On Thursday, September 16, the Census Bureau released new data on income, poverty and health insurance coverage. The news was bleak—increased rates of poverty and decreased health insurance coverage as a result of the current and ongoing recession. The release of data by the Census Bureau revealed: 3.7 million more Americans have fallen into poverty […]
Guest_Post
The Assets Movement at Its Moment
Recently released data shows that the total number of people in poverty grew to one in seven Americans in 2009. This heart wrenching economic news tells the story of hardship many of us know well since nearly everyone has watched family members and friends struggle through prolonged periods of unemployment or underemployment since the start […]
Supporting Asset Development in Oregon, and the Assets Learning Conference!
In less than two weeks, staff from Neighborhood Partnerships will travel to Washington, DC for the Assets Learning Conference hosted by the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). CFED, one of our partner organizations, is dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for all Americans for over 30 years. The conference, The Assets Movement at its Moment: Creating […]
It’s time for a long-term view of government’s role in Oregon’s future
On August 26, the state of Oregon received another revenue forecast with more bad news. This revenue forecast indicated the state has an additional $377 million less than expected for the current biennium (2009–2011). In addition to the $563 million less than expected in May 2010, the state budget is now $940 million short in […]
NP Staff Travel to STEP Conference
In August 2010, NP Staff Janet Byrd and Alison McIntosh traveled to Seattle to attend the 2010 Strategies to End Poverty (STEP) Conference, sponsored by STEP and Northwest Area Foundation. In addition to taking in a Mariner’s game, we learned a lot about coalition building, revenue coalitions, and what’s new in terms of TANF reauthorization […]
August Housing Alliance Update
The Housing Alliance is gearing up for the upcoming 2011 Legislative Session. We have a series of membership meetings planned, and we are getting ready to finalize our agenda. In September and October, we’ll hold two Housing Alliance Membership Meetings. We will be meeting in Salem on Monday, September 27, 2010 from 10 a.m. to […]
Strategies to Increase IDA Program Recruitment and Retention
Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) are a matched savings program that help low and moderate-income families purchase assets such as a home, a post-secondary education, or the capital needed to start or expand a small business. Neighborhood Partnerships brought Amy Shir—an expert asset building consultant—to present strategies to increase participant recruitment and retention to forty of […]
Bridges to Housing: Multnomah County Appreciation Event a Success!
On Friday, July 16, 2010, Bridges to Housing case managers, staff, and Multnomah County partners gathered to appreciate and celebrate the success of the program, now four years old. Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, describing herself as a member of the Bridges to Housing fan club, welcomed families, case managers and those who’ve worked at the City […]
Preliminary Findings from the IDA Initiative Evaluation
Neighborhood Partnerships is proud to oversee the administration of the Oregon Individual Development Account (IDA) Initiative. IDAs are matched savings accounts that help low and moderate income Oregonians purchase assets, such as a first home, that build economic security. Participants can also use their IDAs to start or expand a small business, get more education, […]
Emerging Leaders Advocacy and Messaging Training
Since November 2009, Neighborhood Partnerships has had the pleasure of working with Patrick Bresette of Demos. We’ve been learning about the public’s images of government and the economy, and ways to foster more collaborative attitudes among citizens. Now, we’re working on a very exciting project with Patrick and Larry Wallack, Dean of the College of […]