board work session - home forward
TRANSCRIPT
BOARD WORK SESSION WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013
5:00 – 6:30 PM COLUMBIA ROOM – 6 TH FLOOR
AGENDA
1. Year One Strategic Operations Plan Update* Rachel Devlin, Michael Buonocore 2. Updates: MTW Amendment, Budget, VASH Vouchers Michael, Peter, Jill 3. Section 8 State Legislation Update* Jill Riddle, Ryan Fisher, NW Public Affairs
*Attachment
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Commissioners
From: Michael Buonocore,
Deputy Executive Director
Rachel Devlin,
Strategic Initiatives Program Director
Date: May 8, 2013
Subject: Year One Strategic Operations
Plan Update
This briefing is intended to update the board on progress related to the Strategic
Operations Plan and to preview the year ahead. The briefing is informational only and no
action is required of the board.
BACKGROUNDBACKGROUNDBACKGROUNDBACKGROUND
This past year served to set the stage for achieving many of the goals in the Strategic
Operations Plan (SOP). As shrinking budgets began requiring difficult decisions around
allocating resources, the SOP served as a reminder of agency priorities and encouraged
increased rigor in evaluating the goals and sustainability of investments. There was
meaningful progress made in many of the SOP initiatives last year, as well as laying the
planning foundation that will be used to guide implementation in FY2014. This memo
provides an overview of Year One accomplishments, and the attached chart, Strategic
Operations Plan Update for FY 2013, provides outcomes for each initiative in more detail.
SUMMARY OVERVIEW BY GOALSUMMARY OVERVIEW BY GOALSUMMARY OVERVIEW BY GOALSUMMARY OVERVIEW BY GOAL
Goal 1: We will deploy resources with greater intentionality and alignment with other Goal 1: We will deploy resources with greater intentionality and alignment with other Goal 1: We will deploy resources with greater intentionality and alignment with other Goal 1: We will deploy resources with greater intentionality and alignment with other
systems whilesystems whilesystems whilesystems while increasing the number of households served.increasing the number of households served.increasing the number of households served.increasing the number of households served.
Despite decreasing resources, Home Forward made significant progress towards both
systems alignment and our commitment to serve more households. Several aligned
projects are underway (Short-term Rent Assistance, Alder Elementary, and Action for
Prosperity – program descriptions are attached for reference if needed) and two are slated
to begin in FY2014 (Family Unification Program extensions and a house for foster youth).
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Each of these efforts aligns with systems that provide substantial supports for families, in
the form of case management, educational resources, or training/employment services.
The agency does, however, face a challenge embedded in competing definitions of
“households served.” To increase households, we can increase the number of rental
subsidies, or slots, we provide each month (HUD’s definition), or increase the number of
unduplicated families receiving subsidy over the course of the year. We have initiatives
aimed at both of these goals. The newer aligned projects that will begin in FY2014 target
lower monthly subsidies with a goal of increasing slots, while the existing projects aim for a
higher rate of turnover in order to impact more families. The latter projects, such as Alder,
are more costly on a monthly basis but ultimately result in a lower total lifetime expenditure
per family by focusing on housing stability as opposed to affordability. Grappling with this
issue of how to count and report households served over time will help us articulate our
challenges and successes to the board and the community, while still meeting reporting
standards set by HUD.
Home Forward hopes that the new Employment/Education/Training preference will result
in an increase to average tenant rent contributions, thus freeing up resources to fund more
new programs, including some that would support the new framework for the Ten Year
Plan to End Homelessness. In the meantime, systems partners continue to align around
efforts to reduce homelessness, as evidenced when Home Forward joined with
jurisdictional and non-profit partners to ensure all 305 of our VASH vouchers were utilized.
Leveraged funds from partners, in conjunction with Home Forward’s deposit funds, were
used to remove barriers to leasing, and several non-profits offered enhancements to
services provided by Veteran Affairs. As a result, 100 veterans leased up in six months – a
record for VASH.
Goal 2: We will increase the number of housing units for our community through Goal 2: We will increase the number of housing units for our community through Goal 2: We will increase the number of housing units for our community through Goal 2: We will increase the number of housing units for our community through
preservation, developmepreservation, developmepreservation, developmepreservation, development and acquisition.nt and acquisition.nt and acquisition.nt and acquisition.
Goal 2 activities over the past year focused on better positioning Home Forward for
meeting development-related goals. Tools were developed to systematically evaluate
Home Forward’s real estate portfolio and to inform decisions regarding high level allocation
of resources, new funding, disposition, development, and acquisition. Utilization of these
tools helped inform key decisions such as the disposition of St. John’s Woods and the
consideration of other acquisition opportunities.
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GGGGoal 3: We will strengthen our relationship with the people we serve by increasing oal 3: We will strengthen our relationship with the people we serve by increasing oal 3: We will strengthen our relationship with the people we serve by increasing oal 3: We will strengthen our relationship with the people we serve by increasing
mutual accountability and by improving our ability to connect them to vital services in mutual accountability and by improving our ability to connect them to vital services in mutual accountability and by improving our ability to connect them to vital services in mutual accountability and by improving our ability to connect them to vital services in
the community.the community.the community.the community.
There was significant activity under Goal 3 last year, with work groups poised to implement
additional efforts throughout FY2014. There is very little funding budgeted to specifically
support Goal 3 this year, so teams are identifying cost-neutral activities that can be
integrated into existing operational practices.
The Community Compact, designed to create increased accountability between staff,
residents, and their neighbors, was adopted by the Board of Commissioners, and will be
piloted with both staff and approximately 400 households this year, including those at
Stephens Creek Crossing.
Families Forward implemented initiatives for both youth and work-focused adults. For
adults, the priority for FY2013 was to create a single framework for all of the agency’s
Economic Opportunity efforts, integrating the following four strategies: 1) collecting
information about families through an Employment and Training Interest Inventory, 2)
aligning OHI and GOALS into a single program (now uniformly called “GOALS”) with site-
based and non-site based components, 3) facilitating the hiring of residents and
participants by Home Forward and contractors, and 4) integrating special programs such
as Action for Prosperity into the agency’s ongoing GOALS programs.
For youth, Home Forward decided to align our strategies with the community’s Cradle to
Career efforts, beginning with the goal of ensuring that children enter kindergarten ready to
learn. Home Forward houses approximately 2500 children under the age of 6, or roughly
11% of all children under age 6 who live in poverty in Multnomah County. Studies show
that families living in poverty are three times more likely to face hardships impacting school
readiness and that if children start kindergarten behind they are likely to remain behind.
Our first two strategies are to help families utilize early childhood resources available in the
community, and to ensure families register their children for kindergarten on time, which
allows them to access preparatory programs over the summer.
Aging at Home also began implementation on priority strategies this year, including:
exploring systems alignment with Aging & Disability Services and Health Share, developing
standards for renovating common areas and units to make them more accessible, and
developing new branding and marketing for the Congregate Housing Services Program
(CHSP) in order to increase participation.
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Goal 4: We will increase efficiency and embrace our new identity by transforming the Goal 4: We will increase efficiency and embrace our new identity by transforming the Goal 4: We will increase efficiency and embrace our new identity by transforming the Goal 4: We will increase efficiency and embrace our new identity by transforming the
organizational structure and culture. organizational structure and culture. organizational structure and culture. organizational structure and culture.
Goal 4 activities for FY 2013 centered on the Corragio assessment of Home Forward’s
culture, structure, leadership and process, which resulted in a deeper understanding of our
current state and the challenges that can impede our execution of initiatives. While
awaiting the results of the assessment, staff assigned to this goal focused on establishing
practices to support employees in achieving the other SOP goals. This work resulted in the
development of an Outcome-Based Planning Process, which is grounded in both
quantitative and qualitative decision making, and will lead the agency to better plan,
implement and manage our work.
