Northwest HUD Lines
May 2018

HUD e-Briefs from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington
Jeff McMorris, Region X Regional Administrator

Leland Jones, Editor, (206) 220-5356 or Leland.jones@hud.gov

www.hud.gov/alaska	www.hud.gov/idaho
www.hud.gov/oregon	www.hud.gov/washington
http://twitter.com/hudnorthwest

! ! ! NEWS ALERT ! ! !
HUD posts Federal fiscal year 2018 allocations for CDBG, HOME Investment Partnership, Emergency Solutions Grant, Housing Opportunities for Persons w/AIDS & National Housing Trust Fund.

HUD PROPOSES RENT REFORM
Seeks simpler, more transparent and predictable rental practices
Saying "the system we currently use to calculate a family's rental assistance is broken and holds back the very people we're supposed to be helping," HUD Secretary Carson has proposed the Make Affordable Housing Work Act to "start a conversation about reforming decades-old rent policies that are "confusing, costly and counterproductive," in that the incentives they create often fail to adequately support individuals and families receiving HUD rental assistance in increasing their earnings. The 4.7 million families in public & HUD-assisted housing "are now required to surrender a long list of personal information, and any new income they earn is 'taxed' every year in the form of a rent increase" while owners & housing authorities, many with limited staff, must spend many hours calculating the correct payments for their tenants." His proposal - the Making Affordable Housing Work Act - would require income verification only once every three years - would be a simplified structure of 'core rents' that offers a more transparent and predictable rent calculation that streamlines program administration for authorities while effectively encouraging effectively encouraging increased earned income without adversely impacting a household's rent for up to three years." His proposal would not increase rents paid by qualifying households currently receiving assistance that are comprised of elderly persons or persons with disabilities but would create a menu of 'choice rents' that authorities & owners may implement to promote greater flexibility, local control, & self-sufficiency for non-elderly/non-disabled households.

QUOTE TO NOTE
Why self-sufficiency matters
". . .As a child growing up with a single mother in Detroit, I witnessed the corrosive effect of welfare dependency on my extended family and many of our neighbors. Luckily for me, my mother understood that the power of education could free us from this dependency. Working multiple jobs, she refused to be bound by government programs that locked us into our lot in life. Although my mother grew up in poverty and attained very little formal education, she believed that any path to success is built upon the books she encouraged me and my brother to read and the work ethic she instilled in me. She was blessed with enormous faith, believing it would carry our family through all adversity, once telling an interviewer, "God is greater than any human being, and we have to rely on God to supply all our needs even though we don't see how we're going to get them." Too many of our neighbors are caught in a welfare system that perpetuates a cycle of poverty and breaks the American spirit of work, free enterprise and family. I often wonder what some of my childhood friends could have achieved if our welfare system promoted these fundamental keys to escaping poverty. What new inventions, policy ideas, medical advances, and discoveries never happen because too many languish in poverty?. .To unlock America's full potential, we need a welfare system of opportunity for the 21st century. The executive order signed by President Trump on Tuesday is a big step in the right direction. Our welfare system should be a pathway to self-sufficiency by focusing on work and stable families, giving hope to their dreams and a foundation for their success. . .Every American wants the dignity of providing for themselves and their families. Millions of people strive every day to escape poverty. It's time we reform our welfare system to support them and unlock the untapped human potential in our forgotten inner cities and small towns. If we don't, we could be missing out on the next award-winning surgeon. Together, we can unlock America's full potential.", HUD Secretary Carson, excerpted from "Unlocking America's Full Potential," The Washington Times, April 22, 2018

NO-HARASSMENT HOUSING
HUD joins Justice effort to end sexual harassment in housing
Saying ""No person should have to tolerate unwanted sexual advances in order to keep a roof over his or her head," HUD Secretary Carson & Attorney General Sessions launch nationwide pilot to increase awareness & reporting of sexual harassment in housing, including formation of a joint task force, an outreach toolkit & public awareness campaign. "Sexual harassment in housing is illegal, immoral, and unacceptable," said Attorney General Sessions. "It is all too common today, as too many landlords, managers, and their employees attempt to prey on vulnerable women." Similar efforts launched by Justice's Civil Rights Division in 2017 reported an "upswing" in harassment reporting that, extrapolated to U.S. Attorneys' offices nationally, suggests the expanded effort "could lead to hundreds of new reports of sexual harassment in housing across the country.".

