2022 ANNUAL REPORT DevNW’s mission is to create thriving, inclusive and healthy communities through affordable housing, financial/ economic opportunity, small business development and policy change.
Creating Pathways to Stability Visit us online at devNW.org NMLS#260098
From Our CEO and Board 8,343 Program Participants
71 Staff 4 Offices: Salem,
Corvallis, Springfield, Oregon City
7 Counties: Lane, Linn, Benton, Lincoln, Marion, Polk, Clackamas
In 2022, many Oregonians had to adapt to new financial realities: increased inflation, and rising food, housing, transportation, and childcare costs. Without sufficient income gains to offset these increases, thirty-five percent of the state’s residents struggled to pay their typical household expenses. We also celebrated many individual and community successes – groundbreakings, first homes rented or purchased, savings goals met, and businesses opened – that continue to show our collective resilience. During 2022, DevNW and CLW focused on improving the responsiveness of our programs by offering increased flexibility when circumstances changed and redirecting available financial resources to support immediate needs. We also deepened our commitment to providing services and programming that acknowledge a range of social identities and particularly those who experience discrimination in housing, homeownership, lending, and business development. In this report, you will see how DevNW and CLW clients utilized our programming to adapt to mounting challenges, build skills, and access resources toward a more stable financial future. As one example, high school student Carlos Vasquez participated in our Youth Financial Foundations classes, qualified for a matched savings
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Individual Development Account (IDA), and went on to purchase his first car. Like Carlos, 143 savers graduated their IDA program last year saving a total of $314,913 and earning a total of $936,011 in matching funds to support their dreams of homeownership, college or reliable transportation! We grew our programs in response to the State’s ongoing housing and homelessness crisis; we increased our real estate development (receiving new funding to develop 55 units of affordable housing for homeownership in Salem and Eugene, while continuing progress on 52 CLT homes and 29 rental apartments already underway); and expanded our successful Youth Housing Initiative into Lane County, where we will provide housing, trauma-informed case management and wraparound supportive services for 36 youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Addressing barriers that have historically excluded specific members of our communities is critical. By providing tools and resources that are accessible to everyone, opportunities become available for all members of our communities, and we shift from simply surviving to thriving.
Emily Reiman, CEO
Miguel Arellano, Board Chair
How We Utilized Our Funds
$3,104,471
DevNW Community Investments = $ 9,176,132 Direct pass-through funding: youth housing assistance, Rent/Utility Assistance, Matched Savings, Home Repairs, Downpayment Assistance, Mortgage Payment Assistance, Pass Thru Grants
$4,995,191
$1,076,470
Investments in affordable housing Delivery of programming, services
$262,275
$993,152 $3,434,005
CLW Community Investments = $ 4,689,432 COVID-19 emergency small business grants Delivery of programming, services Loans originated
Audited financials can be requested by contacting our finance department at 541-345-7106 ext. 2015.
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Financial Wellbeing Homeownership in 2022 Michele and Steven Weeks started working with DevNW in 2019. After completing Financial Foundations and Homebuying Foundations classes, the Weeks worked with a financial counselor to address student loan debt and personal finances. Through DevNW, they qualified for an IDA and began saving to fund closing costs for their first home purchased in 2022. As it turned out, the Weeks qualified for a Down Payment Assistance loan through the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. This allowed them to redirect their IDA funds from Homeownership toward the purchase of a vehicle that now provides secure transportation to accommodate their growing family.
Until we bought a home, we had to move so many times. It was very stressful and destabilizing. It was hard to find affordable housing, and it seemed like as soon as we got settled they would raise the rent and we would struggle and have to find another place that we could afford. Now we can really settle down and raise our family without having to move again. — Michele Weeks
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Foreclosure/Eviction Prevention Counseling After the COVID-19 moratorium ended in 2021, enrollment in DevNW Foreclosure or Eviction Counseling skyrocketed from 89 to 362 clients. Our Financial Wellbeing team responded by adding staff and finding funding partners to support residents’ housing stability. Counselors helped clients navigate
a challenging process, providing mediation, education on rights and responsibilities, and offering connections to financial resources like Rental and Mortgage Assistance. Of the 100 clients with resolved foreclosure cases, 62% have brought their mortgage current and 17% got their mortgage modified. Currently, DevNW is supporting 200+ clients.
