a proven, effective tool for building hope, stability, and life skills.  See the results of the PSU Survey.

Applications for 2009 IDA Initiative funding were received on January 14, 2010.  Six of our existing non-profit partners requested funds to broaden their IDA programs to reach underserved areas and populations in our state.  Thanks to your support we will be able to provide funds that will allow these organizations to help approximately 750 new participants start down the road to financial stability in 2010.  Neighborhood Partnerships and Oregon Housing and Community Services will announce grantee awards in early February.

And remember—it’s never too early to make your 2010 Tax Credit contribution.  There is no need to wait to the last minute when you can make your donation today!  For more information go to our IDA Homepage.  You can also download the 2010 Donor Form.

Thank you again for your support.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

Throughout the state of Oregon, Neighborhood Partnerships works to create opportunity for low and moderate income families through the Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative. The IDA Initiative is a matched savings program that helps hard working Oregonians build economic security by teaching savings habits that help them purchase a first home, start or expand a small business, or pursue higher education. Federal policies that facilitate and encourage savings are essential for supporting the important asset building work that’s happening here in Oregon.

We moved a step closer to that goal last night.

President Barack Obama mentioned expanding matched savings accounts in last night’s State of the Union address . His proposal aligns with the Savings for American Families’ Future Act (H.R. 1961), which would extend retirement savings incentives to more than 50 million Americans by improving and strengthening the existing federal Saver’s Credit.

President Obama’s proposal couldn’t come at a better time. Today only half of American households (52%) have a retirement savings plan, and if you look at households of lower income workers, you’ll see that low income workers are much less likely to save for retirement than their higher income counterparts. Social Security is the sole source of income for one in five Americans age 65 and older. For one in three seniors, Social Security represents almost all of their retirement income (more than 90%).

Savings for American Families’ Future Act will enhance the effectiveness of the Saver’s Credit by:

• Making the Saver’s Credit refundable. The current credit only applies to families with a federal income tax liability. One in three (35%) households do not pay federal income tax in a given year because their incomes are too low. While these families pay plenty of taxes, federal law only recognizes federal income tax when providing a Saver’s Credit match.
• Providing a flat 50% match on qualified contributions up to $500 for an individual or $1,000 for a couple. The proposal also calls for annual increases of $100 for single filers and $200 increases for joint filers through 2020.
• Increasing the income eligibility requirement to $65,000 for joint filers, $48,750 for head of household, and $32,500 for single filers.
• Automatically depositing matching contributions into a designated retirement account.

Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer has shown leadership on this issue and has co-sponsored the Savings for American Families’ Future Act. You can also find out more about this issue from CFED.

Efforts are underway at the national level to fund the National Housing Trust Fund.  The House of Representatives recently passed the “Jobs for Main Street Act” (HR 2847) which would provide $1 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund, as well as $65 million for project-based housing voucher programs.  However, whether these funds will be included in the Senate version of the bill is still unclear.

A National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) would provide significant benefit to Oregon.  As the bill stands currently, the bill would provide $15 million to Oregon per $1 billion allocated to the trust fund.  These funds would be used to provide housing to those at the lowest incomes – 30% of area median income or lower.   We here in Oregon know that housing gives people an opportunity to build better lives, and we believe that funding the NHTF would provide much needed resources to Oregon.

We want to thank our Senators, especially Senator Jeff Merkley, who recently initiated a letter to President Obama asking that $1 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund be included in the President’s budget that he will submit to Congress on February 1. Senator Merkley has asked fellow Senators to sign the letter with him. Senator Wyden of Oregon has signed on as well.

Other efforts are moving forward to ensure the Senate provides funding for the National Housing Trust Fund, including a letter by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) which asks fellow Senators to request that the Senate also provide $1 billion for the NHTF and $65 million in housing vouchers.  Read the letter here.

Want to help? Be sure to contact Senator Merkley and thank him for his work to date to make funding for the NHTF a reality. You can also ask whether Senator Merkley is planning to sign onto the letter from Senator Reed.  Senator Wyden has already signed on to this letter.

Want to learn more? Check out the Center for Community Change website or listen to the audio of a call hosted on Tuesday, 1/19/2010 by the National Low Income Housing Coalition in which their President, Sheila Crowley brings us up to date on the latest news.

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Bridges to Housing’s Regional Steering Committee met in December 2009 to recommend funding awards for the four metro area counties that are part of this groundbreaking effort to re-design services and housing for high need homeless families.  Because of the demonstrated impact of the program, the four participating counties have shown remarkable dedication and commitment to the Bridges to Housing approach.  As private funding for the program tapers off, counties are working to ensure that the program remains part of the continuum of services that assists the homeless in their communities.