BRIEF BRIEFS
U.S. Treasury approves Idaho Governor Butch Otter's designation of 28 Census tracts as Opportunity Zones under Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 while. Alaska Department of Commerce nominates 25 Census tracts in Alaska, Governor Kate Brown nominates 86 tracts in Oregon & Governor Jay Inslee nominates 139 tracts in Washington State as Opportunity Zones to put private capital to work revitalizing distressed communities. . .As Boise, Idaho joins ranks of nation's fastest-growing cities, Mayor David Bieter issues report recommending ways to preserve & protect "those things that make Boise so special".& livable. . .Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says Wells Fargo to pay $1 billion penalty in settlement for violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act in its auto loan & mortgage practices. . .Affordable Housing Finance names. Pacific Companies, co-developer of City of Boise, Idaho's New Path Community housing first complex, for homeless, one of 2017's top ten developers of affordable housing in the U.S. .Thanks to $1.6 million contribution from Primera Blue Cross, Cocoon House, City of Everett &Snohomish County, Washington break ground, says The Herald, for their first -ever service & housing facility for young people ages 18 to 24 in county. . .Once known as Viking Village, City of Salem, Oregon, Community Development Partners & Oregon Housing & Community Services celebrates re-opening of 87-unit Fairhaven Gardens following $17 million renovation reports Statesman Journal. . .NeighborWorks Boise beaks ground for 40th Street Cottages pocket neighborhood on a single block in Garden City, Idaho, 15 678 to 980 square-foot houses priced between $180,000 & $210,000, half of which already are sold executive director Bud Cumpler tells Idaho Statesman. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services awards just a smidgeon under $10.8 million in Individual Development Account funds to CASA of Oregon, College Dreams, Mercy Corps Northwest, Microenterprise Services of Oregon, NAYA Youth & Family Services, NEDCO, NeighborWorks Umpqua, the Portland Housing Center & the Warm Springs Community Action Team. . .HopeWorks, City of Everett & Snohomish County break ground for HopeWorks Station II, 65 units of affordable housing in Everett, Washington reports The Herald. . .Washington State Housing Finance Commission okays $207 million in financing for 11 projects iwth a total of 975 new affordable housing units in Pullman, Redmond, Seattle, SeaTac, Snoqualmie, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Tacoma & Vancouver.

INCENTIVIZING LANDLORDS
Bringing down barriers to tenancy
The recent passage of legislation by local & state governments - Oregon & Washington, for example - adding "source-of-income" as a protected class in their housing discrimination ordinances & laws is one clear indication of the difficulty families & individuals with a Housing Choice Voucher have, particularly in "hot" rental market, getting landlords to pick them over non-assisted applicants to rent an available, affordable place live. The Oregon Legislature is also trying another approach, offering financial incentives to landlords to encourage them to rent to low-income households by guaranteeing payments to landlords for unpaid rent, eviction & property damage. be administered by Oregon Housing & Community Services to cover. In April, it selected 10 organizations to launch the new Rent Guarantee initiatives in 20 counties across state.

SERVING THOSE WHO'VE SERVED
Opening doors for homeless vets
In a continued effort to end veteran homelessness, in April HUD & the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded an additional 675 HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing rental assistance vouchers with an annual dollar value of $4,940,427 to 27 public housing authorities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State.
When combined with earlier awards, the additional VASH vouchers announced today mean that a total of 41 housing authorities in the four states of our Region now have the capacity to provide affordable, permanent housing to 5,892 veterans who are or are at risk of homelessness. In the HUD-VASH program, VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for these vouchers. Decisions are based on a variety of factors, most importantly the duration of homelessness and the need for longer term, more intensive support in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing. The HUD-VASH program includes both the rental assistance the voucher provides and the comprehensive case management that VAMC staff offers. "Thanks to the HUD VASH program, thousands of once-homeless veterans in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington no longer are," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Jeff McMorris. "These additional resources will enable our partners to help even more vets come in from the cold and speed the day when we have fulfilled our nation's commitment to ending veteran homelessness in America." The April awards were part of a national announcement of the award of $43 million awarded to 325 housing authorities to provide vouchers to an additional 5,200 rental vouchers across the country

BETTER THAN 1,000 WORDS
Celebrating home
Every year the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials & Housing America host a national competition asking young people from kindergarten through 12th grade who live in public & privately-owned affordable housing owned by members of the Association to put on a poster "What Home Means to Me." If home is where the heart is, every year the contest proves it's also where the art is. From the thousands of entries this year NAHRO selected 13 winners, three of whom hail from the Northwest - Jannely, age 12, from the Yakima Housing Authority; Mischa, age 10, from the Housing Authority of Yamhill County, Oregon; & this year's grand prize winner, Zerin, age 18, from the King County, Washington Housing Authority. Their entries are posted below & Zerin tells the story behind her poster - including an explanation of why the faces are left blank - at YouTube. We congratulate them all & are confident that this is not the last creatively we'll hear from them.