FINANCIAL WELLBEING HIGHLIGHTS Financial Education courses......................... 414 individuals
..............................................139 youth graduates
Financial Wellbeing counseling........................... 155 clients Foreclosure counseling..................................305 households Eviction Prevention counseling...............................57 clients Homebuyer Education courses................... 439 individuals First-time Homebuyers.................................... 26 households Wildfire recovery services............................... 80 households
Thank you for your help getting funding for my past due and future mortgage payments. It means the world to me. For once in a long while I can relax about losing my home and the home that provides shelter for my daughter and grandson. I have now made a plan that gets me on a budget to pay off my van and other debts so I can afford my mortgage payment in the future. Thank you so very much. I appreciate you. — Donna R., Homeowner and DevNW Client
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Access to Funds Home Repair Program Homeowners in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties can access low-barrier loans for home repairs that address health, accessibility, and safety. Funds distributed........................................................... $671,782 Homeowners served...................................................................27 Projects completed.....................................................................13
I am so grateful I found DevNW. I am on a fixed income, so there is no way I could have put up a new fence or had a new roof done. I even got my house painted! I consider it a blessing that help like this exists, and hope DevNW can continue to help more people. — Diane P., Albany
Built as officer housing in 1940, the current Philomath homeowners (a mother and son who are the 2nd and 3rd generations in residence), completed our Benton County Home Repair Program, and were astonished at the improvement in heat retention when the siding and windows were upgraded.
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Critical Funds Distributed to Navigate Turbulent Economy Clients and residents faced the highest rates of inflation in over 40 years during 2022. The rising cost of housing, groceries, and transportation impacted low- and moderate-income families disproportionately. DevNW’s Asset Preservation Specialists, Wildfire Recovery Specialists , and Community Health Workers connected clients to flexible resources for financial and housing stability.
Rental and Mortgage Assistance
Individual Development Accounts (IDA)
After the COVID-19 eviction and foreclosure moratoriums ended, many people experienced threats to their housing stability. We received federal funds to provide low-barrier rental or mortgage assistance to eligible residents in Marion, Lane, and Benton Counties. These programs continue in 2023.
A powerful asset-building tool that matches client contributions 5:1. In response to COVID-19, we initiated the Emergency Savings IDA in 2020, which allows clients to tap resources for any emergency. Participants, including wildfire survivors, have received $272,243 in emergency matched funds.
Mortgage funds distributed............................$116,451
IDA funds saved...................................................$314,913
Rental funds distributed...................................... $48,271
IDA graduates..................................................................143
Households assisted........................................................ 81
Matching funds received.................................$936,011 New savers enrolled......................................................188 Total matched funds to savers since program inception in 2013................... $4,300,000
Carlos Vasquez is a high school student who completed our Youth Financial Foundations Class and continued with counseling, eventually enrolling in a Youth IDA. Following in the steps of his older brother who was a participant in the past, he wanted to save money to purchase his first car. The Vasquez brothers’ parents have also worked with DevNW, participating in our Spanish language adult financial education classes.
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Affordable Homes A Ground-Breaking Year In 2022, DevNW became one of the leading affordable CLT developers in the Pacific Northwest, with over 100 Affordable Homes in our pipeline. May 2022: $2.76M awarded to build 24 new CLT single family homes/townhomes on MacLeay Rd. in Salem, scheduled to break ground in 2023. October 2022: Celebration of the infrastructure phase completion at Nelson Place in Eugene. November 2022: Official groundbreaking at Polk Street Expansion for a new, 12-unit multi-family property for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Lane County. The project is ahead of schedule and will be completed in summer 2023! December 2022: Our RED team closed on the Evergreen Apartments, a project that will transform the Evergreen Church (905 Cottage St NE) in downtown Salem into 17 units of affordable housing for Veterans, including nine permanent supportive housing units.
