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Fall 2013

LookInsidefor these stories

Golf Fore REACH, p. 2 2013 Donor Lunch, p. 3

Music Brings the Message Home

“Music has the power to lift us up and bring communities together. ”–Dan Valliere, CEO

REACH and The Home Tour

On September 3rd, residents at the Ritzdorf Court Apartments

rocked out with the Mary McBride Band as REACH proudly hosted The Home Tour. The Home Tour was founded in 2010 by singer-songwriter Mary McBride, who has also served as a cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State in 17 countries since 2011. In Portland, McBride and her band performed four live concerts for residents of REACH and several other local nonprofit developers.

In partnership with Enterprise Community Partners, REACH and The Home Tour brought this concert to the Ritzdorf Court Apartments, to people who otherwise would not have regular access to live music. “The Home Tour’s mission is perfectly aligned with Enterprise’s priority of providing opportunities for low- and moderate-income people. Building homes is about more than putting roofs overhead. It’s about enhancing communities and enriching residents’ lives. We’re pleased to partner with Mary to bring this unique tour to the Pacific Northwest,” said M.A. Leonard, Vice President, Enterprise.

Since its inception, The Home Tour has engaged more than 100 communities worldwide; played for tens of thousands of residents; hosted hundreds of residents onstage; and partnered with more than 80 service organizations. At each concert, McBride and her band were joined by residents invited to perform. Several Ritzdorf residents sang tributes to a fellow resident who recently passed away. And a group of residents performed “Lean On Me” which received a standing ovation!

“REACH was proud to host Mary and the Home Tour in one of our affordable housing communities,”

says Dan Valliere, CEO. “Music has the power to lift us up and bring communities together. These are the kind of connections REACH strives to build in all of our communities.”

Thanks again to Mary, the band, our friends at Enterprise and all of the staff at the Ritzdorf Court Apartments who did an outstanding job of organizing the concert. We’re already hoping Mary will come back!

Paint-&-Repair-a-thon, p. 4 Home Depot Gives Back, p. 5

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myPerspective

Dan Valliere

Gregory Place and Kwabena Siaka are both residents at REACH’s

Ritzdorf Court Apartments. I was moved by their stories at our recent Donor Lunch and humbled by their courage to stand in front of 300 people and share intimate details of their lives. Each of them, separately, found themselves without a place to call home and uncertain where their lives were headed. As Gregory related, last year he was living with his sister, having recently been diagnosed with a form of Multiple Scelorsis. Living with her, however, was not a long-term solution so he’d made plans to move to Arizona to live with other family members. His heart was in Portland, however, where he could stay close to his sister and greater employment opportunities. The day he was to leave for Arizona, the manager from the Ritz called him; an apartment had come available. He scrapped his move and settled into his apartment on Belmont St., with a rent he could afford. It was a breakthrough for him. He finally had stability after several years of uncertainty and a major health crisis.

management of public and private funding for affordable h o u s i n g . D e v e l o p i n g and managing a f f o r d a b l e housing is quite a challenging enterprise, I have come to learn. There is nothing magical about it. It is all about diligence, consistency and loads of patience. Yet when I hear a story like Greg’s it reminds me that by creating affordable housing, REACH is increasing the odds that magic will happen.

Yet for every person like Greg, there are thousands for whom the call does not come when they need it. In fact, the data is stark. In the United States today, there are 10.7 million households considered extremely low-income (earning 30% or less of area median family income), but only 3.7 million rental units available that are considered affordable to someone earning at this income level. This data comes from a report issued this year by

on the streets. This instability and uncertainty facing so many people is a bad outcome on both an economic and moral level. We have millions of people whose economic productivity and health is compromised by housing instability. And morally it does not reflect well on our country that, with our immense national wealth, we have not incentivized production of an adequate supply of quality, affordable rental housing.

In this vein, the recent Bi-Partisan Center housing report included a bold recommendation – federal rental assistance should be made available to all eligible households with incomes at or below 30 percent of median income who apply for such assistance. Given the remarkable lack of bi-partisan cooperation in Washington right now, I am heartened by this recommendation. Now we all need to spread the message.