Jannely, 12, Yakima Housing Authority

Zerin, 18, King County Housing Authority

Mischa, 10, Housing Authority of Yamhill County

BRIEF BRIEFS TOO
In what he called a "convergence of public policy & private resources," Anchorage, Alaska Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announces that 22 have joined city to form "first-of-its-kind" Path to Independence initiative that, says KTUU, get 40 households - individuals and whole families - off the streets and into actual homes. Ideally, having housing will become a permanent situation for residents". . .Metro, says Portland Tribune, "now considering asking voters to approve a regional $516.5 million affordable housing bond at the November 2018 general election" that, if passed, would create an estimated 2,000 affordable le housing units serving 6,000 people in Clackamas, Multnomah & Washington counties, Oregon HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing & Equal Opportunity Anna Maria Farías delivers keynote annual Inland Northwest Fair Housing Conference hosted by Northwest Fair Housing Alliance in Spokane, Washington. . .For seventh time, City of Boise, Idaho invites "random, scientifically-selected sample" of 150,000 residents to complete on-line survey to "gain the best possible perspective of what Boiseans expect from their city government". . .With $1.5 million from HUD, reports KIFI-TV, City of Pocatello, Idaho launches Safe & Healthy Homes initiative to help income-eligible homeowners & renters identify & eliminate lead-based paint hazards. . .EPA awards $2.2 million in Brownfields clean-up & assessment grants for projects in Idaho Falls, Idaho & Beaverton, Corvallis & Lake County, Oregon. . .City Council of Ashland, Oregon okays allocation of $1 million in CDBG & local funds to support 6 affordable housing projects, says Mail Tribune. . With funding from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, Rasmuson Foundation & City, Clarion reports, Kenai Peninsula Housing celebrates opening of Clear Pointe six-plex, the city's first housing for low-income families. . .NW Natural joins Columbia Sportswear, says Portland Business Journal, in offering financial support to Harbor of Hope navigation center & shelter in Portland, Oregon. . .EPA, Suquamish Tribe, U.S. Navy, U.S. Fish & Wildlife & Kitsap County, Washington celebrate clean-up - including the removal of some 340,000 tons of waste & toxic waste & nearly 900 tons of scrap metal - & restoration of 6-acre Bremerton-Gorst Creek landfill. . .Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler says he's "highly disappointed," reports Oregonian, with the results to date of City efforts to prevent displacement of long-term residents - many of them African-American - from the rapidly-gentrifying North/Northeast neighborhood. . .Statewide ballot measure approved by the Oregon Legislature in this year's short session, says Willamette Week, to enable local governments in Oregon "leverage the proceeds of bonds to increase the supply of housing" appears headed to go before voters this November as state's Department of Justice moves to finalize the ballot site. . .The Sun says Coffee Oasis to open supportive housing for young women ages 18 to 25 who have been victimized by sex trafficking in south Kitsap County, Washington. . .Bellwether Housing & Plymouth Housing are "moving forward," says Capitol Hill Seattle Blog, with development of "surplus property" donated by Sound Transit "at no cost" as "the largest building constructed by any affordable housing provider in Seattle, with 12 to 15 floors of" up to 300 units of "housing over a floor of retail, service & community space."

NO-FHLB-TUNITY
FHLB Des Moines launches 2018 Affordable Housing Program competition
As we've foreshadowed for the past few months, the application period for the competitive Affordable Housing Program of Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines - which serves Alaska, Idaho, Oregon & Washington - opens May 1st & closes at 4:30 p.m. Central on May 31st. Both Member banks & project sponsors must apply on-line. The bank will provide up to $750,000 to each selected project. For more, visit the Bank's Affordable Housing Program page.

NOFA-TUNITY
HUD Choice Neighborhoods competition opens
HUD has set a June 12th deadline for public housing authorities, local governments, Tribal entities & nonprofits to apply for up to 6 grants of no more than $1.3 million each under its Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. This year's competition may fund both 2-year planning grants that "assist communities with severely distressed public or HUD-assisted housing in developing" & building support for "a successful neighborhood transformation plan" & 3.5-year planning & action grants that in addition to a plan include "tangible actions" can improve neighborhood confidence & increase engagement in & resources for the plan.

NOFA-TWO-NITY
Vet-based housing
HUD & the Department of Veterans Affairs have set June 25th as the deadline with statewide or regional non-profits that primarily serve veterans or low-income individuals to apply for up to 14 grants between $700,000 & $1 million each under their Veterans Housing Rehabilitation & Modification Pilot Program. Projects are expected to focus on "veterans with disabilities and who are low-income are in need of adaptive housing to help them regain or maintain their independence" & should "address needs that are not already met by existing programs," including modifications that protect occupants from accidental falls, address excessive energy costs or provide capacity for live-in caregivers to assist the veteran.