Next StepsNext StepsNext StepsNext Steps
With priorities established and many of the necessary tools in place to support
implementation efforts, Home Forward is well-positioned to make significant progress
towards SOP goals in FY2014. While some work at the initiative level has slowed in recent
months as a reflection of budget uncertainties, it hasn’t stopped, and we are poised to re-
engage in the context of the new funding environment.
A key next step is to more fully integrate the SOP with other existing agency initiatives.
Many of the activities in our MTW Plan (safety net for GOALS graduates, Local Blended
Subsidy, Neighbor to Neighbor grants, creating opportunities for families to move to low
poverty areas) could be better incorporated into existing SOP goals. Likewise, the majority
of SOP initiatives can be linked to MTW goals (increasing efficiency, expanding housing
choice, increasing resident employment and self-sufficiency). The integration of all
significant agency initiatives will allow us to define a set of key agency-wide outcome
measures that will provide a quantitative picture of accomplishments across operations.
ATTACHMENTSATTACHMENTSATTACHMENTSATTACHMENTS
2013201320132013----05 SOP Dashboard05 SOP Dashboard05 SOP Dashboard05 SOP Dashboard
Strategic Operations Plan Update for FY 2013Strategic Operations Plan Update for FY 2013Strategic Operations Plan Update for FY 2013Strategic Operations Plan Update for FY 2013
AddiAddiAddiAdditional Information: Program Descriptionstional Information: Program Descriptionstional Information: Program Descriptionstional Information: Program Descriptions
Strategic Operations Plan 2013 Update
Goal 1: We will deploy resources with greater intentionality and alignment with other systems while increasing the number of households served.
Board Liaisons:
Priority Initiative 1: Implement new waiting list preferences and processes for designated rent assistance and public housing programs.
Leads: Dena Ford-Avery, Elise Anderson
Priority Initiative 2: Improve Home Forward’s engagement with systems partners by building necessary infrastructure and by increasing formal relationships, such as through memoranda of understanding and contracts.
Leads: Shelley Marchesi, John Keating
Priority Initiative 3: Develop and implement at least three different rent assistance programs for work-focused households, in collaboration with community partners.
Leads: Rachel Devlin, Jill Riddle
Priority Initiative 4: Add new programs, preferences and priorities that support the community’s “10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Reset”.
Leads: Rachael Duke, Jaclyn Eaton
Goal 2: We will increase the number of housing units for our community through preservation, development and acquisition.
Board Liaisons: Brian Lessler, David Kelleher, Development Committee
Priority Initiative 1: Evaluate and reposition existing projects, with an emphasis on preserving the public housing high rises.
Leads: Mike & Molly
Priority Initiative 2: Establish criteria for performance and households to be served, then acquire 100 new units of housing.
Leads: April Berg, Betty Dominguez
Priority Initiative 3: Establish criteria for performance, partnerships, and households to be served, then develop 100 new units of housing.
Leads: April & Betty
Goal 3: We will strengthen our relationship with the people we serve by increasing mutual accountability and by improving our ability to connect them to vital services in the community.
Board Liaisons: Benita Legarza, Resident Advisory Committee
Priority Initiative 1: Develop and implement a community compact with every household.
Leads: Pamela Kambur,
Priority Initiative 2: Implement the Families Forward project, with youth and adult-related initiatives.
Leads: Kitty Miller, Ian Slingerland
Priority Initiative 3: Implement the Aging at Home initiative.
Leads: Rodger Moore, Rosanne Marmor
Goal 4: We will increase efficiency and embrace our new identity by transforming the organizational structure and culture.
Board Liaisons: Lee Moore, Jim Smith
Priority Initiative 1: Complete a contracted organizational assessment that identifies potential efficiencies and structural realignment, then implement selected recommendations.
Leads: Rebecca Gabriel, Peter Beyer
Priority Initiative 2: Assess critical functions and operations to determine the most sustainable and strategic business model for Home Forward in the coming years, in order to best fulfill our mission.
Priority Initiative 3: Begin planning and implementation of the following organizational development recommendations from the 2012 agency assessment: 1) staff and leadership development and 2) organizational communication.
Priority Initiative 4: Begin planning and implementation of the following organizational process recommendations from the 2012 agency assessment: 1) outcome-based decision making and 2) program / project development and evaluation
As of January 2013
Strategic Operations Plan Update for FY 2013
SOP
Goal
Priority
Initiative
Number
Priority
Initiative Summary of FY 2013 Accomplishments Plans for FY 2014
GOAL
1 1.1
New Waiting
List Preferences
• New preferences adopted for the Section 8 waitlist
o Employment/Education/Training (EET)
o Facing lethal domestic violence
o Disabled youth with expiring Family Unification Program vouchers
• Adopted EET preference at 8 Public Housing family properties, selected based geographic
and unit size distribution, as well as income potential.
• Evaluate whether families may be pulled from the Section 8 waitlist during the
fourth quarter of FY2014.
• Implement EET preference at the 8 selected Public Housing properties,
including notifying applicants currently on the waitlist of the changes.
• Determine whether additional preferences may be added related to reset of 10
year plan to end homelessness
GOAL
1 1.2
Improve
Partnership
Management
• Identified partnership-related policies and tools that need to be developed in order to
better align partnerships with resident needs and effectively evaluate partnerships across
the agency.
• Conducted feasibility analysis of strategies to raise funds in conjunction with aligned
partnerships
• Develop partnership evaluation criteria to be piloted in partnerships being
examined for New Columbia and Stephens Creek Crossing (SCC)
• Draft a Partnership Compact to be piloted at SCC
• Standardize agency policies regarding data sharing and releases of information
• Develop partnership management policies
GOAL
1 1.3
New rent
assistance
programs for
work-focused
households
• Implemented school-based rent assistance at Alder, serving 60 families in FY 2013 (22
households counted towards baseline)
• Increased contribution to STRA, investing nearly $1.6 million in MIF funds.
• Completed initial 3-year commitment to Action for Prosperity Rent Assistance, serving 113
households (43 towards baseline)
• Completed planning for an Oxford House-style model to serve former foster youth who are
working or in school.
• Completed planning for providing time-limited rent assistance for work-focused youth with
expiring Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers
• Continue alignment efforts with Multnomah County and I Have a Dream at
Alder Elementary School and evaluate the first full year of implementation.
• Continue commitment to STRA in the wake of significant resource constraints,
affirming that STRA has become a core program for Home Forward
• Continue work with Multnomah County and Worksystems, Inc. to strengthen
outcomes for Action for Prosperity (no rental assistance committed for FY 2014
due to sequestration)
• Work with systems partners to select a house for former foster youth and
implement program by June
• Begin issuing FUP extensions over the summer
GOAL
1 1.4
New Programs/
Preferences to
Support 10 Year
Plan
• Worked with jurisdictional partners to complete the framework for the resetting of the Ten
Year Plan to End Homelessness.
• Participate in development of a governance structure for the new plan and the
action planning process.
• Evaluate whether new preferences or additional Program Based Assistance
programs that support the plan can be implemented in FY 2015.
GOAL
2 2.1
Reposition
Existing
Projects
• Received approval for dispositions and related Tenant Protection Vouchers in four high rises
• The Yards successfully exited through Year 15 with favorable terms.
• Began disposition of St. John’s Woods to generate funding for other preservation efforts.
