The Housing Alliance Update & Announcements is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date about everything the Housing Alliance is doing to get ready to win in 2007 - and how you can get involved!
  
Welcome New Members!
We are pleased to announce that six new organizations have become Housing Alliance members! Please welcome:
 
Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO)
Portland Impact
REACH CDC
ROSE Community Development
St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Inc.
Sisters of the Road
 
Do you know other organizations that might be interested in Housing Alliance membership? Information on membership and dues is available on line at: http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/joinus.html
 
 
Joint Interim Revenue Committee Hearings! - Be there May 17 and June 1!
The Oregon House and Senate Revenue Committee members are holding two day-long hearings on affordable housing. The Housing Alliance is organizing testimony and turnout for both hearings to promote the 2007 Housing Opportunity Agenda. We need YOU to be there to show your support.
 
Medford, May 17                      Salem, June 1
9 AM to 3 PM                               Capitol Building
Council Chambers                        Time and room TBA
Medford City Hall         
411 W. 8th Street                        
Medford, OR  97501

To assist in our planning for the hearings, please answer the four questions below. Please email your responses to Amy Fauver.
1.   Which hearing(s) are you going to attend?
2.   Do you want to testify at the hearing? (What help do you need to get ready?)
3.   Are you willing to be drafted to testify if we need more speakers?
4.    Who are you bringing with you to the hearing(s)? Board members? Staff? Residents or consumers? Supporters and partners?

These hearings — the first day-long interim legislative hearings focused on housing that anyone can remember — are an unprecedented opportunity to explain about the importance of adequate funding for affordable housing to members of the House and Senate Interim Revenue Committees. It is crucial that CDC staff, Board Members and supporters attend one or both of the hearings. Let's pack the room and send a clear signal that the Legislature needs to address the growing housing affordability crisis in 2007!

Endorsement Campaign
The Housing Alliance endorsement campaign is in full swing!  We are currently about 10 percent of the way to our goal of 500 endorsements by January 8th, 2007, when the Legislative session opens. 
If your organization has not yet endorsed these efforts, make it happen before the June 1 hearing!  To download the endorsement forms, click on these links:

$100 million for Homes for hardworking families and our neighbors on fixed incomes

Give local communities the freedom to create affordable housing

April 25 Membership Meeting
Thanks to all the member representatives who spent the day in Salem hammering out the fine points of the 2007 Housing Opportunity Agenda. In addition to updates from members working on preservation and manufactured home park issues, we made considerable progress towards finalizing the distribution of the $100 million that we will win in 2007.
 
The Steering Committee presented its recommended distribution, which served as the starting point for discussion.  There was unanimous approval of the Steering Committee recommendations and a vote of confidence in the Steering Committee’s leadership.
 
We did decide to create two working groups to focus on the specific details on uses for funds for ending and preventing homelessness and expanding homeownership opportunities.  Interested members may join either working group.  Contact Janet Byrd for information about the ending and preventing homelessness working group and John Van Landingham for the expanding homeownership opportunities working group. 
 
Don’t forget the hearings! Reply today to Amy Fauver.

Want more information on the Housing Alliance?  Go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org.

For a full archive of Housing Alliance Weekly Updates, go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/updates_archive.html

For information on the 2005 Legislative Session, click here.

Please email or call us with questions or ideas for how we can best keep you informed. Contact Amy Fauver or Michael Anderson.