NOFA-THREE-NITY
Funding for Mainstream rental assistance available
HUD has set June 18th as the deadline for public authorities to apply for a total $100 million in funding for incremental Mainstream Housing Choice Vouchers. The vouchers provide rental assistance to non-elderly (over age, but under 65) persons with disabilities & their families who is transitioning out of an institutional or other segregated setting, at "serious risk" of institutionalization, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The eligible family member need not be the head of household. HUD expects to award some 40 Mainstream Voucher ranging from $75,000 to $5 million.

NO-FOUR-TUNITY
HUD seeking applicants for Family Unification rental vouchers
HUD has set July 24th as the deadline for public housing authorities that have existing Housing Choice Voucher contracts with HUD to apply for $30 million in incremental Family Unification Program vouchers. Under the program Housing Choice Vouchers are provide by authorities to families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of the family's child, or children, in out-of-home care; or the delay in the discharge of the child, or children, to the family from out-of-home care or to provide 36 months of housing assistance too young people at least 18 years & still under the age of 25 who left foster care at age 16, or will leave foster care within 90 days, in accordance with a transition plan under the Social Security Act, and is homeless or is at risk of becoming homeless at age 16 or older. HUD expects to award 60 grants of not less than $44,000 or more than $1,071,000 with only grant awarded per authority. Should you have additional questions following a read of the Notice of Funding Availability, please contact FUPvouchers@hud.gov.

NO-FIVE-TUNITY
LIFT Homeownership competition opens in Oregon
Oregon Housing & Community Services has set June 25th as the deadline to apply for applications for $8 million in funding from the Oregon Legislature for new affordable homeownership projects for households at or below 80 percent of area median income under its LIFT - Local Innovation & Fast Tract - program - program that funds new construction or conversion of non-housing structures into homeownership units. Under a "soft set-aside," half of funds are intended to be awarded to rural communities - i.e., those outside of Metropolitan Statistical Areas - with the balance awarded to communities of color, as defined in application guidelines. No more than $75,000 in LIFT funds may be spent per unit & units must remain affordable for at least 20 years. There will be workshop on the LIFT Homeownership funding availability on May 7th in Salem, Oregon.

NO-SIX-TUNITY
Idaho Commerce offers boost to rural economic development
The Idaho Department of Commerce has set a May 15th deadline to apply for Rural Idaho Economic Development Professional Program grants which helps counties, groups of counties or partnerships between counties & cities build economic development capacity. The program focuses on counties with fewer than 50,000 people with 30 of the state's 44 counties currently receiving its funding. The Department expects to award grants of not more than $32,000 for the fiscal year that begins July 1st, Grantees need to provide $18,000 cash match. Funds may be used for salaries & benefits, but not for administration, travel or other functions.

NO-SEVEN-TUNITY
e-Connecting rural America
USDA has set June 4th deadline to apply for grants of up to $500,000 in Distance Learning & Telemedicine to use broadband & e-connectivity to provide job training, academic instruction or provide access to specialized health care in rural communities. The funds can be used to provide job training, academic instruction or access to specialized medical care "with whose primary purpose is to provide opioid prevention, treatment and recovery will receive 10 priority points when applications are scored" as well as to projects offering access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) courses. Local governments, Federally-recognized Tribes, non-profits & for-profit businesses are eligible to apply. USDA expects to award $46 million and some 100 grants in this year's competition.

NOF-EIGHT-TUNITY
Funds to re-integrate veterans
The Department of Labor's Veterans Employment Training Services - VETS - has set a May 7th deadline for, among others, local governments, Tribal governments & tribally-designated entities, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education & local workforce development organizations to apply for grants of up to $500,000 each to assist veterans - many of them served its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, Incarcerated Veterans Transition Program, its Homeless Female Veterans Program & its Homeless Veterans with Families Program - "to provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans." The department expects to award up to 75 grants for activities starting July 1, 2018.