The Regional Steering Committee and the Neighborhood Partnerships Board approved the following grants:

Clackamas County will serve an additional seven families in Phase III of Bridges to Housing.  Case management services will be provided by Clackamas County Social Services and families will be placed in scattered site, private market rental units throughout Clackamas County.  Clackamas County Social Services received $121,973 for their project, of which $13,473 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

Clark County will serve an additional thirty clients in this next phase of Bridges to Housing. Case management services will be provided by Share, and families will be placed in housing provided by Vancouver Housing Authority.  Share is receiving $205,337 for their project, of which $100,837 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

Multnomah County will have 139 units of housing for Bridges to Housing families available in 2010-2011.  Services for this housing will be provided by Human Solutions, Impact Northwest, Central City Concern and El Programa Hispano.  From Bridges to Housing, these agencies will receive $232,500 to serve families.  Housing is provided by a variety of agencies.  In order to help housing providers meet uncompensated costs associated with serving this difficult-to-house population, Multnomah County is receiving $167,272 for housing costs.

Washington County will serve fifteen new families in Phase III of Bridges to Housing.  Case management services will be provided by Community Action of Washington County.  Families will be placed in housing provided by Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Bienestar, and Washington County Housing Authority.  Community Action is receiving $144,918 for their project, of which $40,418 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

We’re all looking forward to the next evaluation report on this remarkable collaborative effort. It will be available in March of 2010. Previous evaluation reports and more about the program can be found here.

Individual Development Accounts are a proven, effective tool for building hope and stability.  In the 2008 calendar year, NP raised $4.5 million in donations for this program through the IDA 75% Oregon Tax Credit which creates a pool of match funding for participants that complete financial education and asset specific training.  Every dollar they save toward their goal is matched by three dollars of tax credit funds.  Thanks to the Oregon IDA Initiative’s strong network of community partners & the resources provided through the IDA Tax Credit more than 1100 individuals throughout Oregon have met their savings goals and purchased their asset. With your help we can increase these numbers in 2010!

IDAs build long term life skills.  According to research conducted by Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute, twelve months after purchasing their asset 59% of participants often use a budget to monitor their expenses and 41% are regularly making deposits to their savings.

You can make a difference!  By donating to Neighborhood Partnerships before December 31^st you can help hard working Oregonians develop long lasting life skills and launch a new business, gain access to higher education or purchase a new home.  But time is running out!  The 2009 75% IDA Tax Credit expires this Thursday. 75% of every dollar you contribute before December 31^st will come back to you as a state tax credit. That’s like only paying $25 to give $100!  Plus, over 95% of your donation will go directly toward supporting the Oregon IDA Initiative.

To learn more go to http://ida.neighborhoodpartnerships.org or call Cynthia Winter at 503-226-3001×101.  Call today!

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The Portland Tribune’s recent editorial on homelessness focuses on the growing problem of homelessness, as well as several solutions.

The editorial highlights a growing and serious problem – children are making up a larger and larger percentage of those who are homeless.  In 2008-2009, over 18,000 school children were homeless at some point during the school year.   We couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that “[t]emporary solutions, of course, are not the best way to go for families and children, who need the stability of a real home.” Without a real home, the consequences can be severe – children fall behind in school and experience more health problems than children with stable homes. Children deserve an opportunity to succeed in school and life, both of which are tied to having a stable home.

Bridges to Housing is a great example of a permanent solution for homeless families.  Bridges to Housing serves high need homeless families in the Portland-metro area.  Families served by Bridges to Housing often have non-monetary barriers to stability and need intensive support to get back on their feet.  However we don’t need these types of interventions for everyone – homelessness is a complex problem, and our systems need to be flexible to meet everyone’s needs.

Many families who are experiencing homeless may just need some short term rent assistance to prevent their homelessness, while others may need rent assistance plus some short-term services to get back on their feet.  Increasing the supply of affordable housing for families in this region would move us towards solving the problem of family homelessness.

The editorial calls for a reexamination of the division of homeless services between the City of Portland and Multnomah County.  We think that increased state and federal resources are also critical to adequately addressing the problem of homelessness and the severe shortage of affordable housing.

We need a wide range of solutions to solve the problem of homelessness. But the good news is that homelessness can be solved and we know how to solve it.  Everyone does deserve a place to call home.

Neighborhood Partnerships, along with Oregon Thrives, the Oregon Center for Public Policy and the Oregon Hunger Task Force were fortunate to be able to collaborate and bring Patrick Bresette of the Public Works project of Demos to Portland the week of November 9^th.

Mr. Bresette presented a lecture, “A Case for Government,” In it, he presented Demos’ research  on Americans’ current views of government and strategies to help people think about the often invisible roles of government and a more involved, “citizen – manager” role for themselves.

The lecture was well attended – over 100 people braved the downpour to hear Patrick speak about the public’s images of government and their declining trust in government. Research conducted by Demos indicates that all too often people think about government as partisan bickering and political theater.  He spoke about how to help people rediscover the important functions of government and how everyone can and should play a role in managing those functions. You can download the powerpoint from Tuesday night’s lecture, as well as a two-page handout summarizing the research findings of Demos on this subject.

Thanks are also due to NW Natural for their assistance in hosting a small reception following the training and their generous donation of space for the event.

While in Oregon, Patrick also led two day-long trainings. The first training focused on talking about financial asset building, drawing on his background developing the IDA program for the state of Texas.   This session focused on how to communicate the importance of asset building as tools to expand economic opportunity. Download the powerpoint from this training.

The second training focused on talking about state and local revenue needs.  This training was an extended and more in-depth version of Tuesday’s nights lecture.  Download the powerpoint from this training here.