• Produced 9 Capital Needs Assessments (948 units)
• 10-year capital projections were calculated across the Affordable Housing portfolio
• Refinancing on 2 loans created more cash flow
• Finalize disposition and subsidy change for the four high rises
• Finalize sale of St. John’s Woods
• Continue work of the Real Estate Study Group to assess opportunities to better
position the portfolio
GOAL
2 2.2
Acquire 100
new units
• Development Committee established acquisition criteria and priorities and staff began
seeking acquisition opportunities.
• Present acquisition criteria to the Board of Commissioners for approval
concurrently with recommendations for property acquisition
GOAL
2 2.3
Develop 100
new units
• Development Committee established development criteria and priorities and staff began
seeking development opportunities.
• Present development criteria to the board for approval concurrently with
recommendations for property development
• Complete development of Beech Street project, which will count towards this
goal
GOAL
3 3.1
Community
Compact
• Compact adopted by Board in Oct 2012.
• Explored potential partnership with Portland YouthBuilders Media Project to develop a
video for residents which explains the compact
• Pilot the compact with 400 households, including Stephens Creek Crossing, and
evaluate initial roll-out
• Ensure all Home Forward staff sign the compact
• Produce video for residents explaining compact
GOAL
3 3.2
Families
Forward –
Economic
Opportunity
• Refined an Economic Opportunity Services Framework and began work to align GOALS/OHI
• Implement new Employment & Skills Interest Inventory for households coming off the
Section 8 waitlist and a sample of current residents. Used data to recruit for new “Housing
Works” grant.
• Enrolled approximately 100 participants into Housing Works grant; 3 of the first enrollees
have already gained career track employment .
• Doubled the number of residents hired as temps/interns/employees at Home Forward, even
without a formal effort to integrate this strategy
• Complete the alignment of GOALS and OHI into site-based (including Stephens
Creek Crossing) and non-site-based GOALS .
• Continue enrollment into Housing Works with a goal of at least 50 households
gaining employment over the next 12 months.
• Expand the use of the Employment & Skills Interest Inventory to households
coming off Public Housing waiting lists.
• Integrate the “Section 3” efforts to support the hiring of residents and
participants fully into the Economic Opportunity Services Framework
GOAL
3 3.2
Families
Forward - Youth
• Created staff action planning teams, which selected and began planning on two early
childhood strategies
• Mailed language-specific kindergarten registration information to 500 families whose
children should enter kindergarten in September
• Executed a Data Sharing Agreement with Portland Public Schools which will allow us to
measure success with Kindergarten Registration efforts.
• Funded youth to participate in SummerWorks internship program. Home Forward’s 26
youth outperformed the overall cohort and exceeded established performance targets in all
areas.
• Funded five new slots for the two-year Future Connect program. Evaluation of the first
cohort showed Home Forward students with GPAs exceeding the program average.
• Access Portland Public Schools data to identify a baseline for the number of
Home Forward kids registering for kindergarten on time and the results after
two years of outreach to families.
• Execute Data Sharing Agreements with the other five school districts.
• Resume planning for cost neutral early childhood activities that advance the
goals of Families Forward.
• Inform families about future SummerWorks and Future Connect, but Home
Forward will no longer fund slots.
GOAL
3 3.3 Aging at Home
• Completed kitchen and flooring improvements at Unthank Plaza and Grace Peck
• Developed a list of replacement parts (lighting, door knobs, hand held shower nozzles, etc)
that meet Aging at Home standards
• Began working with Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) to determine if there are incentives to
upgrade lighting and other utility fixtures that would also support this initiative. ETO
conducting energy site evaluations and submitting recommendations.
• Expanded Congregate Housing Services Program (CHSP) to Grace Peck property and
increased program participation by 14%.
• Increased the number of Medicaid-funded participants to 52%, resulting in increased
program income and higher capacity to serve private-pay participants.
• Began partnership development work with Cedar Sinai, State and County Developmental
Disabilities departments, and Aging & Disability Services.
• Hired Institute on Aging to survey CHSP participants for with a goal of developing marketing
strategies to increase enrollment.
• Begin using new replacement parts as needed or at unit turnover (when
funding available)
• Pilot Energy Trust program at Dahlke Manor
• Work with consultant to develop final recommendations for systems alignment
with Aging and Disability Services, Cedar Sinai, and/or Health Share and
determine expansion plans for CHSP.
• Develop standards for renovations to common areas that support this
initiative
• Implement new branding/marketing of CHSP to increase participation.
• Participate in Cedar Sinai’s plans to develop a health clinic in the downtown
area.
GOAL
4 4.1
Organizational
Assessment
• Completion of Corragio assessment, which resulted in a revision of Goal 4 Priority Initiatives
• SOP updated and new workgroups to be formed This activity has been completed.
GOAL
4 4.2
Sustainable,
strategic
business model
• New initiative identified at the end of FY2013 • Start the planning process to assess the business model
GOAL
4 4.3
Organizational
Communication
& Staff/
Leadership
Development
• New initiative identified at the end of FY2013
• Determine how data from the employee survey correlates with the initiative in
order to identify a baseline and metrics for improvement
• Develop and implement mechanisms for staff development (internal and
external training, coaching, online options, etc)
• Develop agency expectations for communication, and train “key agency
communicators.”
GOAL
4 4.4
Outcome Based
Decision-
Making and
Project
Development/
Evaluation
• New initiative identified at the end of FY2013, but progress made under the efforts of
former initiative 4.2
• Created the Inclusion Lens to serve as a filter to ensure decision-making is equitable and
inclusive of a diverse group of people; piloted with GOAL 3 teams
• Developed Outcome-Based Planning Tool and began implementing with Goal 3 teams
• Determine how the data from the employee survey correlates with the
initiative in order to identify baseline and metrics for improvement
• Train key staff to facilitate outcome based planning process
• Define key agency-wide outcome measures (households served, cost per
household, leveraged investments, increased efficiency, etc) across all
initiatives such as the SOP, the MTW plan, and more.
Strategic Operations Plan Update
Additional Information: Program Descriptions
Action for Prosperity: A systems alignment partnership between Home Forward, Worksystems, Inc.,
the Multnomah County Anti-Poverty system, and the Department of Human Services (DHS). Each
system leverages its resources by providing their own core services and utilizing the other partners to
create a holistic service package for clients. This project provides households with rent assistance, case
management, and training/employment services.
Alder School-Based Rent Assistance: The dual-generation project provides targeted rental assistance
to families with children attending Alder Elementary School to help reduce school mobility and provides
case management and employment services to families to help with stability. The school has one of the
highest mobility rates in the County and has been adopted by the I Have a Dream Foundation.
Cradle to Career: A partnership between local businesses, school districts, local government, non-profit
organizations, the faith community, parents, students and community stakeholders to ensure the
sustained success of every child in Portland and Multnomah County from cradle to career. This collective
impact model has chosen to focus on the following goals in the first three years:
• Ensuring that every child in Multnomah County enters kindergarten with the foundation for
learning and life success
• Eliminating disparities in child and youth success by advancing racial educational equity and
social justice in Multnomah County
• Aligning and increasing school and community supports, for children, youth and their families,
• Ensuring more local students enter high school prepared to succeed by leveraging summer as a
key opportunity for learning and engagement
CHSP: The Congregate Housing Services Program (CHSP) is a grant-funded program, subcontracted to
Impact NW, to provide meals, housekeeping services and other supportive services needed by seniors
and people with disabilities in our housing. CHSP program participation is currently available to our
residents living in Dahlke Manor, Grace Peck, Holgate House or Unthank Plaza.
Employment/Education/Training Preference: Home Forward has established a preference on the
waiting lists for Section 8 and eight Public Housing family properties for households that are employed or
actively engaged in education or training. These households will be pulled more quickly from the waiting
list than work-focused households who do not meet the preference eligibility.