BRIEF BRIEFS THREE
U.S. Department of Justice announces settlement with developer alleged by Northwest Fair Housing Alliance of Spokane, Washington to have violated Fair Housing Act by discriminating against persons w/ disabilities in building Ashylnn Estates in Ellensburg, Washington. . .The Village of Chefornak, Alaska - home to some 400 mostly Yup'ik residents - awarded $450,000 in HUD "imminent threat" grant to rebuild badly-damaged barge jetty & restore "lifeline" to essential services. . .Washington State Public Works Board, says Department of Commerce, awards $6 million in pre-construction loans to 12 cities & counties for road, water system & wastewater treatment projects, the first time in 5 years it has had funds from Legislature to do so. . .More than 200 real estate professionals attend Idaho Fair Housing Forum celebration of 50th anniversary of Fair Housing Act at Boise, Idaho City Hall. . .Puget Sound business Journal's 2017 The Price of Homelessness in Seattle area wins Sigma Delta Chi public service journalism award from Society of Professional Journalists. . .As Sedro-Woolley, Washington becomes affiliate member of Main Street America program, Skagit Valley Herald reports, City Council allocates $100,000 to newly-formed downtown association that, says its executive director, will burnish city's reputation as "great place to live, a great place to work, a great place to eat". . .Gresham, Oregon City Council votes unanimously, says Outlook, to form housing task force to "identify best practices and recommend approaches to provide housing needs". . .More than 20 Tribes are represented at Section 184 Consultation hosted by Coeur d'Alene Tribe & Northwest Indian Housing Association in Worley, Idaho. . .King County, Washington wins "first ever" EPA Water Infrastructure Finance & Innovation loan with plans to use the $134.t million to upgrade its Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Plant to " collect and treat up to 70 million gallons of wastewater & storm water per day that would have spilled into the" Duwamish River "during bad weather". . .Tacoma, Washington City Council adopts regulations permitting non-profits & churches to operate up to 6, up-to-100 resident temporary shelters for the homeless across the for up to one year reports News Tribune. . .After decade-long absence, NeighborWorks Umpqua's Dream Builders mutual self-help housing program is returning to Douglas County, Oregon where it hopes, with USDA self-help housing funds & lots of volunteers, to build 10 to 12 new homes a year. . .Urban Ascent, the only rock-climbing gym in Boise, Idaho, closes its doors to "make way" for 134-unit Adare Manor in which "a majority of units" will be affordable to households with 30 to 80 percent area median income says Idaho Statesman. . .With 30-year fixed mortgage & 10 percent down payment, you the Web site HowMuch estimates you need a salary of $67,280 in Alaska, $70,360 in Idaho, $87,040 in Washington & $87,160 in Oregon to buy the average home for sale in that state

NOT-SO-FACTASTIC
The crisis this time
"In 2016, there were about 2.3 million evictions filed across America. That's four evictions filed every single minute. . .Now, not all those evictions filings result in an actual eviction judgment. So how many do? So, our estimate says about 900,000 do. That affects 2.3 million people or about 6,300 Americans evicted every single day. . .That's twice the number of people that get arrested for drug offenses every year. We heard a lot about the opioid crisis last year, and for good reason. It's an incredibly important topic. There were around 63,000 overdose deaths in 2016, and about 2.3 million people evicted. So, for every tragic overdose, there are 36 people that are pushed into the street. This is a problem of enormous scope and consequence." Matthew Desmond, an assistant professor of sociology at Princeton University, author of Evicted: Evicted: Poverty & Profit in the American City & founder of The Eviction Lab, on Fresh Air, April 12, 2018.

BY THE NUMBERS
Closer to home
The Eviction Lab at Princeton University founded in 2017 by Professor Desmond mentioned above ranks the eviction rate - i.e., the number of evictions per 100 renter households - of large American cities. In 2016, it reports, North Charleston, South Carolina ranked first with 16.5 evictions per 100 household. Rounding out the top was Lakeland, Florida with 2.9. No large cites in Idaho, Oregon or Washington were in the top 100. Data for Anchorage was not available. So, what were the eviction rates for Northwest cities reported by The Eviction Lab. Here's the list in our region, from highest to lowest –Gresham(2.8), Springfield (1.86), Everett(2.06), Spokane(1.66), Salem(1.62), Medford(1.62,) Yakima(1.43), Nampa(1.31), Post Falls(1.29), Eugene(1.22), Caldwell(1.18), Twin Falls(1.16), Albany(1.12), Kent(1.09), Portland(1.07), Coeur d'Alene(1.05), Vancouver(1.02), Beavert9n(.96), Tacoma(.93), Olympia(.88), Idaho Falls(.76), Bellingham(.67), Bend(.56), Corvallis(.44), Boise(.38), Seattle(.22) & Bellevue (.15) & Pocatello(0.0). For a completed listing of Idaho, Oregon & Washington, visit The Eviction Lab.

GOT VIEWS?
The state of farm labor housing
Oregon Housing & Community Services is seeking input by May 31st from entities "actively" providing agricultural workforce housing on current conditions, needs, issues & data to help guide focus of an agricultural workforce housing study. It may or may not ultimately result in a request for proposals.

