sportiani» Cribserucr
November 27, 2013
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Coming Home for Proud Ground
Diane Linn to
guide nonprofit
housing
provider
P roud G ro u n d is co u nting on
D iane L inn for h er m ore than 30
years o f experience in the private,
public and non-profit sectors as the
g ro u p ’s next executive director.
L in n , a fo rm e r c h a ir o f th e
M ultnom ah C ounty C om m ission,
w as nam ed executive d irecto r o f the
local housing pro v id er this m onth
and w ill start w ork in D ecem ber.
She has ex ten siv e ex p erien ce
w ork in g w ith d iv erse co m m u n i­
ties— and m uch o f this w ork has
Diane Linn
taken place in Portland. F o r the past
five years, she w as the executive
d irecto r o f R itter C enter, in M arin
C ounty, Calif, which provides a w ide
range o f services fo r low -incom e
and hom eless individuals and fam i­
lies. During her time with Ritter, Linn
do u b led the budget and expanded
services significantly.
"I am so excited to return to P o rt­
land, m y hom e tow n, to becom e the
executive director o f Proud G round.
H aving the opportunity to bring m y
experience as a nonprofit director
b ack to m y favorite city is truly
th rillin g ,” Linn said.
P ro u d G ro u n d ’s b o a rd c h a ir
E laine A lbrich, is enthusiastic about
L in n ’s hire, “W e believe D iane has
the exact set o f skills and experience
necessary to lead P roud G round in
o u r next stage o f d evelopm ent and
grow th. S h e ’s sm art, savvy, and
strategic; the board is im pressed
not only w ith h er deep experience,
bu t w ith h er strong grasp o f the
is s u e s s u r r o u n d in g n o n p r o f it
hom eow nership w ork.”
T raci M anning, directo r o f the
P ortland H ousing B ureau, shares
the o rg an izatio n ’s enthusiasm .
“P roud G round is an im portant
p a r tn e r in c r e a tin g f ir s t- tim e
hom eow ners and prosperous co m ­
m unities. I am excited to see Proud
G ro u n d co n tin u e to grow under
D ia n e ’s leadership," M anning said.
L inn ack n o w led g es that there
w ere som e m issteps during h er tim e
as county chair from 2003-2006, and
said im portant lessons w ere learned.
“W hile m y tim e as county chair
w as an u nm itigated challenge, I am
pro u d o f m y leadership for m arriage
equality, SU N Schools, reducing
h o m elessn ess and refo rm in g the
m ental health system ,” she said.
Grants to Help Home Buyers
vide dow n p ay m en t assistance and
h o m eb u y er education program s in
areas m ost im pacted by the fin an ­
cial crisis.
T he program w ill include a free
h o m eb u y er event D ec. 13-14 from
10 a.m . to 7 p.m ., both days, in H all
C at the O regon C onv en tio n C enter.
T he w inter holidays are com ing P rospective hom eb u y ers can reg is­
early to Portland as a m ajor financial te r and learn m ore ab o u t the p ro ­
services com pany is jo in in g w ith gram at neig h b o rh o o d lift.co m o r by
the city o f Portland and tw o n o n ­ calling 866 858-2151. P re-reg istra­
profit agencies to help 227 m o d er­ tion is encouraged, although w alk-
ate-incom e Portlanders buy hom es. ins w ill be w elcom e.
W ells F arg o , N e ig h b o rW o rk s
A ttendees w ill first need to o b ­
A m erica and Portland H ousing C en­ tain pre-approval fo r a m ortgage
te r jo in e d Portland M ay o r C harlie loan from a len d er ap p ro v ed by the
H ales last w eek to announce a $5.15 P ortland H ousing C enter. T h ey w ill
m illion Portland N eighborhoodLIFT then have up to 6 0 days to finalize a
program .
co n tract to purchase a hom e in P o rt­
“T his public-private partnership land in ord er to receive 15,000.
has the potential to m ake a huge
A recipient w ill no t have to repay
difference to P ortland residents and the grant if they stay in th eir hom e
n eig hborhoods,” H ales said.
fo r five years. T hey are also re ­
T he program is designed to p ro ­ q u ir e d to p a r t i c i p a t e in a
Neighborhood
LIFT supports
dream of home
ownership
Avalon Flowers
520 SW 3rd Ave., Portland, OR 97204 • 503-796-9250
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hom ebuying education session w ith
Portland H ousing C enter, w hich will
d eterm in e eligibility and distribute
the funds to hom ebuyers.
“ P o rtla n d w as d e ep ly a ffe c te d
b y the h o u sin g c risis. W h ile to ­
d ay m o rtg ag e s are av ailab le at h is ­
to ric a lly low in te re st ra te s, m an y
Linn said she w as fascin ated by
the m ission o f P ro u d G ro u n d , using
the innovative m odel o f sh ared -eq ­
u ity to o f f e r th e d r e a m o f
hom eo w n ersh ip to m o derate and
low -incom e families.
“W h at’s particularly appealing
is that these hom es are perm an ently
affordable, serving future g en era­
tions o f hom ebuyers. T his is a w in-
w in m odel that our w hole c o m m u ­
nity can get b eh in d ,” she said.
L in n ’s resum e includes serving
as director o f P o rtlan d ’s O ffice o f
N eig h b o rh o o d In v o lv em en t. H er
civic engagem ent includes v o lu n ­
teer w ork, being an active parent in
the public schools; and prom oting
parks, libraries, schools, tran sp o r­
tation and planning, and affordable
h o u sin g .
fa m ilie s are still u n a b le to p u r­
c h a s e a h o m e b e c a u s e th e y
stru g g le w ith m a k in g th e d o w n
p a y m e n t,” sa id W e lls F a rg o R e ­
g io n P r e s id e n t D o n P e a r s o n .
“ N e ig h b o rh o o d L IF T c an h e lp lo ­
c a l h o m e b u y e r s r e a liz e th e ir
d re a m s o f o w n in g a h o m e .”
Oregon Symphony
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J T
T
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■
Gospel Christm as
Fri Dec 13 | 7:30 pm
Sat Dec 14 | 7:30 pm
Sun Dec 15 | 4 pm
The tradition continues! Fifteen years of Gospel celebration at its exhilarating
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Charles Floyd, conductor
N orthw est Com m unity Gospel Choir
Tickets start at $25
II (m lH E A T H W A N H( T l L
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Fri
Hill RACC
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