2
Family Unification Program (FUP) Voucher Extensions: Home Forward administers 100 Family
Unification Program (FUP) vouchers for households with child welfare involvement or foster youth who
are aging out of or left the child welfare system. FUP vouchers for youth are limited, by statute, to 18
months of assistance. Home Forward is implementing a rental assistance program to extend assistance
to youth who may need a longer period of time to establish stable work and housing.
Future Connect: Future Connect is a Portland Community College initiative that helps low-income high
school students build a pathway to attend college through scholarship money, career guidance and
personal advising. Students receive ongoing support once they are enrolled in college. Home Forward
has funded slots for 10 of our youth to enter this program over the last two years.
GOALS: The GOALS program is Home Forward’s “Family Self-Sufficiency program.” In our FY2014
MTW Plan, we used our MTW flexibility to combine GOALS and the Opportunity Housing Initiative (OHI)
into a single family self-sufficiency program. GOALS is designed to support Section 8 and public housing
residents in increasing their economic opportunity through five years of supportive case management,
with the objective of increasing earned income (and possibly exiting subsidy) at the end of program
participation. GOALS participants are also supported in building assets, via an escrow account or an
individual development account, which they can access for education or employment-related expenses
during program participation or upon successful program completion.
Housing Works: A three-year, $5.5 million grant awarded to Worksystems, Inc. (WSI) in partnership with
Home Forward and the other housing authorities and worksource agencies in the Portland/Vancouver
Metro area to provide training and employment services to housing authority residents. The grant is
modeled on a past collaboration between Home Forward and WSI and will serve 270 Home Forward
residents over the three years.
Inclusion Lens: The Inclusion Lens is a decision-making tool developed by Home Forward’s Inclusion
Council. The tool helps evaluate decisions or project plans from the standpoint of inclusion, equity and
diversity.
Local Blended Subsidy (LBS): Home Forward created the local blended subsidy program through an
MTW activity to improve the financial viability of public housing units. The program combines tenant paid
rent, public housing operating funds, and Section 8 subsidy to support the total unit rent amount.
MIF Funds: MTW Initiative Funds, “MIF Funds,” refers to annual excess operating funding or reserves
that are generated from program efficiencies. MIF is used to support initiatives that advance the goals
and objectives of MTW, as well as our Strategic Operations Plan.
3
Neighbor to Neighbor Grants: A Home Forward grant program, funded by MIF, that offers residents of
public or affordable housing the opportunity to apply for grant money to implement projects that will
increase a sense of community at their property. Funds are administered by Home Forward staff.
Oxford House-style Housing for Former Foster Youth: Home Forward has partnered with New
Avenues for Youth, the Recovery Association Project, Multnomah County, the City of Portland, the
Department of Human Services, and Portland Community College to create a house for former foster
youth who are working or in school. The house will be based on the democratically-run Oxford House
model. Home Forward will provide rental subsidies; New Avenues will coordinate case management, and
PCC will offer Future Connect scholarships to any interested, eligible youth.
Section 3: HUD’s Section 3 program requires that housing authorities and other recipients of certain HUD
funding, to the greatest extent possible, provide job training, employment, and contract opportunities for
low- or very-low income people in connection with projects and activities. Home Forward aggressively
pursues opportunities to connect our residents with training and employment opportunities presented by our
contractors, works with contractors to maximize their capacity and willingness to hire our residents, and
strives to exceed hiring requirements internally.
Short Term Rent Assistance (STRA): Short Term Rent Assistance, or STRA, is a local rent assistance
program that helps families with short term rental subsidies, move-in fees and deposits, utility assistance,
etc. Funds come from multiple local, state, and federal sources, as well Home Forward’s own MIF and
PILOT funds. Under an Inter-Governmental Agreement with the City of Portland and Multnomah County,
Home Forward administers and contracts the funds to non-profit agencies which are responsible for
identifying participating families, determining assistance, and providing appropriate case management
services to stabilize families.
SummerWorks: SummerWorks is a summer internship program through WorkSystems, Inc. that provides
youth aged 16-21 with paid summer internships and soft skills training. Over the past two years, Home
Forward has funded slots for 50 of our youth to participate.
VASH Vouchers: Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers, or VASH vouchers, are Housing Choice
Vouchers dedicated to homeless veterans, with additional services provided by the Department of Veteran
Affairs (VA). Home Forward currently has 305 VASH vouchers. The local VA office identifies veterans who
are eligible for this assistance. Home Forward’s MIF initiatives include security deposit assistance for
veterans leasing up with a VASH voucher.
MEMORANDUM
To: Board of Commissioners
From: Jill Riddle
Director Rent Assistance
Date: May 8, 2013
Subject: Draft Section 8 Legislation Update – House Bill 2639
This briefing is intended to update the board on the ongoing development of House Bill
2639, which is focused on redefining “source of income” to include Section 8 for purposes
of prohibiting discrimination in selling, renting or leasing real property. This briefing is
informational only; no action is required of the board at this time.
ISSUE
In September 2012, then-Representative Tina Kotek began a process of bringing together
various stakeholders to develop a proposed bill she intended to drop in the current
legislative session. This bill was to be focused on including Section 8 and other forms of
federal or local rental subsidy payments to be considered a source of income as a
protected class; current language specifically excludes Section 8 from that protection.
Since her election as Speaker, Kotek has brought together a group representing statewide
housing authorities, landlord groups, and tenant advocates to define the bill. Home
Forward has been in attendance and actively involved in this process from the initial
meeting.
Speaker Kotek has stated several times that housing is an integral part of statewide health
and education initiatives and even renamed the House Human Services Committee to
“Human Services and Housing” in order to reflect this adjusted focus. Her approach has
been to listen to all parties’ concerns and draft a bill that could be widely supported. She
has broadened it to not only address the source of income issue, but to include state-level
Section 8 program changes that would alleviate landlord concerns.
2
The legislation, now House Bill 2639, has several amendments aimed at making it friendlier
to accept Section 8 participants as renters, so it is not just viewed as an encumbrance to
the landlord community. One example is a Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program,
modeled after Home Forward’s initiative that provides financial assistance to landlords to
mitigate damages caused by Section 8 tenants. While we clearly support the intention of
such efforts, we are working closely with Ryan Fisher of NW Public Affairs and the Oregon
Housing Authorities to try to ensure the language of these amendments is viable for us to
administer. In some cases, the amendments may be overly burdensome for housing
authorities and in some cases, there may even be conflict between federal regulations and
the State program as it is currently defined.
Our guest, Ryan Fisher, will provide the board with more detail and the most current
information on where the process of defining the language of HB 2639 stands.
Oregon Housing Authorities Housing Choice Voucher Utilization Snapshot October 2011 – April 2012
INTRODUCTION As conversations about the Housing Choice Voucher program continue, the Oregon Housing Authorities (OHA) engaged in an outreach effort with their members across the state. The following provides broad overview of the program, a summary of the comments received from the OHA statewide meeting, as well as responses to a non-‐scientific survey with member agencies.
We appreciate the interest in the success of this program and welcome the coming conversation. What has been, to our organization, a federal conversation for many years has now become a state conversation and we look forward to the opportunity to build stronger partnerships through our efforts to improve a bedrock investment in our local communities. Please feel free to contact Oregon Housing Authorities with any questions.
Ryan Fisher (c) 503-‐968-‐7161; (e) [email protected] OVERVIEW OF THE HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER Communities are stronger when everyone has a home, which is why there are systems to support people’s ability to find a safe place to live. Housing tax credits, public housing, rental assistance programs, down payment assistance, and even mortgage interest deductions all invest common resources into the health and potential of our communities.