JOIN US
What do you think about rapid re-housing?
Among the hundreds of Continuums of Care receiving funds every year from HUD "rapid re-housing" has become an important tool in their efforts to prevent & end homeless. We'd like to know why, where & when it works and, of course, when it doesn't. In April & May HUD will conduct an on-line survey of HUD-funded programs making use of the tool. If your organization uses the tool, you should receive an e-mail invitation to participate. If you don't, please e-mail rrhsurvey@abtassoc.com. The more the merrier, goes the saying, & the more responses we receive from rapid re-housing partners & practitioners, the better we'll understand what's working well & what might need some fine-tuning. Hope you can join us.

QUOTEWORTHY
Words from the wiser
"For 16 years I have had, as The Oregonian noted in 2002, "the best job in Oregon.". . when I first arrived, our foundation remained a bit of an enigma. When a grantee asked us, "Why did you give us a grant?" we would answer: "You asked. You made it through our rigorous due diligence process. You're trying to do something good." Without shareholders, we had little accountability and our commitment to transparency was just emerging. We were of the breed of philanthropy that was generally slow to change, operating from a position of power and privilege. . .The thinking at Meyer about our role in the state has shifted quite a bit since 2002. The change has truly been driven from within. A hallmark of our work is the notion of "disruption." In technology, disruption is viewed as essential to success, problem-solving and breakthroughs. Often, it suggests seismic or systemic change. We have brought the idea to our work in a way that has upended many of our traditional notions of philanthropy. Disruption also explains why this equity work can be such a struggle at times — people tend to prefer certainty. . .Foundational charity takes the position that misfortune is the reason some people have, and others do not. It presumes that having and not having occupy a space without a history of decisions, systems and institutions that create haves and have-nots. Charity, or generosity, might feel good, but it doesn't dismantle the root causes that bring about oppression and resulting disparities. the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said it better: "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary." Charity is no longer the framework that grounds Meyer. . .When we talk about housing in Oregon, we begin by acknowledging that a long history of discrimination and policies that favored white Oregonians continue to create barriers to safe, affordable housing for African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and immigrants and refugees. And we recognize the challenges people face around affordable housing in rural parts of the state. In so many ways, we have moved beyond tradition. Although the journey has not been easy, it's the only route I can imagine us taking, even though there have been times the route felt like a sheer vertical wall no one could scale. . .Today, Meyer talks about advancing justice and ending inequity. We know Oregon can do better, and today's Meyer is committed to help." — Doug Stamm who, after 16 years, is handing leadership of the Meyer Memorial Trust of Portland, Oregon over to Michelle J. DePass, excerpted from "Building a foundation for the future: on 16 years at Meyer Memorial Trust," April 26, 2018

WORTH A READ
Bottom line flips top line
Like many other communities across the country, on a cold winter's night in January 2018 nearly 100 volunteers fanned across the City & County of Spokane for a one-night, point-in-time count of the homeless. At first the news the count seemed discouraging. The number of homeless had risen some 14 percent from the count in January 2017 to the one in January 2018. A deeper dive into the data, reported The Inlander, suggested "that could be a good thing." Read why.

WORTH A LISTEN
21st century "big top"
Almost most a year, the City of Tacoma, Washington declared a housing emergency, banned camping on city property & shut-down the notorious "Compound" encampment. In its place, it put-up a 100'x70'x28' tent with room for supportive services. If the homeless wanted to camp, they pitch their tents inside the City's tent. A year later KNKX sent Will James to see how things are working out. The account is worth a listen.

WORTH A WALK
Thoughts on a stopover in Pocatello
"When you talk about veterans that are homeless these are the guys that have probably struggled the most. Homelessness is its own trauma and when you layer that on top of everything they went through in war and in coming home and not feeling understood, I really want the American people to sit with that. Not in a guilt trip way but in an eye-opening way. I want to show who these people are and what they struggled with. . .When you see someone with a sign, in the park with a mane of long hair and some camo pants on I would hope that you not be so quick to pass judgement about whether they have an alcohol or drug problem, or think that you shouldn't approach them for whatever reason" Silver said. "I want people to sit with the raw stories of these men and women because that's all they are, men and women. But not only that, these are men and women who put their lives on the line to serve this country" - Brennan Silver, a Marine Corps veteran, in Pocatello on a,600-mile walk he's taking from Portland, Oregon to Ft. Collins, Colorado, The Idaho State Journal, April 12, 2018.

