Metro FTP Site Has Materials Used for Their HUD Sustainability Grant Pre Application Submission.

In response to my request Metro has provided me with a FTP link to materials associated with their recently submitted $5 million pre application for a HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning grant. 

You can access the Metro FTP site HERE; within the folder at this URL you will also see an attachments folder with multiple background documents.  I found attachments L HERE and HERE with background about the Portland Pulse indicators project to be the most interesting of the attachments.[Note that many of these materials are in MS Word format].

Not in the FTP folder, but sent to me by Metro is the the draft MOU HERE which would need to be signed by participants if Metro is invited to submit the full application. This document provides the most detail about the currently planned activities, but those activities are subject to change prior to submission of a formal application.

Observations on Current Materials: 

• Grant application area does NOT include Clark County. 
• One of planned activities is a Regional Analysis Impediments to Fair Housing

Other notable planned activities [from the draft MOU]: 

• Voucher Cooperation: Development of a program to link administration of low income rental assistance to workforce training programs...and the portability of rent assistance vouchers between counties.
  
  Opportunity Mapping: The region is currently developing an initial approach to opportunity mapping to better depict access to opportunity relative to the concentration of different demographics
  • Establishing on-going roles and responsibilities for keeping the data current and expanding the quality or coverage of data that is currently inadequate.
  • Interpreting the conclusions that can be reached from the data to identify the key areas of inadequate access to opportunity that should be addressed.
  • Establishing policy on the application of opportunity mapping to decision-making related to provision of public facilities and services.
  • Providing tutorials and web-based access to facilitate increased public access and facilitate application of the opportunity mapping to public and private decision-making

My understanding is that if invited to apply by HUD after review of the pre application submission the Metro complete grant application, with more materials, would be submitted close to the end of this year. 

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.