The Housing Choice Voucher represents the largest federal rental housing investment in our state. If all of the households whose lives are stabilized by vouchers lived in one area, it would be Oregon’s fifth largest city. Without this investment, many seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families struggling to make ends meet would not have stable housing.
Created in 1974, the program has spanned seven presidential administrations and six recessions. Political and economic pressures over that time have ebbed and flowed, with revisions and additions to the program coming from conflicting beliefs and visions. The current version of the program is inelegant and sometimes unwieldy, yet essential to the stability of our local economies and communities.
For the past decade, the OHA has met to share best practices and discuss concerns about the structure and funding of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. As an organization, we have sent recommendations to Housing and Urban Development and educated federal delegates on the need to improve and adequately fund this critical community investment. Some changes have been made, but major national reform legislation continues to be held up in Congress and many waiver requests from local housing authorities have been denied.
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Meanwhile, the current program is complicated to use and to administer. From the tenant perspective, it’s a more complicated process than simply finding a place to rent on the open market. From many landlords’ perspectives, there is more paperwork and less flexibility on leasing terms than their typical leases. For housing authorities, demanding program requirements butt up against diminishing resources.
Our state has begun a conversation about how to improve this critical but imperfect federal investment. Tenants need more choices. Landlords want a stronger partner. People in our communities need more opportunities. OHA welcomes this conversation to improve the Housing Choice Voucher program. CHALLENGES (identified at Oregon Housing Authorities statewide meeting) Landlords, tenants, and the housing authority face multi-‐layered challenges to the successful utilization of the Housing Choice Voucher program. The following briefly outlines some of these challenges.
Market challenges • High demand for available housing: In many parts of the state, the rental market is tighter than most directors have experienced in their careers. This
means that demand is extremely high, making rental properties more difficult to find for all renters, including those utilizing an HCV. • Lack of new development: For the last several years, many communities have not had readily available financing to develop new rental properties,
putting a pinch on new development and increasing the scarcity within the market. • Housing Choice Vouchers not accepted by all landlords: Some landlords are unwilling to accept HCVs for a variety of reasons, further limiting the pool of
potential properties. • Meeting HUD standards to accept Housing Choice Vouchers: Some rental units do not meet HUD inspection standards, thus precluding the use of HCVs
at those units.
Housing Authority Challenges • Diminished funding: Federal funding to administer HCVs has been steadily decreasing and continues to do so. This has resulted in staff cuts at local
housing authorities that impact tenants and landlords. Staff reductions affect tenant and landlord outreach and education programs, inspection turnaround time, and staff’s ability to work individually to address landlord and tenant concerns.
• Meeting past standards with diminished funding: At the same time that funding to administer the program has decreased, the program requirements have not changed. Limited flexibility to change business practices and adapt to the changing funding model results in diminishing or eliminating services designed to improve success rates.
• Hard Choices: Even though the cost of rental properties has risen, the pool of funds (i.e., rent subsidies available to landlords through vouchers) has remained flat, as has the number of vouchers that local housing authorities are given. This funding dilemma has forced many local housing authorities to make a difficult choice: either decreasing the subsidy amount of each voucher in order to maintain the number of people they serve, or facilitating the same value of the vouchers but reducing the number of vouchers given.
Tenant challenges • Tenants face extreme poverty: By HUD regulation, 75% of the people we serve on the voucher program must make equal to or less than 30% of Area
Median Income (e.g., for a family of three in Multnomah county this equates to an annual income of $19,750 or less). This degree of poverty leads to barriers such as lack of transportation to look for housing and an inability to pay multiple housing application fees.
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• Lack of assistance: Utilizing an HCV requires some extra work by the tenant that is not required of renters on the open market. Resources are not always available to provide the quality assistance some HCV recipients need in order to successfully find housing in the timeframe that is required by the program.
• Amount of vouchers: Funding limitations limit the total rent a tenant can afford, creating challenges for people seeking a place to live because it further reduces the pool of housing available, even with their voucher.
• Barriers outside program parameters: Due to the economic crisis, more potential renters face challenges when going through the leasing application process (e.g., foreclosures, inability to make rent in past leases, medical bills, etc. causing a poor credit score). Tenants with vouchers also face these challenges. Although certain criminal backgrounds disqualify eligibility for a voucher, persons with a voucher having other criminal backgrounds may not pass landlord screening.
MEMBER OUTREACH PROCESS Outreach Purpose: As we have the conversation about how to improve the Housing Choice Voucher program, we want to educate partners and stakeholders about factors that impact services, partnerships, and resources because it is a complicated program and understanding its layers is important to identifying improvements. The first step of this education was collecting some non-‐scientific, qualitative information regarding the program. Results to this outreach are appended to this paper. The outreach is a starting point for a longer, more meaningful conversation with OHA’s partners. As part of the education process, we will look for and collaborate on ways to capture more meaningful insight into this program. Important Context: While this survey gives information about the impacts of a variety of combined challenges, it does not give insight into which challenges are causing barriers. In many cases, it is likely to be a combination of multiple challenges. At our statewide meeting, housing authorities discussed a variety of challenges, noted in the above summary (page 2).
Outreach Process: OHA members were asked to respond to questions that would help us gain insights into aspects of the program that impact landlords and the success rate of voucher holders across the state, such as inspection times, availability of a landlord guarantee fund, and the number of participating landlords in each local area. Broad details of the outreach effort are noted below:
• A total of 17 out of 21 OHA members across the state responded to the questions • Outreach was conducted in September 2012 and responses reflected activity between October 2011 and April 2012**
o This span of time was chosen to ensure that clients who were issued a voucher would have resolved their status as either finding housing or returning the voucher at the time of the survey (September 2012)
• Members (either directors or Section 8 staff) responded to questions by email which they sent to the Association manager who compiled the comments
**In some cases, the time period during which the outreach was conducted was not ideal: • Home Forward, for instance, issued only 16 vouchers during that time span. This is an organization that administers 7769 vouchers. Their list, which has
been closed for six years, was fully utilized during this time period • Housing Works, in Bend, reported that some voucher holders were granted extensions to continue to search for a voucher. In those cases, they may be
counted in this report as a “turnback” when in fact, they may have successfully used the voucher to find housing
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TERM DEFINITIONS AND LIMITIATIONS TO OUTREACH This is a non-‐scientific survey, and the responses are one of many layers necessary to understand the HCV program. The data from the survey does not take into account the differences between local economics and housing markets across the state. Importantly, some numbers reported (e.g., the number of applicants who did not use their vouchers) are given without context and do not show the circumstances behind the figures or how they relate to the broader market. Several examples of this issue are noted in the term definitions below. Turnback rate vs. Lease up rate Turnback rate: This attempts to calculate the percentage of people who were issued a Housing Choice Voucher, but were not able to find a place to live within the period of time allotted them and had to return the voucher to the local housing authority. We have been asked to share this number, but have concerns with how it might be used for the following reasons: • We do not have data on why those individuals were unsuccessful in using the voucher. • Many housing authorities have closed waiting lists because demand for vouchers is so much higher than supply. It’s hard to pick a span of time in which a
significant number of vouchers are being issued in every community, statewide. • Different housing authorities have different lengths of times that voucher holders can seek housing (60 days, 90 days, 180 days etc.). Housing authorities
determine this length based on local market and social factors. Lease up rate: This calculates the number of vouchers currently being utilized to subsidize housing compared to the total number of vouchers available to the local housing authority. Similar to turnback rates, this number is dependent on the moment in time that the snapshot is taken. Housing authorities go to great lengths to achieve a 100% lease up rate for each calendar year. This is not easy for a number of reasons. The results calculated in this outreach effort are merely capturing a point in time, not measuring performance over a span of time. Landlord participation Number of participating landlords: This tracks the number of landlords participating with the program as of October 2012. Inspection information: This gives the average length of time it takes local housing authorities to complete an inspection from the time they receive the notice from the tenant that a rental agreement is pending. There was some discussion about the fact that there may be an additional delay if the tenant does not immediately return the signed form that initiates an inspection. Educating both the landlords and the tenants about this process can help reduce this lag. Risk mitigation program: Some local housing authorities have programs that can provide landlords access to a guarantee fund, if their units are damaged. In order to qualify for some of these programs, a tenant must complete a certified course. Some housing authorities do not have the resources to offer such courses. Some housing authorities partner with other non-‐profits that provide those courses.