JUST PUBLISHED
HUD publishes notice outlining registration requirements for 2018 Continuum of Care competition. . .Wisconsin HOPE Lab release Still Hungry & Homeless, a study of 40,000 responses about hunger & housing insecurity from students attending 66 senior & community colleges. . .Federal Register posts HUD notice on factors in determining 2018 administrative fees for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Mainstream, & Moderate Rehabilitation programs. . .Building Changes issues study of pilot projects in Seattle & King County, Washington on whether diversion is more effective, less expensive way of getting families who are or are at risk of homelessness into permanent housing. . .Journal of Psychiatric Services publishes study by Department of Veterans Affairs & Yale University finding that in 2015 homeless veterans were five times more likely to attempt to commit suicide those without a history of homelessness. . .Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection finalizes amendment to "Know Before You Owe" mortgage disclosure rule - effective 30 days after publication in Federal Register - clarifying "when mortgage lenders with a valid justification may pass on increased closing costs to consumers and disclose them on a closing disclosure". . .USDA launches interactive Web site to highlight "best practices" in rural economic development. . .HUDUser publishes A Health Picture of HUD-Assisted Children, 2006-2012, a HUD-Centers for Disease Control study offering "first reliable estimate at the national level of the prevalence of health conditions and healthcare utilization among children living in assisted housing". . .USDA Rural Development issues occupancy data for its Section 515 Rural Rental Housing & Section 514 Farm Labor Housing through September, 2017.

NOTES TO NOTE
Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines opens application process for 2018 Affordable Housing Program funds & sets application deadline of May 31st. . .Department of Labor's VETS program sets May 7th deadline for local governments, Tribes & others to apply for up to 75 grants of up to $500,000 under its Veterans Reintegration Program. . .USDA sets May 7th deadline to submit applications under both its Farmers Market Promotion & Local Food Promotion programs. . .HUD sets May 9th deadline to submit nominations of real estate industry professionals to serve on Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee. . .Boise/Ada County Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher waiting list open through May 11th. . .Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sets May 14th deadline for public to submit comments on its enforcement processes. . .HUD sets May 14th deadline to register for 2018 Continuum of Care competition. . .Consumer Financial Protection sets May 21st deadline for public to submit comments on its supervision processes governing lenders & service providers. . .Federal Housing Finance Agency sets May 14th deadline to comment on proposed changes to increase flexibility of Federal Home Loan Banks' affordable housing programs. . .USDA sets May 14th deadline to apply for Community Connect grants of between $300,000 & $1 million to provide broadband in rural areas. . .Washington Department of Commerce sets May 31st deadline to apply for Youth Recreational Facilities Grant Program. . .Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sets June 4th deadline for public to submit comments on its public reporting of consumer complaints. . .USDA Rural Utilities Service sets June 4th deadline to apply for Distance Learning & Telemedicine grants of up to $500,000 each. . .H UD sets June 12th deadline for public housing authorities, local governments, Tribal entities & nonprofits to apply for up to 6 grants of no more than $1.3 million each under its Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. . .HUD sets June 18th deadline for public housing authorities to apply for a total of $100 million in Mainstream Housing Choice Vouchers. . .HUD & Veterans Affairs sets June 25th deadline for eligible nonprofits to apply for a total of $13.7 million in their Veterans Housing Rehabilitation & Modification Pilot program. . .Oregon Housing & Community Services has set June 25th deadline to apply for $8 million in LIFT Homeownership Production funding. . .HUD has set July 24th deadline for public housing authorities to apply for $30 million in Family Unification Housing Choice Vouchers.

COMING UP

Washington Department of Commerce hosts training workshop on Youth Recreational Facilities grant program competition, May 1st, Spokane, Washington. Visit

International Living Future Institute hosts Living Future 18, May 1st to 4th, Portland, Oregon. Visit

HUD hosts Building HOME, part 4 Webinar, May 2nd, on-line. Visit

Washington Department of Commerce hosts training workshop on Youth Recreational Facilities grant program competition, May 3rd, Seattle, Washington. Visit

Technical Assistance Collaborative & National Alliance to End Homelessness host Webinar on HUD's current Mainstream Housing Choice Voucher Notice of Funding Availability, May 3rd, on-line. Visit

Intermountain Fair Housing hosts Fair Housing Workshop, May 4th, Pocatello, Idaho. Visit

Pacific Northwest Regional Council of NAHRO holds annual conference, May 6th to 8th, Renton, Washington. Visit

Oregon Housing & Community Services hosts application workshop for its LIFT Homeownership notice-of-funding availability, May 7th, Salem, Oregon. Visit

City of Tacoma hosts Community Listening Session on Affordable Housing, May 8th, Tacoma, Washington. Visit

