Nick was proud to introduce Dr. Charles Kupchan at this afternoon's World Affairs Council luncheon. Dr. Kupchan is the author of "How Enemies Become Friends: The Sources of Stable Peace," published by the Council on Foreign Relations and Princeton University Press. The book deals with nations who have replaced hostility and friendship - and examines the global benefits of diplomatic engagement between former rivals. With the challenges we face at every level of government, nationally and globally, Dr. Kupchan's book is both timely and relevant.

A quiet moment at the new home of Portland Saturday Market

The picture at left was taken Thursday, March 4, just two days before opening day for Portland Saturday Market, when the scene was remarkably different.

Saturday Market debuted in this new space last Spring and vendors look forward to another successful year.

Wrote Allan Brettman in the March 7 Oregonian, "if Portland Saturday Market ever needs a standard to measure opening days, Saturday was it."

"On any given night in America, while we go to sleep in our homes there are hundreds of thousands of Americans who have fought for our freedom who go without their own home. Veterans make up 11 percent of America's adult population, but 26 percent of the homeless population." The Washington County Advisory quotes President Obama in March 2009: "Already, we are seeing homeless veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's just not right. That's just not who we are as a country."

Almost one-quarter of the homeless nationwide are veterans, writes Julie Sullivan in the March 6 Oregonian. This morning, Nick will speak at the 2010 Veterans Stand Down & Job Fair. The annual event will be held at the Ambridge Event Center, across from the Oregon Convention Center.

The 2009 Stand Down drew more than 600 veterans and connected attendees 

with potential employers, service providers, and each other. The 2010 Stand Down is organized by Central City Concern's Employment Access Center, the Department of Veteran's Affairs,

WorkSource Oregon, Hire Oregon Vets, the Returning Veterans Project, and Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 1. See Central City Concern'swebsite for more.

Portland has long been America's premiere cycling city, but off-road opportunities here are notoriously limited. In 2007, Portland received Platinum status from the American Bicycle Association (ABA), with a caveat: off-road facilities in Portland were lacking and the City's status wouldn't be renewed without improvements.

Since August of 2009, Commissioner Fish and Portland Parks & Recreation have been working with a Forest Park Off-Road Cycling Committee to evaluate possibilities for increasing off-road cycling opportunities in downtown's 5000-acre Forest Park.

The Committee met last night at City Hall, evaluating suggestions, narrowing the menu, and approving a list of 

possibilities to be presented to the public in April. The options all come with management recommendations to ensure that not only will Forest Park not be damaged by any additional trails, it will be improved by enhanced management and care of the natural area.

Following community review and comments, recommendations will go to Commissioner Fish and Parks Bureau Director Zari Santner in May. To view documents and keep updated with this process, visit the Committee's website.

Representatives of the City of Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the Portland Police Bureau, the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood Association, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, Portland Parks & Recreation, and Bridgetown and Manna/New Song Ministries came together to sign a Good Neighbor Agreement for the downtown Food Ministry program.

Bridgetown and Manna/New Song Ministries run programs serving the growing number of Portlanders experiencing hunger, homelessness, or financial hardship and can't afford basic services. Their weekly services engage volunteers to provide meals, haircuts, shavings, and other basic services.

These weekly events have been around for years - Manna/New Song Ministries has been operating in downtown Portland since 1991. Congratulations to Hannah Kuhn, former Policy Director for Commissioner Fish, and Sam Chase, working from the Portland Housing Bureau, on this successful conclusion to a year of hard work!

The Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) has announced the availability of $8.2 million in affordable housing development financing. The funding includes tax increment financing (TIF) and federal sources, and supports PHB's core values of equity, stewardship, integrity, and collaboration.

Distribution of the funding will be handled through an RFP process announced last week. Selected projects will support the City's affordable housing goals for the preservation, acquisition, rehab, or construction of affordable units in Portland. They will serve tenants earning 60% or less of the median family income (MFI), comply with the City's 60-year affordability agreement, and exceed Portland Development Commission (PDC) and City guidelines for Business and Workforce Equity.

Proposals are due March 31 at 3:00 pm. Questions should be directed to Dan Williams, Housing Development and Finance Coordinator for PDC, at (503) 823-1352 or williamsd@pdc.us. For more details, click here.

This morning's Daily Journal of Commerce highlights the Portland Housing Bureau's efforts to move forward on a long-planned veterans' housing project in the South Waterfront District. Reporter Nathalie Weinstein spoke with PHB Director Margaret Van Vliet about next steps for The Tamarack, a project planned for Block 49.

The South Waterfront District was meant to host hundreds of affordable housing units, but so far none have materialized. "I can't explain the past 11 years," before arriving as the new Portland Housing Bureau's first Director, Van Vliet told Sarah Mirk in this morning's Portland Mercury. "I am very intent on getting some affordable housing in that district."

Construction was set to begin on the Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects project in the summer of 2008, but a lack of private financing, thanks to the recession, has delayed the project.

While obtaining enough housing vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has been a challenge, the Housing Authority of Portland and PHB now have 105 vouchers and the Portland Veterans Administration has applied for 300 more.

Financing hurdles have proven more problematic. Director Van Vliet hopes to use $23 million in tax increment financing (TIF) available from the Central City Urban Renewal Area to close the gap, and to see construction 

Thanks to flickr user Thomas Le Ngo for the photo of South Waterfront

begin this summer or early fall. "We're seeing a lot of homeless veterans coming back and struggling with housing and employment," Director Van Vliet told the DJC.

Director Van Vliet has been in touch with the League of Women Voters about this issue. See their letter to PHB and the Director's response.

Dear Friends,

I am very pleased to welcome Maileen Hamto as Public Information Officer for thePortland Housing Bureau. At PHB, Maileen will manage and facilitate internal and external communications, including building relationships with traditional and social media influencers.

Maileen comes to us from United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, where she was responsible for media relations, creating the donor newsletter, and managing web content and social networking sites. She is also the publisher and producer of Colors of Influence, an online magazine that highlights local leaders of color in various industries and functions. Prior to United Way, she was part of the

communications team at CareOregon, the state’s largest administrator of the Oregon Health Plan.

Her community involvement includes active membership in several boards, including the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon and SW Washington, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, and the Colored Pencils Arts Collective.  

Immigrating with her family, Maileen moved to the United States from her native Manila in 1992. She holds an MBA from the University of Portland and a journalism degree from the University of Houston.

Maileen is the first point-of-contact for media inquiries concerning the Portland Housing Bureau. She can be reached by email at maileen.hamto@portlandoregon.gov or phone at (503) 823-3239.

Margaret Van Vliet, PHB Director