HOUSING
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Read back issues of the Portland Observer at WWW.portlandobserver.com
Volume XXXXI, Number 13
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Wednesday • March 30. 2011
,
A Foundation to Flourish, Build On
Proud Ground and
New Seasons equal
new homeowners
“I can't believe this is my place.” That was
Michelle Holder’s first thought as she walked
in the front door of the home she now owns.
Tired of moving every time her rent in­
creased, tired of asking for permission to
paint or fix things up, tired of living without
pets, and ready to have a place of her own,
she was ready to become a homeowner.
Luckily for Holder, her employer—New
Seasons Market— partners with the non­
profit group Proud Ground to help spread the
word about affordable homeownership to its
employees.
H o ld er a tte n d e d a P roud G round
homeownership information session hosted
by New Seasons at one of its stores. Thanks
to this partnership, she is now one of four
New Seasons employees who are Proud
Ground homeowners.
The Proud Ground-New Seasons Market
partnership, ongoing since 2007, is simple,
effective, and beneficial.
Proud Ground works with New Seasons
M arket’s human resources team to arrange
free, on-site homeownership information
sessions at New Seasons stores. The out-
continued
on page 4
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Michelle Holder and her pet BiScotty stand outside the home she was able to purchase thanks to a partnership between the
housing agency Proud Ground and her employer, New Seasons Market.
Rent Assistance Helps Families Hardest Hit
2,900 households
avoid homelessness
because of stimulus
In the Portland area, 2,900 households
avoided homelessness or moved from
homelessness back into housing, thanks
to an infusion of short-term rent assistance
monies from the federal government and a
partnership with the Portland Housing Bu­
reau, Multnomah County, the Housing
Authority of Portland, and the City of
Gresham.
Officials administering the program said
the results were aided by $4.2 million in stimulus funds
awarded in 2009 by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development through
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For families on the verge of losing their
home or getting evicted, small amounts of
one-time assistance can often make the differ­
ence between becoming homeless or retain­
ing the stability of a home.
"This is one of the hidden stories of our
community's response to one of the worst
economic recessions in our country's history.
Through this targeted assistance, we're help­
ing hundreds of households keep their homes
Deborah Kafoury
and helping others move quickly out of
homelessness and back into housing," says
Steve Rudman, executive director. Housing Authority of
Portland.
The Short-Term Rent Assistance program, adminis­
tered by HAP, was created as part of the City and County's
10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Through this pro­
gram, 19 community-based nonprofits deliver short-term
rent assistance, getting dollars out to families almost
immediately.
The program serves households earning less than 50
percent of the area median family income (less than
$35,000 a year for a family of four) and are homeless or in
danger of becoming homeless.
“These dollars allow us to respond immediately to
people in crisis and stop the crisis before it gets worse,”
continued
on page 4