Vertical construction at our Nelson Place development in Eugene, where 40 new homes will include 31 affordable single family homes and 9 market-rate townhomes.
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CLT Home Resale Creates Value and Maintains Affordability DevNW is building Community Land Trust (CLT) homes throughout our service area to support first-time and low-income homebuyers. This unique housing model provides accessible homeownership with long-term affordability and equity upon resale, benefiting both sellers and buyers. A DevNW CLT home in Cottage Grove built in 2020 was sold by the original homeowner two years later. The seller earned nearly $18,000 in home equity in
this short time. With $10,000 from a Down Payment Assistance loan, the seller’s earnings totaled nearly $28,000; a sizeable return on a two-year investment. The CLT home sold for $227,804, or 58% of the 2022 average cost of a single family home in Cottage Grove. This provided a level of affordability that allowed a first-generation homebuyer to purchase in the community where they were born and raised.
AFFORDABLE HOMES HIGHLIGHTS Affordable Rental Units (Linn, Benton, Lane Counties)...............................................410
Real estate Development Funding Awarded .............................................$4,891,238 Project funding secured in 2022 by County
Working with DevNW was an amazing experience and a valuable partnership in helping to secure affordable housing for a family in need. The down payment assistance made it possible for my borrower to qualify for a mortgage loan which was instrumental in taking a family from homelessness to homeownership. The difference homeownership has made for this family will have a lasting impact, hopefully for generations to come. – Amy Bradley, Loan Officer CMG Home Loans
Lane County.....................................................12 rental units ............................................................ .31 CLT homes Marion County..................................................17 rental units .............................................................24 CLT homes
Members of our Real Estate Development team at the Nelson Place development in Eugene.
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Healthy Communities Health begins in the places people live, work, learn, and play.
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Total residents & youth in affordable housing............1044 Rental and utility assistance distributed to residents.................................................................$551,573
Linn and Benton Counties Residents at DevNW’s rental homes in Linn and Benton Counties work with two full-time Community Health Workers to build stronger connections within their communities. Linn-Benton Counties: Meals delivered.................................................................... 417 Households engaged in onsite community gardening................................................ 132 Residents receiving on-site health services.................50 Resident engagement events...........................................32
In October 2022, two Little Free Libraries were constructed and installed near properties in South Corvallis. They create beautiful sites for neighbors to access reading material, community garden produce, and monthly newsletters.
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Clackamas and Lane Counties Youth Housing Initiative (YHI) DevNW’s YHI provides affordable housing paired with intensive case management for youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Unaccompanied youth and young adults have difficulty finding and securing affordable housing due to limited rental history, lack of parental cosigner, insufficient income, and no credit history. Our program provides an integrated approach to finding homes, paying up front costs and providing up to two years of rent assistance, while connecting youth with critical services. The goals of this comprehensive program are to help youth establish the foundational tools of a stable adulthood: safe and affordable housing, employment/income stability, financial literacy knowledge and skills, and connection to social and community services. Clackamas County: Youth housed and receiving services..............................51 households Youth on waitlist...........................................91 individuals
One mother in the program shares her story of determination and hard work to support her family Over a year ago, I was facing homelessness like many others in Oregon. Homelessness comes with a lack of connections and resources, instability with relationships, suffering through cold nights, feelings of hopelessness, and opportunities to use substances. For me, this journey started as an abandoned adolescent. I didn’t choose this route, but I am responsible for almost giving up entirely. Finding DevNW, knowing my name was on the waitlist, and then getting the phone call, felt like it was my turn to get a do-over. The opportunities this program has opened for my mental and physical health, and my children’s stability, is extraordinary. In the past year, I’ve been stable in my own warm home, reaching
goals I never thought I’d accomplish: getting a job, going to school, taking care of my children, learning how to coordinate my finances, and working on my mental health and recovery. There are still challenging times, when we have to choose which bills to pay first, how to find baby formula, pay for diapers, or balancing my school and work schedules with childcare. But I’m learning how to accomplish a safe and stable living environment for myself and my family, and now I’m confident that I never have to be scared of having no place to call home again. The program at DevNW has given me almost two years of the most consistency I’ve ever had in my entire 21 years of life.