HUD Alaska Office of Native American Programs & Association of Alaska Housing Authorities hosts Residential Endorsement Workshop, May 8th to 10th, Fairbanks, Alaska. Visit

HUD Regional Environment Office hosts 24 CFR Part 58 Environmental Review Training, May 8th to 10th, Seattle, Washington. Contact Brian.sturdivant@hud.gov

Washington State Housing Finance Commission hosts Tax Credits Basics Workshop, May 9th, Spokane Valley, Washington. Visit

Washington State Housing Finance Commission hosts Advanced Tax Credits Workshop, May 10th, Spokane Valley, Washington. Visit

Oregon Department of Parks & Recreation hosts 2018 Oregon Heritage Conference, May 11th to 13th, Bend, Oregon. Visit

City of Tacoma hosts Community Listening Session on Affordable Housing, May 12th, Tacoma, Washington. Visit

Washington Nonprofits host 2018 Washington Nonprofit Conference, May 15th & 16th, Bellevue, Washington. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Tail Talk for Maintenance Technician, Managers & Resident Service Coordinators in assisted housing on issues related to residents' animals, May 15th, La Grande, Oregon. Visit

Washington Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Fair Chance Housing Workshop, May 15th, Seattle, Washington. Visit

Intermountain Fair Housing hosts Fair Housing Workshop, May 16th, Moscow, Idaho. Visit

Oregon Office of Rural Health hosts 2018 Forum on Aging in Rural Oregon, May 16th to 18th, Pendleton, Oregon. Visit

Washington Nonprofits hosts 2018 Washington State Nonprofit Conference, May 16th, Bellevue, Washington. Visit

HUD Multifamily West hosts Asset Management Industry Meeting, May 17th, San Francisco, California. Visit

HUD Alaska Office of Native American Programs & Alaska Association of Housing Authorities host Bed Bug Eradication Workshop, May 16th & 17th, Anchorage, Alaska. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Tail Talk for Maintenance Technician, Managers & Resident Service Coordinators in assisted housing on issues related to residents' animals, May 17th, Grants Pass, Oregon. Visit

HUD's Office of Housing Counseling host Webinar on Counseling for Disaster Victims, for Housing Counseling May 17th, on-line. Visit

Intermountain Fair Housing hosts Fair Housing Workshop, May 17th, Lewiston, Idaho. Visit

Oregon Economic Development Association hosts 2018 Regards to Rural Conference, May 18th to 20th, Portland, Oregon. Visit

Washington Department of Commerce, Raikes Foundation & Washington Low-Income Housing Coalition host K-12 Homelessness Training Workshop, May 21st, Yakima, Washington. Visit

Preservation Idaho hosts 41st annual Orchids & Onions historic preservation award ceremony, May 19th, Boise, Idaho. Visit

Washington Low Income Housing Alliance hosts annual conference on housing & ending homelessness, May 22nd & 23rd, Yakima, Washington. Visit

Northwest Community Land Trust Coalition hosts Annual Gathering, May 22nd to 24th, Bend, Oregon. Visit

Fair Housing Center of Washington hosts 50th Anniversary of Fair Housing Act Celebration, May 23rd, Fife, Washington. Visit

Pacific Northwest NAHRO & Vancouver Housing Authority hosts Housing Quality Standards Workshop with certification exam, June 4th to 6th, Vancouver, Washington. Visit

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation hosts Fair Housing Accessibility First Workshop, June 13th, Anchorage, Alaska. Visit

Oregon Affordable Housing Management Association hosts annual affordable housing conference, June 13th to 15th, Bend, Oregon. Visit

HUD's Northwest Office of Native American Programs & National American Indian Housing Council host Promoting a Path to Self Sufficiency for tribally-designated housing entities, June 18th & 19th, Suquamish, Washington. Visit

HUD's Northwest Office of Native American Programs & National American Indian Housing Council host Environmental Review for New Housing Construction, June 19th & 20th, Portland, Oregon. Visit

Idaho Association of Cities hosts 73rd annual conference, June 20th to 22nd, Boise, Idaho. Visit

HUD's Northwest Office of Native American Programs & National American Indian Housing Council host Environmental Review for Housing Rehabilitation, June 21st & 22nd, Portland, Oregon. Visit

Pacific Northwest NAHRO & Vancouver Housing Authority host Housing Choice Voucher Occupancy, Eligibility, Income and Rent Calculation with certification exam, June 25th to 29th, Vancouver, Washington Visit

Association of Washington Cities hosts its annual convention, June 26th to 29th, Yakima, Washington. Visit

Washington Affordable Housing Management Association hosts Basics of the Low-Income Tax Credit Workshop, June 28th, Spokane, Washington. Visit

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