“ REACH’s success is based on a rigorous focus on the bottom-line and careful management of public and private funding for affordable housing. There is nothing magical about it. ”

Golf Fore REACH

I recently heard author Sherman Alexie say “I don’t believe in magic, but I do believe in interpreting coincidence exactly the way you want.” The line got a big laugh because there is truth here. Accidental events do feel magical. When the Ritzdorf called Greg on his moving day, it changed the trajectory of his life.

This does not mean REACH is a magical place. No, in fact, REACH’s success is based on a rigorous focus on the bot tom-line and careful

the Bi-Partisan Policy Center Housing Commission, led by former Republican Senators Kit Bond and Mel Martinez, former Democrat Senator George Mitchell and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

With such a shortage of affordable rental housing, where do people live? People pay rents they can’t afford until it forces a crisis and dislocation; people live in substandard housing; people double up with friends and family; and in the worst cases live

REACH is partnering with Nabisco’s Tickets Fore Charity

Program to support the 2014 WinCo Portland Open!

On August 18–24, 2014 some of the best golfers are coming to Portland for the

Portland Open and 100% of ticket sales

are going to support nonprofits across our region.

Consider a donation to REACH while enjoying great golf.

Go to http://reachcdc.org to purchase tickets!

Fall 2013 3

We’re frequently asked “how REACH makes a difference in people’s lives?” And “what difference does my gift make?” We heard powerful answers

on October 10th at our annual Donor Lunch. Nearly 300 guests heard the real and courageous words of Gregory Place and Kwabena Siaka, two gentlemen living in REACH housing. What’s most amazing about each of their stories is the fact that their life situations could happen to any of one of us – whether it’s a catastrophic illness, a family member stricken, or a financial crisis that could threaten our financial security and housing stability.

As Dan previously mentioned in his column, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and resources to build affordable housing and the result can feel magical. For those who weren’t able to attend the lunch, we want to share a few thoughts from Gregory and Kwabena who said it better than we ever can.

“…REACH has made a big difference in my life. If it were not for REACH I’m not sure where my life would be right now. The management and staff have been very helpful in many ways. For instance, upon moving into my apartment, the manager asked if I would like safety bars installed in the shower. Wow! How thoughtful. Our new community garden has been a great opportunity to share the food we have grown. Best of all, I have an affordable, great location and a safe place I can call home.” – Gregory Place

”…REACH could have easily just thrown me and my family out and washed their hands of the problem. But they didn’t, the staff jumped in the water with us and worked closely with me to stabilize the situation. They provided me with resources and did all they could to protect us and the community. REACH has some wonderful people working for them….Thank you very much for listening and thank you REACH for being there for me and my family through a most

In Their Own Words

Good Byes REACH says good-bye and thank you to our Director of Property Management, Margaret Mahoney. Margaret came to REACH in 2009

and has helped t o g r o w o u r p o r t f o l i o b y n e a r l y 5 7 % d u r i n g h e r tenure. She grew t h e P r o p e r t y M a n a g e m e n t Department to

include a range of management positions responsible for overseeing the financial and property health of REACH’s portfolio. She created advancement opportunities for staff and developed a new, entry level position at REACH for individuals coming out of many of our local trades training programs. Margaret is moving into semi-retirement to spend more time with her family, engage in her favorite past times as well as provide consulting services on a limited basis.

We a l s o b i d f a r e w e l l t o Kelly Bosworth, REACH’s Youth P r o g r a m s Coordinator. Kelly came to REACH in 2011. In just two years, Kelly made a big impact on the Youth$ave program and all of the kids living in REACH housing. We will miss both of you and wish you great success in your new ventures!

2013 Donor LunchPresenting Sponsors: Bank of America, US Bank Supporting Sponsors: Enterprise Community Partners; Environments; Kantor Taylor Nelson Boyd Evatt & Decina; LMC Construction; R & H/Colas Construction; Walsh Construction Co.; Wells FargoContributing Sponsors: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects; Bank of the West; Coin Meter Company; Hunter Davisson; Network for Oregon Affordable Housing; Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt

Margaret Mahoney

Kelly Bosworth

Kwabena Siaka (left) and Gregory Place (right) with guests told their stories at our Donor Lunch.

difficult time.” – Kwabena SiakaThank you Gregory and Kwabena for

sharing your stories, and to all of our Table Captains, donors, and sponsors. You gave generously and donated over $84,000 to support programs like Youth$ave, Resident Services, and the many other services we provide to help our residents succeed.

