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| Inside news from the Housing Authority of Portland | Nov. - Dec. 2007 |
Each year as I turn the calendar to December, I’m
surprised at how quickly another year has passed. Much has been
accomplished at HAP this year, as we’ve reported to you each
month in HAP Unwrapped. Now, we plan to step back to
enjoy the holiday season and prepare for the programs, initiatives and
collaborations we have planned for 2008. This
‘holiday’ issue of Unwrapped will be our last for
the year, with regular issues returning to your email box in January.
Best wishes to all of you for a warm and healthy
holiday season and a happy new year!
Steve Rudman
Executive Director
Gretchen Kafoury Joins HAP Board
Former Portland City Commissioner Gretchen Kafoury has
been elected to the HAP Board of Commissioners. “I had the
privilege of working for Gretchen for eight years when she was a city
commissioner,” said Steve Rudman, HAP’s executive
director. “I’ve never seen a more honest or caring
public servant.” Kafoury spent 20 years in elected office having
served in the Oregon Legislature, the Multnomah County Commission and
on the Portland City Council. “Gretchen is the right
person at the right time as we partner with other government entities
and organizations to improve the social housing delivery system in our
community,” continued Rudman. “Her passion around
the efficient, sensible use of public resources will be invaluable in
moving this discussion forward.”
Read more about Gretchen’s appointment
HAP's Moving to Work Plan Set for Public Forum
HAP’s Moving to Work (MTW) plan, which sets out the agency’s major initiatives for its fiscal year starting in April 2008 (FY2009), will be the subject of discussion at a public hearing on Tuesday, December 18 at 6:15 p.m. The hearing will coincide with the HAP board’s monthly meeting, held at the Multnomah County building at 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd. HAP’s initiatives are organized in six areas: Local Initiatives, Public Housing Preservation, Rent and Occupancy Policies, Development, Opportunity Housing Initiative, and Organizational Effectiveness. HAP’s proposed plan of work continues strategies already underway and identifies new approaches for meeting goals in each of these areas.
For more information on HAP’s FY2009 MTW Plans, read the summary of the key initiatives.
New
Columbia Wins Coveted EPA Award for Overall Excellence in Smart
Growth
US states and cities are getting smarter about smart
growth, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
And New Columbia is again earning an A-plus. Recently, HAP was honored
with EPA’s 2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in
the Overall Excellence category for its work on the New Columbia
redevelopment. HAP was one of five recipients from across the
country recognized for an innovative approach to development that also
strengthens community identity and protects the environment. In
addition to the EPA award, New Columbia received a Reader’s
Choice Award from Affordable Housing Finance magazine in the
Best Master-Planned/Mixed-Use Project category.
Read more about the EPA Smart Growth Awards
Read more about New Columbia in Affordable Housing Finance magazine
HAP Home Sales Debuts to Offer
Affordable Homes
Looking for a charming three-bedroom in a desirable
school district? Or an affordable mid-century ranch in outer
southeast? A selection of tidy homes used for HAP public housing
is now available to the community at market rate prices. With
this organized sale of its scattered site housing portfolio, HAP is
temporarily in the residential real estate business. A new unit,
HAP Home Sales, has
been formed to expedite marketing and sales of more than 150 homes in
three phases. Two HAP staffers are charged with leading this
sales effort over the next three years — Jan Probstfield,
principal broker, and Tatiana Xenelis, who earned her broker’s
license to join the real estate team.
The sale of these housing units is driven by HAP’s public housing preservation initiative, which seeks to adjust the portfolio to include a more efficient housing supply. The agency has pledged to replace these sites one for one in multifamily buildings to ensure no loss of units.
Learn more about HAP’s public housing preservation initiative
HAP
PROFILE: Eleanor Avery
Eleanor Avery makes buying a house look like a
snap. When she joined HAP’s GOALS program, she was
prepared to take every step necessary to become a homeowner. She
paid off her bills, cleaned up her credit, took a homebuyer’s
class, obtained financing and found a house. Thanks to help from
Portland Community Land Trust, Eleanor is now the owner of a brand new
Legend Home at New Columbia.
But, her life
hasn’t always been so easy and it took some special inspiration
to get her to this place. Drug addiction and losing custody of
her two children pushed her to rock bottom. Determined to change her
circumstances, she worked hard to make a fresh start and reclaim her
life. With a stable job she enjoys and her children back in her
life, a close family friend urged her to tackle the next major
challenge – buying a home. Without a second thought, she
did it. Eleanor sums up her accomplishment very neatly,
“it’s amazing.”
Photo courtesy of the Portland Community Land Trust.
Monthly Reports
Read the latest Dashboard report
Read the latest Humboldt Gardens report
HAP IN THE NEWS
Read more about HAP’s projects,
accomplishments and work in the community.
PHONE: 503-802-8300 • E-MAIL: hapunwrapped@hapdx.org • WEB: www.hapdx.org