Oregon Gets 240 More VASH Vouchers, Increasing Oregon VASH Vouchers by 26%.

HUD Region 10 PR with details by state and housing authority is HERE. 

The Excel file HERE and embedded below shows my count of VASH vouchers by Oregon Housing Authority; my calculation is that the latest allocation will boost VASH vouchers in Oregon by 26%.



Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

HUD Publishes Comprehensive List of Exclusions from Income.

While this information may be in other existing HUD administrative guidance, HUD has published FR Notice with a comprehensive listing of sources of income that are NOT counted when computing eligibility and tenant share of income for rent payments in HUD programs. (Last prior notice in Federal Register was in 2001).

FR Notice with listing of exclusions from income is HERE; some examples of income excluded are food stamps, WIC payments, and veteran's disability payments. (Some exclusions are limited to specific HUD programs so read the Notice carefully).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Corrected:New VA Report on Risk of Homelessness Indicates Female Veterans Use HUD-VASH at Higher Rate than Male Veterans.

Corrected incorrect link to prior post about use of HUD rental assistance by women heads of households
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From VA IG, report is HERE.

Lots of details, one caught my eye. Female veterans use HUD VASH housing program at a substantially higher rate (looks to be almost double) than male veterans. (PDF page 51, hard copy page 40). 

My prior post pointing out high use of HUD rental assistance programs by women is HERE. 

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Home Forward Board Meeting Packet Updated with April 17th Meeting Materials.

Link in right pane, homeforward YTD Board Packages, has been updated to include next Tuesday meeting materials. 

Updates include New Columbia crime analysis and update on Urban Institute demonstration project. Director's report also indicates that HF recently received 60 VASH vouchers for homeless veterans, bringing HF VASH total to 305.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Oregon Gets $1 Million for 185 Homeless Vet Housing Vouchers.

Region X HUD PR is HERE. 

Oregon amounts by area are pasted below as pic;  100 vouchers outside metro Portland area, 85 vouchers within.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Oregon Gets 150 Vouchers for Homeless Vets.

HUD PR is HERE.  

PDF with breakout of individual awards by state is HERE; Individual Oregon awards are shown in table image pasted below.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Oregon Housing Council Telephone Meet March 31: Up to $25 Million Revenue Bond for South Waterfront Project With 42 Units Set Aside for Homeless Veterans.

The Oregon Housing Council is holding a telephone conference call meeting on Thursday March 31st., at 10 AM (telephone number from agenda is 503.986.2005).

The only agenda items for this meeting are a consent calendar listing of 3 SF loans AND a resolution authorizing up to a $25 million revenue bond approval for the 209 unit Block 49 South Waterfront Apartments. 

That project includes a set aside of 42 units for formerly homeless veterans who will receive reduced rents via project based vouchers from the Housing Authority of Portland.  Also included in the Council packet are much more details on funding sources and uses for this project. [A separate project fact sheet for this project from the Portland Housing Bureau, and not in the Council packet, can be found HERE]. 

The link to the YTD Oregon Housing Council Materials , that includes the March 31st meeting materials, is found permanently in the right pane of the blog.  

The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for Salem on April 15th.  (I missed a Council meeting in February, the materials for that meeting has been added to the Housing Council packet).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Long Delayed South Waterfront Affordable Housing Project To Take Step Forward this Week.

Daily Journal of Commerce story is HERE; actual development agreement referenced in the story is HERE.  From news story:

REACH Community Development will develop the project and relocate its offices and 50 employees to the building’s ground floor...The building will be 6 stories tall. Out of 209 housing units there, 42 will be leased to homeless veterans. The remaining units will be available to people making between 0 and 50 percent of the median family income.

(I am guessing that the 42 units of housing for homeless veterans may  use project based HUD vouchers, or another type of HUD funded HAP administered rent subsidy program, using their Moving to Work authority).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Oregon Vets, Including Vietnam Era Vets, Now Have Loan Program for Home Purchases at 3.75%, 30 Year Rate.

Measure 70 passed in the recent election, and the Oregon DVA website has been updated with new interest rates and a process to establish eligibility for the new home loan program:

ORVET Home Loan Rate Drops to 3.25% Fixed

Qualified veterans may now get a 15-year fixed rate mortgage for as low as 3.25% with a 1.375% loan origination fee. 30-year terms are available for as low as 3.75% fixed, with the same loan origination fee as the 15-year term. The current maximum loan amount using the ORVETS home loan program is $417,000 for a single family, owner occupied residence.