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Oregon Housing Authorities Housing Choice Voucher Program Snapshot October 2011-‐April 2012
Housing Authority Washington
Co. NE
Oregon Yamhill Co.
Jackson Co.
Lane Co. Salem
West Valley
Josephine Co.
Clackamas Co. NBC/CC
Housing Works
NW Housing Authority
Home Forward
City of Umatilla
Linn/ Benton
Marion
Klamath
Turnback Rate
Number of vouchers issued between October '11-‐April '12? 246 119 66 254 357 631 187 82 187 119 260 70 16 78
358
273
88 Number of vouchers returned without lease up between October '11-‐April '12? 22 26 14 38 20 121 46 13 14 26 88 6 4 49
87
98
10
Calculated turnback rate 9% 22% 21% 15% 6% 19% 25% 16% 7% 22% 34% 9% 25% 63%
24%
36%
11%
Total Voucher Utilization
Number of vouchers currently available 2,635 801 1343 2002
2790 2949 699 842 1568 801 1148 1089 7,769 329
2,416
1,182
751
Current total number of vouchers utilized 2589 697 1333 1846
2792 3048 699 688 1532 697 1148 966 7,372 300
2,330
1,158
751
Utilization Rate 98% 87% 99% 92% 100% 103% 100% 82% 98% 87% 100% 89% 95% 91%
96%
98%
100%
Landlord Information
Number of Section 8 Landlords your PHA currently work with 856 334 550 643 750 1353 220 350 632 334 591 407 2,484 160
797
412
400
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Housing Authority Washington
Co. NE
Oregon Yamhill
Co. Jackson
Co. Lane Co. Salem
West Valley
Josephine Co.
Clackamas Co. NBC/CC
Housing Works
NW Housing
Authority Home
Forward City of
Umatilla
Linn/ Benton
Marion
Klamath
Inspection information
Average unit inspection time (in days) between October '11-‐April '12? 1 3 3 2
3 to 5 3 5 2 14 2 to 3 10 10 5 N/A
2
5.7
3
Risk Mitigation
Does your community offer Ready to Rent or a risk mitigation program for landlords? yes n/a yes no no no no no no no yes yes yes n/a
yes
no
n/a
Guide to Areas Served by Housing Authority
Housing Authority Area(s) Served
Washington Co. Washington County NE Oregon Union, Baker, Grant, Wallowa counties Yamhill Co. Yamhill County Jackson Co. Jackson County Lane Co. Lane County Salem City of Salem West Valley Polk County; Salem outside Salem UGB Josephine Co. Josephine County Clackamas Co. Clackamas NBC/CC Coos and Curry; counties, City of North Bend Housing Works Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties NW Housing Authority Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties Home Forward Multnomah County City of Umatilla Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties Linn/Benton Linn and Benton counties Marion Co. Marion County outside Salem/Keizer UGB Klamath Klamath and Lake counties
Responses were not received from:
• Douglas (serves Douglas County) • Malheur County (serves Malheur and Harney counties) • Mid-‐Columbia (serves Wasco, Sherman, Hood River counties) • Lincoln County (serves Lincoln county)
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77th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2013 Regular Session
A-Engrossed
House Bill 2639Ordered by the House April 17
Including House Amendments dated April 17
Sponsored by Representative KOTEK; Representatives HARKER, HUFFMAN (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subjectto consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of themeasure.
Redefines “source of income” for purposes of prohibiting discrimination in selling, renting orleasing real property. Creates exceptions.
Directs Housing and Community Services Department to develop Housing Choice LandlordGuarantee Program to mitigate damages to dwelling units of landlords caused by tenants receivingtenant-based assistance under federal Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Creates Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program Fund and continuously appropriatesmoneys in fund to department to carry out Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program.
Requires local housing authorities to report annually to department regarding informa-tion provided to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development regarding participation inHousing Choice Voucher Program. Directs local housing authorities to annually reviewinternal procedures and processes and to facilitate participation of landlords in HousingChoice Voucher Program. Creates Statewide Housing Choice Advisory Committee.
Directs department to establish and administer Stable Rental Housing Program to make grantsto qualifying organizations to provide rental and financial assistance to persons at risk of experi-encing homelessness or persons requiring assistance to maintain housing stability.
Creates Stable Rental Housing Account and continuously appropriates moneys in account todepartment to carry out Stable Rental Housing Program.
Directs department and State Housing Council to cooperate with local housing authorities toobtain federal approval and waivers of requirements under certain federal rent subsidy assistanceprograms.
Becomes operative July 1, 2014.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to housing; creating new provisions; amending ORS 456.561 and 659A.421; and appropriating
money.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 659A.421 is amended to read:
659A.421. (1) As used in this section:
(a) “Dwelling” means:
(A) A building or structure, or portion of a building or structure, that is occupied, or designed
or intended for occupancy, as a residence by one or more families; or
(B) Vacant land offered for sale or lease for the construction or location of a building or
structure, or portion of a building or structure, that is occupied, or designed or intended for occu-
pancy, as a residence by one or more families.
(b) “Purchaser” includes an occupant, prospective occupant, renter, prospective renter, lessee,
prospective lessee, buyer or prospective buyer.
(c) “Real property” includes a dwelling.
(d)(A) “Source of income” [does not include] includes federal rent subsidy payments under 42
U.S.C. 1437f[,] and any other local, state or federal housing assistance.
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
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(B) “Source of income” does not include income derived from a specific occupation or income
derived in an illegal manner.
(2) A person may not, because of the race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national ori-
gin, marital status, familial status or source of income of any person:
(a) Refuse to sell, lease or rent any real property to a purchaser. This paragraph does not
prevent a person from refusing to lease or rent real property to a prospective renter or
prospective lessee:
(A) Based upon the past conduct of a prospective renter or prospective lessee provided
the refusal to lease or rent based on past conduct is consistent with local, state and federal
law, including but not limited to fair housing laws; or
(B) Based upon the prospective renter’s or prospective lessee’s inability to pay rent,
taking into account the value of the prospective renter’s or prospective lessee’s local, state
and federal housing assistance, provided the refusal to lease or rent based on inability to pay
rent is consistent with local, state and federal law, including but not limited to fair housing
laws.
(b) Expel a purchaser from any real property.
(c) Make any distinction, discrimination or restriction against a purchaser in the price, terms,
conditions or privileges relating to the sale, rental, lease or occupancy of real property or in the
furnishing of any facilities or services in connection therewith.
(d) Attempt to discourage the sale, rental or lease of any real property to a purchaser.
(e) Publish, circulate, issue or display, or cause to be published, circulated, issued or displayed,
any communication, notice, advertisement or sign of any kind relating to the sale, rental or leasing
of real property that indicates any preference, limitation, specification or unlawful discrimination
based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, familial status
or source of income.
(f) Assist, induce, incite or coerce another person to commit an act or engage in a practice that
violates this section.
