Category Archives: Community Involvement

Impact of the Recession on Low Income Households

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Multnomah County

Multnomah County

The current recession has hit our community hard. One out of four households in Multnomah County report that over the past 12 months they have been unable to pay for essential services such as housing, heat, or food, according to a 2009 Oregonian poll. With unemployment rates of nearly 12% and 2% of homeowners in mortgage default, households in Multnomah County are feeling the impacts of the recession in big and small ways. More public school students are homeless. More families are going without healthcare, even for serious medical conditions. Poverty is not a new concept in Multnomah County, but there are now more households new to poverty that may not know how to access support services and assistance.

Your input will inform how federal dollars are spent on programs addressing the impacts of our current recession for households in Multnomah County.

Where: Floyd Light Middle School: 10800 SE Washington St.
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Trimet: Bus line 20 & Max Blue Line
Dinner will be provided. Childcare and translation are available upon request by calling (503) 823-2396 three days in advance of the hearing.

We are especially interested in your answers to these questions:
• What has been the impact of the recession on low-income households?
• What temporary strategies should the City support to counter these impacts?
• Has the recession had a greater impact on communities of color and immigrants?
• How can we expand access to economic opportunities for households in need?
• How are schools and public services affected?

Co-sponsored by: Housing and Community Development Committee along with the
Multnomah County Commission on Children, Families & Community

Neighborhood Small Grants

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This is a great funding opportunity for neighbors with innovative projects – planting trees, shooting documentaries on neighborhood landmarks, spiffing up parks, creating community gardens, starting new neighborhood projects/programs with seed money, and so on. The money comes from the City and is distributed by the Northeast Coalition. From the NECN website: “the NE Coalition will be awarding $20,913 in grant funds for projects that build community, attract new and diverse members and sustain those already involved.” Last year, the King Neighborhood Association worked with Board Member Allyson Spencer to start The Blue Door Project, tidying up and replanting the yards of seniors and single-parent families in the King area. Do you have any innovative ideas? If so, you can go directly to the Coalition website to check out the Small Grants application, or you can come to the next King Neighborhood Association meeting (Wednesday, October 14th) to find partners/feedback for your project.

Small Grant website:

http://portland.necoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=89

Sharing Ideas: Grass-roots Projects

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Sharing%20Ideas%20Panel%20PosterSharing Ideas:
Grass-roots projects started by neighbors.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009 6:00pm-9:00pm
GRANT PARK CHURCH (2728 NE 34th Ave. Portland, OR 97212)

Come learn about inspiring projects from local organizers.
Hosted by Community Outreach of Our United Villages, a local community building non-profit.
Please let us know if you plan to attend by Thursday, September 24th to outreach@ourunitedvillages.org or 503.546.7499.
Free and open to all. Light meal provided. Child care, transportation, and interpretation upon request.

www.ourunitedvillages.org

Ask questions and learn from their experiences.
See possibilities for replicating projects in your own neighborhood.

Panel:

swap ‘n play: child-parent cooperative
maya angelou summer art camp: neighborhood youth event
ainsworth collective: neighborhood network
blue door: volunteer support for elders
ne tool lending library: neighborhood resource

New Development for Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Planned

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MLK-SkidmoreThe North-Northeast Economic Development Alliance (NNEDA) and the Portland Family of Funds (PFF) invite local community members and other inner NE Portland stakeholders to the OAME conference room to review the redevelopment concept plans for the former Lutheran services facility site located on NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and NE Skidmore.

PFF is an investment firm that has participated in a dozen projects in Portland, including four in NE Portland: Vanport Square, Kings Crossing, Oregon Medical Clinic, and the Community Transition School. PFF utilizes numerous financing programs, including the New Markets Tax Credit program, to facilitate the development of community-based projects in distressed communities.
MLK-Skidmore2
NNEDA and PFF would like to offer local residents and stakeholders an early opportunity to review and comment on the schematic design plans for developing an education- and family housing-based project on the former Lutheran site at the corner of NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and NE Skidmore. Come hear from the project team about their vision for the site, and provide your feedback on their design plans for implementing that vision.

This project is intended to create an attractive and exciting private development that focuses on building community capacity through the co-location and collaboration of education, family housing and community services within a single facility.

Please join us on the evening of September 23rd to hear more about the plans for this project and to share your thoughts and suggestions for the concept and plans.

OAME Large Conference Room
4134 N Vancouver Avenue
September 23, 2009
6:00 to 9:00 PM
Light refreshments will be provided

You can also view the schematic design plans for the project and comment on them at http://www.portlandfunds.com/projects/albina.php. Or bring your questions and comments to the meeting on September 23rd. If you would like additional information prior to the meeting, contact Carl Talton at 503-546-2650 or carl@portlandfunds.com. We hope you will join us.

Sheila Holden and Carl Talton

City to Hold Spirit of Portland Award Event at Center for the Performing Arts

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newmarkpic2The popular Spirit of Portland Award Ceremony will be held at the prestigious Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) this year. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. City officials have chosen the new evening time so more people can attend.

The event, which usually draws a standing‐room‐only crowd of supporters and well wishers to the Council Chambers at City Hall, will be held in the Newmark Theatre, one of the PCPA’s three theatres. The new venue was selected to comfortably seat everyone who wishes to attend. A reception with cake and beverages in the spacious lobby will follow.
The PCPA is sponsoring this year’s celebration of Portland’s finest and has generously donated the use of their facility. The Newmark Theatre is located downtown, inside Antoinette Hatfield Hall, 1111 SW Broadway at the Main Street intersection.
Celebrated since 1985, the Spirit of Portland ceremony is an important way the city recognizes those who make a positive difference in our community. Please send in your nominations if you know the perfect candidate to receive this honored award. All nominations are due at the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) office by 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18.

Nomination forms are available at ONI, Room 110 at City Hall, 1221 SW Fourth Ave or at any of the seven neighborhood district coalition offices. Forms can also be downloaded from the web at Spirit of Portland 2009.
Phone: 503-823-4519 • Fax: 503-823-3050 • www.portlandonline.com/oni
The Council passed a resolution last year creating the Commissioner’s Spirit of Portland Award. Now the Mayor and each commissioner can select one individual and one group for recognition.
The public can nominate in the following categories: Emergency Preparedness; Public Involvement (city staff or community member); Community Policing/Public Safety (city staff or community member); Humanitarian; Independent Spirit; Community Harmony; Large Business;
Small Business; New/Emerging Community Leader (person or group); Business Association; Non‐Profit Organization; Neighborhood; Outstanding Partnership; Employee Volunteer; and
Youth Volunteer.
New categories this year are Business Association of the Year and New/Emerging Community Leader.
Winners in the above awards are chosen by a Selection Committee made up of representatives from the Mayor’s and City Commissioner’s offices, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the Neighborhood District Coalition offices, Business Associations, non‐profit community organizations and past award winners.
The PCPA is a premier arts and entertainment venue in the Pacific Northwest. Nationally recognized as one of the top 10 performing arts centers in the nation, the PCPA hosts more than 900 performances and events each year.
Its 880‐seat Newmark Theatre was designed to emulate the Edwardian‐style theaters of Europe. Home to a variety of productions, this theater is refined and elegant, providing an intimate theatrical experiences with no seat further than 65 feet from the stage. The theatre is fully ADA compliant with wheelchair seating and assisted listening devices.
The ArtBar, restaurant in the PCPA complex, will be open for those who would like to have dinner at the theatre before the awards ceremony.