
Inside news from the Housing Authority of Portland	February 2008

HAP Increases Section 8 Payment Standards

HAP’s rent assistance program has increased payment standards for Section 8 participants. Payment standards determine the maximum amount of rent assistance a housing authority can provide.

“The local vacancy rate is around three percent,” said Jill Riddle, HAP’s director of Rent Assistance. “This increase in payment standards means that a low- income family can afford more rental unit in a tightening market.” For example, in 2007, HAP’s payment standard for a 2-bedroom apartment was $795 — under the new payment standard, a 2-bedroom is now $832.

Other program improvements implemented by Riddle and her team include: housing case managers assigned to each participant, a landlord service team to improve service to landlords, and a leasing team to aid new participants in finding housing.

Humboldt Gardens Near Complete, Tenant Leasing to Begin

Humboldt Gardens, HAP’s second HOPE VI redevelopment, is in its final stretch. The first phase of two and three-story family units will be complete in May and will welcome new residents in June. The mixed-use building, with the Opportunity Center on the main floor and 74 housing units above, will open in August.

“We had a great tour last weekend with past residents to begin the leasing process,” said Veronica Sherman King, director of Resident Services. IPM, the property management firm hired to manage Humboldt Gardens, officially starts the marketing of units and prospective tenant screening in March. Priority for housing will be given to returning residents, formerly homeless families in the Bridges to Housing program, and families affected by HAP’s sale of its scattered site housing. A waiting list will accommodate other prospective residents with special preference to working-able families interested in HAP’s Opportunity Housing Initiative, a program that leads to economic independence.

Read the Humboldt Gardens Monthly Report

Jefferson High Students Gain Job and Life Skills at Humboldt Gardens

Jennice Jackson, CJ Jackson Construction, bubbles over with enthusiasm when describing the Humboldt Gardens Jefferson High School Pre-apprenticeship Training Program.

Through a partnership between HAP, the construction manager/general contracting team of Walsh Construction and CJ Jackson Construction, and Jefferson High School, a group of 10 Jefferson High juniors and seniors invested more than 16 weeks learning about job opportunities in the construction trades. The curriculum included classroom time and 26 hours of job shadowing on the Humboldt Gardens construction site. As an added bonus, the group was hired over the holiday break to work 30 hours alongside the crew’s experienced painters, heavy equipment operators, cement contractors, and carpenters.

“This program was such a success for these kids,” said Jackson. “Students are walking away with a resume and hands-on experience that will take them to summer jobs, college and careers.”

HAP Profile: Portland YouthBuilders

A crew of students in the construction program at Portland YouthBuilders (PYB) just completed its work on a new six-plex at HAP’s Humboldt Gardens. Under the supervision of Walsh Construction, they learned to pour a foundation and frame a building.

PYB is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, vocational, and leadership development programs for low-income men and women aged 17-24. Students become Bureau of Labor & Industries certified pre-apprentices while they complete their high school diploma or earn a GED. Led by trained professionals, students in PYB's construction program have built nearly 50 units of affordable housing while learning about all facets of construction on the jobsite. And in the process of learning the construction trades, they also learn about their own skills and capabilities.

According to Bill Kowalcyk, PYB construction manager, the young people in PYB have not been successful in school. “Our program is proof that the right structure and the right resources can be an immense help to kids who are struggling. When they finish with our program, they often go on to apprenticeships, post secondary education, improve their employment situation, or establish a career track job that has potential for advancement.”