(g) Coerce, intimidate, threaten or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of,
or on account of the person having exercised or enjoyed or having aided or encouraged any other
person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by this section.
(h) Deny access to, or membership or participation in, any multiple listing service, real estate
brokers’ organization or other service, organization or facility relating to the business of selling or
renting dwellings, or discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of the access,
membership or participation.
(i) Represent to a person that a dwelling is not available for inspection, sale or rental when the
dwelling in fact is available for inspection, sale or rental.
(j) Otherwise make unavailable or deny a dwelling to a person.
(3)(a) A person whose business includes engaging in residential real estate related transactions
may not discriminate against any person in making a transaction available, or in the terms or con-
ditions of the transaction, because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin,
marital status, familial status or source of income.
(b) As used in this subsection, “residential real estate related transaction” means any of the
following:
(A) The making or purchasing of loans or providing other financial assistance:
(i) For purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling; or
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(ii) Secured by residential real estate; or
(B) The selling, brokering or appraising of residential real property.
(4) A real estate licensee may not accept or retain a listing of real property for sale, lease or
rental with an understanding that a purchaser may be discriminated against with respect to the sale,
rental or lease thereof because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin,
marital status, familial status or source of income.
(5) A person may not, for profit, induce or attempt to induce any other person to sell or rent
any dwelling by representations regarding the entry or prospective entry into the neighborhood of
a person or persons of a particular race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin,
marital status, familial status or source of income.
(6) This section does not apply with respect to sex distinction, discrimination or restriction if
the real property involved is such that the application of this section would necessarily result in
common use of bath or bedroom facilities by unrelated persons of opposite sex.
(7)(a) This section does not apply to familial status distinction, discrimination or restriction with
respect to housing for older persons.
(b) As used in this subsection, “housing for older persons” means housing:
(A) Provided under any state or federal program that is specifically designed and operated to
assist elderly persons, as defined by the state or federal program;
(B) Intended for, and solely occupied by, persons 62 years of age or older; or
(C) Intended and operated for occupancy by at least one person 55 years of age or older per
unit. Housing qualifies as housing for older persons under this subparagraph if:
(i) At least 80 percent of the dwellings are occupied by at least one person 55 years of age or
older per unit; and
(ii) Policies and procedures that demonstrate an intent by the owner or manager to provide
housing for persons 55 years of age or older are published and adhered to.
(c) Housing does not fail to meet the requirements for housing for older persons if:
(A) Persons residing in the housing as of September 13, 1988, do not meet the requirements of
paragraph (b)(B) or (C) of this subsection. However, new occupants of the housing shall meet the
age requirements of paragraph (b)(B) or (C) of this subsection; or
(B) The housing includes unoccupied units that are reserved for occupancy by persons who meet
the age requirements of paragraph (b)(B) or (C) of this subsection.
(d) Nothing in this section limits the applicability of any reasonable local, state or federal re-
strictions regarding the maximum number of occupants permitted to occupy a dwelling.
(8) The provisions of subsection (2)(a) to (d) and (f) of this section that prohibit actions based
upon sex, sexual orientation or familial status do not apply to the renting of space within a single-
family residence if the owner actually maintains and occupies the residence as the owner’s primary
residence and all occupants share some common space within the residence.
(9) Any violation of this section is an unlawful practice.
SECTION 2. As used in sections 2 to 6 of this 2013 Act:
(1) “Housing Choice Voucher Program” means the federal tenant-based assistance pro-
gram established under 42 U.S.C. 1437f(o).
(2) “Landlord” means an owner of a dwelling unit that has entered into an agreement
with a local housing authority to receive tenant-based assistance payments under the Hous-
ing Choice Voucher Program and that has entered into a rental or lease agreement with a
tenant determined to be eligible to receive assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher
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Program.
(3) “Local housing authority” means a housing authority that has entered into a contract
with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development of the United States pursuant to
which the housing authority is authorized to make tenant-based assistance payments to
landlords within a designated county or area of operation under the Housing Choice Voucher
Program.
(4) “Tenant” means an individual or a family who is determined to be eligible to receive
tenant-based assistance payments under the Housing Choice Voucher Program and who has
entered into a rental or lease agreement with a landlord.
SECTION 3. (1) The Housing and Community Services Department shall develop and im-
plement the Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program for the purpose of providing fi-
nancial assistance to landlords to mitigate damages caused by tenants as a result of
occupancy under the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
(2) Landlords that are eligible for assistance under the Housing Choice Landlord Guar-
antee Program must obtain a judgment against the tenant in either the small claims de-
partment of a circuit court or a circuit court for the county in which the property is located.
Assistance is limited to reimbursement for only those amounts in the judgment that are
related to property damage, unpaid rent or other damages:
(a) Caused as a result of the tenant’s occupancy under the Housing Choice Voucher
Program;
(b) That exceed normal wear and tear; and
(c) That are in excess of $500 but not more than $5,000 per tenancy.
(3) A landlord must submit a claim for assistance to the department within one year of
obtaining a judgment against a tenant pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.
(4) The department may contract with a public or private provider for the administration
of the Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program. The department is not subject to the
provisions of ORS chapter 279A or 279B in awarding a contract under the provisions of this
subsection. The department shall establish by rule procedures for inviting proposals and
awarding contracts under this subsection.
(5) The department shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section, includ-
ing but not limited to prescribing additional qualifications and requirements that must be
met by landlords and the form of application that must be submitted to the department to
receive assistance under the program.
SECTION 4. (1) When a landlord is determined to be eligible to receive assistance under
sections 2 to 6 of this 2013 Act, the Housing and Community Services Department shall enter
into a reasonable repayment agreement with the responsible tenant that provides for repay-
ment by the tenant to the department of the full or a partial amount of the assistance paid
to the landlord.
(2)(a) Consistent with the requirements of federal law, all local housing authorities that
participate in the Housing Choice Voucher Program shall, upon written notice from the de-
partment that a tenant has failed to repay the amount required under subsection (1) of this
section, be prohibited from approving a dwelling unit for the responsible tenant, and may not
enter into a contract with a landlord that provides for occupancy of the landlord’s dwelling
unit by that tenant at any future time, regardless of the area of operation of the local
housing authority wherein the dwelling unit that sustained the damages was located.
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(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection, this subsection does not apply when
the tenant has made or is making a good faith effort to comply with the repayment agree-
ment.
(3) The department shall, in accordance with ORS chapter 183, provide an opportunity for
the tenant to contest the department’s determination that the tenant has failed to repay
amounts due under a repayment agreement or that the tenant has not made or is not mak-
ing a good faith effort to comply with the repayment agreement. The department shall serve
a notice of noncompliance upon the tenant in accordance with ORS 183.415 that states:
(a) The amount remaining unpaid by the tenant under the repayment agreement; and
(b) That the department may prohibit all local housing authorities, regardless of the area
of operation of the local housing authority wherein the dwelling unit that sustained the
damages was located, from approving a dwelling unit for the tenant in the future and from
entering into a contract with a landlord that provides for the tenant’s occupancy of the
landlord’s dwelling unit by that tenant at any future time.
(4) The department shall waive the requirements of this section for good cause as set
forth in rules adopted by the department.
SECTION 5. (1) There is created within the State Treasury, separate and distinct from
the General Fund, the Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program Fund. Interest earned
by the Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program Fund shall be credited to the fund.
(2) Moneys in the Housing Choice Landlord Guarantee Program Fund shall consist of:
(a) Amounts donated to the fund;
(b) Amounts appropriated or otherwise transferred to the fund by the Legislative As-
sembly;
(c) Investment earnings received on moneys in the fund; and
(d) Other amounts deposited in the fund from any source.