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What do fiddling and the 24th annual REACH Paint & Repair-a-

thon have in common? Well, it’s a lot easier to “rally the troops” when we start the day off with some fantastic fiddle playing by Penny and Barry Mead at Portland’s Mt. Scott Park! Penny has lived in her home in the Lents neighborhood for over 60 years. Penny and Barry graciously agreed to play a concert for our volunteers to start the day on a high note, before volunteers descended on her home to make home safety repairs. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that our own Josiah Broomfield joined them on stage for the jam session – and he did pretty well!

More than 250 volunteers then fanned out and made repairs on 23 homes throughout Portland. Over 40 companies donated $35,000 in cash and nearly $42,000 in in-kind

Fiddlin’ Away the Days

contributions to make the day such a success. Our volunteers painted 5 homes; completed electrical repairs at 9 homes; completed furnace tune-ups at 8 homes; installed 2 wheelchair ramps; performed 4 yard clean-ups; upgraded a full house of windows from metal to new energy efficient windows; and performed 3 plumbing repairs.

There are so many people to thank that make the Paint & Repair-a-thon such a huge success – our fabulous CBP team; our Crew and Project leaders; our Volunteer Coordinator; our local business partners and sponsors; our gracious homeowners; and most of all our volunteers. Coordinating the Paint & Repair-a-thon is like conducting an orchestra – all the moving parts have to come together in just the right time to make music. Thanks to everyone for such a wonderful day and ending on a high note!

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Home Depot Gives Back

Our partners at the Home Depot Foundation get it. Affordable

housing for deserving families is at the heart of the Foundation’s mission. Since 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $340 million in local communities to build and renovate homes for deserving families; transform local parks and playgrounds; and repair community facilities. Over the last few years, the foundation has focused its resources on improving the homes of economically disadvantaged veterans.

This year, the foundation awarded REACH nearly $5,000 in supplies and sent a team to REACH for a special work day to help one of our local veterans in need. Store Manager Jay Mello corralled over 20 employees as they helped a local disabled veteran family who also care for their three autistic children. The house received a “make over,” with a full exterior paint, new sliding door and window, landscaping and yard clean-up, a new tool shed, raised garden boxes, and several other services that will hopefully make life a little easier for this family. Our sincere thanks to the team from Home Depot.

The Paint & Repair-a-thon is a wonderful opportunity for local contractors and companies to give back. We could not do the work without the support of

the sponsors and leaders listed below. Thank you, Portland, for everything you do to help our neighbors in need!

Platinum & Gold Sponsors: Bank of America; Bank of the West; Chase; Electrical Workers Minority Caucus; The Home Depot Foundation; IBEW 48; Lifetime Windows; LMC Construction; Milgard Windows; Miller Paints; Portland Housing Bureau; Walsh Construction Co.

Silver Sponsors: Advantis Credit Union; Allways Electric; Almar Contracting; Bremik Construction; Wells Fargo Community Group

Bronze Sponsors: Balanced Energy Solutions; CH2M Hill; Craftwork Plumbing; Crown Fire Systems; Hunter-Davisson; Lead Solutions; Metro; OnPoint Credit Union; Pipeline Plumbing; R&H/Colas; Sun Glow Inc.

Hammer & Nail Sponsors: Ankrom Moisan Architects; Al Stern Photography; Bryan Potter Design; Cloudburst Recycling; Donald Hartlett Gardening; Gemmell Construction; Hankins Hardware; Interstate Flooring; Jim Garrison Photography; Marley Brown Lumber Service; M & M Construction Services; New Seasons Market; Oil Filter Service; Racine Property Services

Community Partners: Bureau of Development Services-Neighborhood Inspections; Community Energy Project; Hacienda CDC; Lents Urban RenewalMinority Homeowner Assistance Collaborative; NAYA; Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives; Unlimited Choices

Crew Leaders: John Barry; Brian Bieler; Ann Cleary; Steve Harrop; Cobi Jackson; Chris Ketcham; Sandie Luft; Chip Maronde; Jamie Martinson; Shelan McClung; Alexi Meuwissen; Destiny Penticoff; Randy Peters; Greg Soergel; Noel Southard; Bob Wells

Project Leaders: Philip Arnold; Jai Dev Racine; Alfonso Elias; Dave Fitzgibbon; Phil Friesen; Dana Fulkerson; Steve Gemmell; Donna Hammond; Donald Hartlet; Jim Johnson; Don Jones; Marvin Kau; Jim Lodwick; Gerardo Lopez; Mario Medina;Nathan Miller; Marshall Phillips; Craig Pomeroy; Read Stapleton; Joe Tushner

The Diagle’s are happy with their home makeover, especially the beautiful blue paint job!

