Friday, March 1, 2019
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
David Evans & Associates
2100 SW River Parkway
Portland, Oregon 97201
Registration includes coffee, lunch and refreshments.
Conference Overview
2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). This historic piece of civil rights legislation declared that fair housing was now the law of the land, making discrimination based on certain protected characteristics illegal in the rental, sale, insuring and financing of housing. Since the FHA passed numerous states have expanded those protections including Oregon which now lists marital status, source of income, sexual orientation, and gender identity as protected classes.
However, since its enactment, enforcement of the FHA has been passive and uneven at best. As a result, half a century later, housing discrimination and residential segregation are still deeply pervasive. The 2019 Housing Land Advocates (HLA) Conference explored the intersection of fair housing and land use bringing subject matter experts focused on eliminating housing discrimination; promoting policies and programs that foster open, accessible, and inclusive communities; and strengthening enforcement of fair housing laws.
Keynote Speaker
Chris Brancart, Brancart & Brancart
Chris Brancart is an attorney based out of California. Since 1989 Brancart & Brancart has litigated fair housing cases on behalf of plaintiffs in federal and state courts. The firm is dedicated to promoting enforcement of FHA and related state laws through litigation and advocacy as well as education and training to support fair housing attorneys and advocates throughout the country.
Conference Sessions
Please see the links below to download the presentation slides from the conference.
Legislative Strategies for Furthering Fair Housing
Presentation Slides (PDF)
Communities across the nation are struggling with the growing need to expand affordable housing options and are exploring creative policy changes to meet the growing demand. This panel explored local and state initiatives legislators are drafting to overcome housing shortages in their communities.
- Mary Kyle McCurdy, Deputy Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon
- Andy Silver, Director, Housing and Health Innovation Partnership
- Michael Andersen, Senior Fellow - Housing and Transportation, Sightline Institute
Influencers of Change: Identifying and Addressing Shortfalls in the Provision of Affordable and Fair Housing
This panel included an academic perspective on the roadblocks to the provision of affordable housing due to governmental restrictions and community opposition and presentations by change-makers in Oregon that seek to create new housing opportunities and preserve rights of persons in need of stable housing.
- Christopher Elmendorf, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law, University of California-Davis School of Law. Presentation Slides (PDF).
- Allan Lazo, Executive Director, Fair Housing Council of Oregon. Presentation Slides (PDF).
- Pam Phan, Policy & Organizing Director, Community Alliance of Tenants. Presentation Slides (PDF).
Financing Affordable Housing Development
Presentation Slides (PDF)
Putting together the multiple layers of financing involved in all types of affordable housing development, from large multi-family housing to smaller scale residential infill development, is integrally connected to the land use acquisition and approval process. This panel discussed the complexities involved in financing affordable housing development. It also presented case studies of some of the challenges developers confront in navigating the requirements and restrictions of various funding sources, and innovative ways developers have overcome these challenges.
- Emily Reiman, Chief Executive Officer, Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation/Community Lending Works
- Trell Anderson, Executive Director, Northwest Housing Alternatives
- Joni Hartmann, Executive Director, Housing Development Center
Oregon’s Goal 10: Making it Work in Your Community
Oregon’s Statewide Planning Goals and implementing laws are celebrated for their achievements in preserving farmland, forests, and natural resources. Given housing conditions across the state—shortages, declining affordability, and concerns about Fair Housing—the success of Goal 10, the housing goal, is less certain. Yet, state and local actors are finding ways to realize the potential of Goal 10 through state initiatives, better planning, and local capacity-building.
- Kevin Young, AICP, Senior Urban Planner, Community Services Division, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. Presentation Slides (PDF).
- Matt Hastie, AICP, Project Manager, Angelo Planning Group. Presentation Slides (PDF).
- Cadence Petros, Development Division Manager, City of Beaverton
AICP and CLE credits will be made available for this conference.
You spoke, we listened: After last year’s conference, attendees asked for additional time to speak with and learn from other housing advocates in the room. For 2019, we have slightly lengthened our break times and moved the Ed Sullivan award presentation outside of the lunch hour, providing more opportunities to network with fellow conference-goers.
Parking and transportation: Parking is limited at the conference venue. If you are a local attendee, the streetcar stops very close to the location (get off at the SW River Pkwy & Moody stop), so please consider using this option. If you are driving, there is a parking garage a few blocks from the venue on SW River Drive.
Thank you to our sponsors!