(3) Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the Housing and Community
Services Department to carry out the provisions of sections 2 to 6 of this 2013 Act.
(4) The department may use moneys in the fund to pay the administrative costs associ-
ated with the fund and with processing applications, making payments to landlords and ad-
ministering repayment agreements under sections 2 to 6 of this 2013 Act.
SECTION 6. (1) Local housing authorities shall report annually to the Housing and
Community Services Department regarding information required to be provided to the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development regarding each local housing authority’s partic-
ipation in the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
(2) Local housing authorities shall annually review internal procedures and processes so
as to coordinate the length of the rental and lease terms with market standards for the
purpose of achieving the maximum use and benefit in the best interests of tenants and
landlords from tenant-based assistance payments under the Housing Choice Voucher Pro-
gram.
(3) Consistent with federal law, local housing authorities shall facilitate participation of
landlords in the Housing Choice Voucher Program by:
(a) Ensuring timely inspection of dwelling units and prompt processing of tenant appli-
cations and tenant-based assistance payments to landlords;
(b) Establishing leases with terms that match the lease length that is standard and cus-
tomary for the dwelling units involved;
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(c) Assisting tenants and landlords with service referrals; and
(d) Establishing a process that allows landlords to provide regular input to local housing
authorities.
(4)(a) There is created the Statewide Housing Choice Advisory Committee to be appointed
by the Director of the Housing and Community Services Department. The director shall have
discretion to determine the number of committee members and the duration of membership.
The committee membership must be geographically representative of all regions of this state
and shall include an equal number of representatives for each of the following:
(A) Local housing authorities and their representatives;
(B) Landlords of single and multiple dwelling units and their advocates; and
(C) Tenants and their advocates.
(b) The committee shall:
(A) Advise the department with respect to matters of interest and concern regarding the
Housing Choice Voucher Program;
(B) Discuss and share best practices for maximizing participation by landlords and ten-
ants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program; and
(C) Develop strategies and outcome measures for gauging the effectiveness of the Hous-
ing Choice Voucher Program.
(c) The committee shall prepare and submit a report to the committees of the Legislative
Assembly that have authority over the subject area of housing on the date of the convening
of each regular session of the Legislative Assembly regarding participation in and the effec-
tiveness of the Housing Choice Voucher Program in this state.
SECTION 7. (1) The Housing and Community Services Department shall establish and
administer the Stable Rental Housing Program to provide rental assistance to persons re-
quiring assistance to achieve or maintain housing stability.
(2) Subject to the approval of the State Housing Council, the department shall make
grants from the Stable Rental Housing Account created in section 8 of this 2013 Act to or-
ganizations as defined in ORS 458.610 for purposes of providing:
(a) Rental assistance to persons of low income and very low income, as those terms are
defined in ORS 458.610, who are also identified as being at risk of experiencing homelessness
or who require rental assistance to maintain housing stability.
(b) Financial assistance with expenses found to support housing stability, including but
not limited to application fees, security deposits, move-in expenses, past-due rent, utility
payments, transportation expenses, essential furnishings and any other expenses as pre-
scribed by the department by rule.
(c) Support services to assist persons of low income and very low income who are at risk
of experiencing homelessness or who require rental assistance to maintain housing stability,
and the administrative costs of providing the services, to access housing for the purpose of
achieving or maintaining housing stability.
(3) The department shall, in consultation with and subject to the approval of the State
Housing Council, adopt rules for determining the eligibility of organizations to receive grants
under this section that must, at a minimum, include the requirement that the organization
demonstrate it has the capacity to deliver the assistance and services proposed by the or-
ganization and to measure and report on outcomes related to homelessness and housing
stability.
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(4) The department may contract with a public or private provider for the administration
of the Stable Rental Housing Program under this section. The department is not subject to
the provisions of ORS chapter 279A or 279B in awarding a contract under the provisions of
this subsection. The department shall establish by rule procedures for inviting proposals and
awarding contracts under this subsection.
(5) The department shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section.
SECTION 8. (1) There is created within the State Treasury, separate and distinct from
the General Fund, the Stable Rental Housing Account. Interest earned by the Stable Rental
Housing Account shall be credited to the account.
(2) Moneys in the Stable Rental Housing Account shall consist of:
(a) Amounts donated to the account;
(b) Amounts appropriated or otherwise transferred to the account by the Legislative
Assembly;
(c) Investment earnings received on moneys in the account; and
(d) Other amounts deposited in the account from any source.
(3) Moneys in the account are continuously appropriated to the Housing and Community
Services Department to develop and implement the Stable Rental Housing Program under
section 7 of this 2013 Act.
(4) The department may use moneys in the account to pay the administrative costs as-
sociated with the account and with making grants under section 7 of this 2013 Act.
SECTION 9. The Housing and Community Services Department shall prepare and submit
a report, after review and approval by the State Housing Council, regarding the status and
outcomes of the Stable Rental Housing Program established under section 7 of this 2013 Act
to the committees of the Legislative Assembly that have authority over the subject area of
housing on the date of the convening of the 2015 regular session of the Legislative Assembly.
SECTION 10. ORS 456.561 is amended to read:
456.561. (1) The Housing and Community Services Department may effect loans, grants and other
funding awards to accomplish department housing programs, subject to any requirement under this
section for review and approval by the State Housing Council of proposals for loans, grants or other
funding awards.
(2) The department shall submit a loan, grant or other funding award proposal arising under
ORS 456.515 to 456.725 [programs] and section 7 of this 2013 Act to the council for review if the
proposal is for:
(a) A housing loan on property that has a purchase price in excess of an applicable threshold
property purchase price established by rule under ORS 456.555 (9); [or]
(b) A housing grant or other housing funding award in excess of an applicable threshold amount
established by rule under ORS 456.555 (10); or
(c) A grant made pursuant to the Stable Rental Housing Program established under
section 7 of this 2013 Act.
(3) The council shall review each loan, grant or other funding award proposal submitted by the
department under this section and approve or disapprove the loan, grant or other funding award
proposal.
(4) Council review of loan, grant or other funding award proposals under this section shall be
held at a public hearing of the council. The council meeting notice required by ORS 192.640 shall
include notice of the loan, grant or other funding award proposal review, the names of the appli-
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cants and the subject of the loan, grant or funding award proposal. The council shall provide notice
of a loan, grant or other funding award proposal review to the loan, grant or other funding award
applicant not less than five days before the review hearing.
SECTION 11. The Housing and Community Services Department and State Housing
Council shall cooperate with and assist local housing authorities as defined in section 2 of
this 2013 Act to obtain federal approval, renewal of an existing waiver of federal require-
ments or a new waiver of federal requirements, as necessary to make the use and distrib-
ution of federal rent subsidy and assistance payments under 42 U.S.C. 1437f as efficient and
beneficial as possible to increase the supply of decent, safe, sanitary and affordable housing
for persons of low income and very low income in this state.
SECTION 12. Sections 2 to 8 and 11 of this 2013 Act are added to and made a part of ORS
chapter 456.
SECTION 13. In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appro-
priated to the Housing and Community Services Department, for the biennium beginning July
1, 2013, out of the General Fund, the amount of $ , which may be expended for pur-
poses of carrying out the provisions of sections 2 to 6 of this 2013 Act.
SECTION 14. In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appro-
priated to the Housing and Community Services Department, for the biennium beginning July
1, 2013, out of the General Fund, the amount of $ , which may be expended for pur-
poses of carrying out the provisions of sections 7 and 8 of this 2013 Act.
SECTION 15. Sections 2 to 9 and 11 of this 2013 Act and the amendments to ORS 456.561
and 659A.421 by sections 1 and 10 of this 2013 Act become operative on July 1, 2014.
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