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As usual, a lot is going on with our partner Affordable Community Environments (ACE):

n This past summer, we celebrated a milestone 15 year anniversary with ACE. Over their history, ACE has successfully completed five projects totaling 198 units of safe, decent, and affordable housing for residents of Washington state.

n Leah Greenwood, ACE’s past Executive Director and REACH’s current Housing Development Project Manager for Washington was honored as a Friend of Housing by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Friend of Housing awards are presented each year to select individuals or organizat ions who have made exceptional contributions to creating or supporting affordable housing. “Leah put the housing needs of her community and ACE’s mission over personal or organizational self-interest,” said Karen Miller, Chair of the Housing Finance Commission. “Her guidance through ACE’s merger with REACH Community Development is an example of true leadership.”

n Hats off to the ACE staff for providing many wonderful services at the ACE properties this summer, from youth programs serving 70 kids; dental hygiene events at McCallister Village; and story time sponsored by the local library at each ACE property. Kids were also able to pick out a free book to take home – go reading!

in ACE’s Corner

in downtown Portland (corner of SW Pine & SW Ave, displayed in ground floor windows). The pieces represent various mediums including painting, portraits, and drawing and can be

REACH is privileged to display the art work and creativity of residents

living in our housing. Currently, the work of four REACH residents is on display at the Westshore Apartments

Expressions of Creativity

viewed for free from Sept 27–mid-December 2013. Artists include:

Vika Camp, a self-taught artist who sees painting as her gateway into a world that’s peaceful and serene. She sees beauty and inspiration all around, especially during her solo trips along the Oregon Coast.

Meriem Elatra a portrait painter in oils and watercolors. Meriem was raised in Algiers, Algeria and moved to Portland in 2010 to explore the Pacific Northwest. Her current series in Indian ink on paper represents Algerian women in their traditional outfit from the late 19th century to early 20th. What lies behind these eyes and expressions is what inspires her work.

Candyce Scott explores color, form, texture and motion in her sculptural works. Based in Portland, Oregon, she’s transforming her love for “emotionally uplifting art that brings happiness” into installations, mobiles, and earrings. Candyce has created three large mobiles, all permanent installations in Portland located at Transition Projects, the First Unitarian Church, and the Artist’s Repertory Theater. The recent installation at the Westshore Apartment complex is representative of her work with the colors giving it a Southwestern flavor.

Matt Sproul’s drawings are a tribute to all of the victims of the attacks on September 11, 2001. He also wanted to recognize the World Trade Center itself. To him, the Twin Towers were structures of majestic simplicity, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki. Artwork by Vika Camp

Portrait by Meriem Elatra

MA Leonard (right) from Enterprise Community Partners congratulates Leah on her prestigious award

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AWARDS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS2013 Metlife Foundation-Enterprise Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing for Walnut Park Apartments. The award came with a $50,000 grant. Thanks to our friends at Enterprise Community Partners for sponsoring our application.

R ate d f o r t h e f i f t h consecutive year as one of Oregon’s 100 Best Nonprofits to Work

For by OregonBusiness magazine. REACH was ranked the fifth best (large) nonprofit in the state!

Nonprofit Network of Southwest Washington Collaboration Award recognizing the innovative alliance between ACE and REACH.

Enhanced Safety Property Award from the City of Portland’s Office of Neighborhood Involvement for increasing resident and employee safety at the Ritzdorf Court Apartments.