Starting in January 2011, veteran eligibility has expanded with the help of the passage of Measure 70. The ORVET Home Loan is now a lifetime benefit. 

Details about the new program, including how to establish eligibility, are available HERE.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Oregon Gets $1.2 Million for 235 HUD Housing Vouchers for Oregon Homeless Veterans.

HUD national PR is HERE; Oregon amounts by housing authority are pasted below:

Recipient	City	VA Medical Facility	Units	Funding
TOTAL			235	$1,239,904
Housing Authority of Portland	Portland	Portland VAMC	60	$     361,915
Housing Authority of Douglas County	Roseburg	Roseburg VAMC	25	$      67,566
Housing Authority & Comm Svcs of Lane Co	Eugene	Roseburg VAMC	25	$     132,189
Housing Authority of the City of Salem	Salem	Portland VAMC	25	$     134,544
Klamath Housing Authority	Klamath Falls	White City VAMC	25	$     113,394
Coos-Curry Housing Authority	North Bend	Roseburg VAMC	25	$      96,879
Housing Authority of Washington County	Hillsboro	Portland VAMC (Hillsboro)	25	$     178,596
Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority	Redmond	Portland VAMC (Bend CBOC)	25	$     154,821

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

HUD Testimony at Senate Hearing on Homeless Programs, Including Homeless Vets.

Secretary Donovan's testimony is HERE.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Washington County PHA Invited to Apply for 25 Vouchers for Homeless Veterans, Boosting Oregon Total to At Least 340.

I recently received information that the Washington County Department of Housing Services has received an invitation from HUD to apply for 25 supportive housing vouchers for homeless veterans under the joint HUD-VA VASH program.

It is not clear if other Oregon PHA's received similar requests for what appears to be FY 2010 funding. [ If other Oregon PHA's have received similar invites, I would appreciate an email (housepdx@gmail.com) to advise me of who and how many OR the addition of a comment below this blog post).

From an Excel listing of prior VASH recipients on HUD's web site HERE, Oregon PHA's already have a total of 315 vouchers from prior fiscal years, so this would boost Oregon's total to at least 340. (see table pasted below).

VA Medical Facility	HA Name	2008 Units Award	2009 Units Award	Total Units Award
PORTLAND	Portland	70	35	105
ROSEBURG	Douglas	35	0	35
ROSEBURG/EUGENE	Lane County	0	35	35
WHITE CITY/KLAMATH FALLS	Jackson	35	70	105
ROSEBURG/CORVALLIS	Linn-Benton	0	35	35
Total		140	175	315

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

New CRS Report: Veterans and Homelessness.

You can find June 2009 Congressional Research Service report HERE.

Likely most concise, comprehensive review of veteran homeless data and programs you will find; link above also includes links to earlier related reports.

[Note: Veteran counts are available from American Community Survey; 2007 counts are HERE; 2008 ACS schedule says updated data is coming out at end of September for 1 year estimates, end of October for 3 year estimates.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Homeless Veteran Voucher Funding: Oregon Gets $955k for 175 Vouchers.

A month after the first announcements from select members of the HUD Senate Appropriations Commitee were released, July 15th saw the national release of grant announcements for the rest of the country for the HUD/VA homeless voucher program.

HUD Press release is HERE.

Oregon received $955,000 for 175 vouchers, to 4 different housing authorities, at three different VA medical facilities.

	Lane	Roseburg	35	$178,318
	Portland	Portland	35	$240,639
	Jackson	White City	70	$354,333
	Linn-Benton	Roseburg	35	$181,818
State Total:			175	$955,108

Washington received funding for 420 vouchers and Idaho, 20 vouchers.

Originally created and posted on the OREGON HOUSING BLOG

Clark County/Vancouver PHA to Get 70 HUD Vouchers for Supportive Housing for Veterans.

So says Columbian and Senator Murray HERE.

Story says Wa. will receive 420 HUD vouchers with VA supportive services, with Clark/VHA receiving 70 of these HUD vouchers.

HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program webpage at HUD is HERE.

HUD / VA Homeless Veteran Voucher Funding Includes 3 Oregon Grants.

A national news release from HUD and VA a couple of weeks ago announced voucher funding for homeless vets HERE. The national release says that nationally an estimated 10,000 veterans would be helped.

Buried within the release was funding for three Oregon housing authority grants, with about $780,000 in funding, that will fund 140 vouchers for homeless veterans:

Oregon	70	$469,098	Portland HA	Portland
	35	$133,736	Douglas Co. HA	Roseburg
	35	$173,809	Jackson Co. HA	White City