Oregon Opportunity Network’s LEAD ON Program (Leadership-Excellence-Achievement and Development) successfully completed by REACH staff members Kelly Bosworth, Jamie Martinson and Joseph Wickstrom. LEAD ON is modeled after NeighborWorks® America’s “Achieving Excellence” program at Harvard, using challenge-based, performance driven design.

projectUpdates

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RESIDENT SERVICESSummer is just a distant memory in Oregon now…but oh what fun we had! This was our third annual Summer Youth Program in N/NE Portland; we served 29 kids and 9 parents who participated in a variety of fun and skill-building activities. A sampling included trips to OMSI, the Oregon Zoo and a tour of Portland State University. The kids also took conversational Spanish lessons, cooking lessons, and organized a youth gallery showing in partnership with the HALO Foundation. Residents at Gray’s Landing organized a school supply drive for kids living in the building, raising $459 to purchase and distribute supplies to 15 kids and help a tenant in need.

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT / PROPERTY MANAGEMENTWork continues on Glisan Commons and the Orchards at Orenco. Phase I of Glisan Commons, being built by our partner Human Solutions, is nearly complete and is currently leasing up. When complete, both Phase I and II of Glisan Commons located in the Gateway District will include 127 units of affordable workforce and senior housing. The building will also include a new headquarters for Ride Connection, a local nonprofit providing senior transportation services. The Orchards is a planned, three phase project totaling approximately 160 units of workforce housing located at the Orenco MAX station in Hillsboro, being built to Passive House energy standards.

REACH benefited from several other great workdays from the kids at Tivnu: Building Justice, a service learning organization that braids together advocacy, Jewish tradition, and construction work and training. The yard at Prescott Place looks amazing, with new pea gravel, new plants and

soil, and new chip paths. Tivnu also cleared a vacant lot in close-in SE Portland, making the neighborhood a little safer and cleaner. “It was a great experience having the young people here and seeing that they really care [about] what is happening in their world,” said Meg Richardson, REACH’s Community Manager. Thanks again to our friends at Tivnu!

COMMUNITY BUILDERS PROGRAM (CBP)Tea m C PB h a s e x p a n d e d i nto Washougal through our partnership with ACE. We’ll be providing free, healthy home and safety repairs for 25 homeowners in Washougal; home assessments and repairs have already begun. Similar to our work in Portland, the program leverages labor from community volunteers, as well as in-kind material and labor donations from area businesses.

STAFF UPDATESWelcome to Darlene Enocksen, Building Monitor; Max Kaminskiy, IT Desktop Technician; Patrick Maloney, Resident Services Coordinator; Brian Moodhe, Building Monitor; Tim Orr, AmeriCorps VISTA; Amanda Pile , Community Builders Assistant; Kelsey Rudeen, AmeriCorps VISTA; Christopher Stone, Building Monitor; Michelle Shipman Watkins, Building Monitor; Timothy Zickafoos, Building Monitor

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From left: Traci Manning, Joe Andrews, and Amanda Saul present Dan Valliere the coveted Metlife Foundation award

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REACH Mission: A healthy community begins at home. REACH provides quality affordable housing and opportunities for individuals, families, and communities to thrive.

Chief Executive Officer: Dan Valliere

Board Members: Ruth Ann Tsukuda, President, Veterans Administration Medical Center; Brett Sheehan, Vice President, CASA of Oregon; Larry Conrad, Secretary-Treasurer, Clackamas County

Nancy Bond, Portland Public Schools; Loren Clark, US Bank; Betsy Ferguson, OHSU; Paul W. Ip, HSBC Bank.; Bhavna Kumar, Walsh Construction Co.; David Sacamano, Berger ABAM; Marc Tedesco, CASTELNUOVO Design; , (Past President) ; Charles Williams, REACH resident; Kevin Wingate-Pearse, Sperry Van Ness Bluestone & Hockley

Committee Members: Gretchen Ansorge, Bennett Barnwell, Kurt Bruun, Susie Cunningham, Juaqutter Jones, Jim Lodwick, Rebbecca Maese, Greg Soergel

Photography: Heather Curry Photography; Dixon Photography; Jim Garrison Photography; Al Stern Photography; REACH archives

December 3, 2013

Start your holiday season with a special gift to REACH. This year, REACH is part of #Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving around the annual shopping and spending

season to inspire giving every day.

Your generous donation will help extend our reach to provide safe, affordable housing and healthy communities.

Visit http://reachcdc.org/news-events/giving-tuesday/ to learn more and give.

#GI INGTUESDAY™