Lane County: Housed at Polk Street..................11 youth households .........................................................14 individuals
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Community LendingWorks Born in Majahua, Mexico, Lisbet has worked in the food industry since she was a child. Her passion for cooking led to her small business selling Mexican food in Albany. With the help and support of her husband, her business succeeded and grew. The next step in their small food business venture required additional capital, but due to traditional bank requirements for established credit and 100% collateral, Lisbet was unable to qualify for traditional financing. Through CLW, Lisbet received a small business loan, allowing her to purchase a food truck.
At first, I was suspicious and couldn’t believe it, but little by little I realized that everything CLW said was real. The process was easy and we received a lot of help completing all the necessary documents. It’s a great way to maintain liquidity, inject value into our business, and continue to grow. Now we are more visible, our sales have increased, and we will continue to grow for the community. — Lisbet Medina, small business owner and CLW client
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Enhanced Access Business Loans
CLW Express Lending Portal
CLW specializes in business and consumer loans to empower people who face barriers to traditional capital. Our Enhanced Access Business Loans are structured to reduce systemic barriers that have historically prevented racially marginalized, women, rural, and low-income entrepreneurs from accessing business capital.
In July 2022, CLW’s Express Lending Portal went live! The loan portal allows borrowers to apply for Rental Deposit, Credit Builder, and Personal Loans directly through our website. Without this resource, many of CLW’s borrowers would be forced to turn to a predatory lender, where rates are three-to-four times higher and can lock consumers into a cycle of debt.
Through these efforts, loans originated to women-owned businesses has equaled 52-60% of total loans since 2016, roughly double traditional lending. Between 2017 and the first quarter of 2021, loans to rural businesses grew from 18% to 23% of total loans. During the same time period, loans to racially marginalized entrepreneurs also grew steadily from 7% of loans (two out of 28 loans) to 19% (23 out of 121 loans).
CLW is making great connections, reaching more Latine community members with information about how credit can strengthen their business assets, and the resources to accomplish their goals. The process includes building trust, financial education, and assistance. — Yunuen Tavares, CLW Loan Officer
Annual interest paid on a $2,500 loan $1000 $900
$900
$800 $700 $600 $500
$490
$400 $300 $200 $100
$225
$0 CLW 9% Interest
Credit Card 19.6% Interest
PayDay Loan 36% Interest
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Lisa Hernandez opened Arbora Medical Spa in Eugene “in an act of faith, love for my career, and wanting to stay in the medical field after a transition from military nursing.” When she needed a small business loan to help her business flourish, she turned to Community LendingWorks.
I wanted a lender who had faith and trust in building a relationship that would help cultivate the vision I have for my business, a Disabled Veteran Latina business. I chose right! Without the assistance and funding from CLW, I would not be where I am today. They saw the potential in me and my business, and helped my Cenador (strong Arbor) grow into Arbora Medical Spa. — Lisa Hernandez, small business owner and CLW client
CLW PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Business loans ........................................................19.......$1,020,243 Development loans................................................ 4.......$1,518,000 Credit builder loans..............................................70.............$37,600 Consumer & auto loans.................................... 268.......... $802,494 Down payment assistant loans......................... 2.............$21,000 Total loans .......................................................... 361.......$3,378.337
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Staff and Board in 2022 The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. — Coretta Scott King Amy Hamilton Arianna Pennington Ashley Rowland-Lee Becky Hayes Brett Christian Chloe McDowell Christen Goody Christian Pence Cori Riley Cristal Guerrero-Solorio Daisy Cuevas Dannette Gwin Elvira Morales-Velasco Emily Reiman Empress Jerry-Shepard Enrique Salcedo Erika Reyes Erin Dey Francisco Garcia Gabriela Bautista Gary Hamilton Gisselle Valenzuela Hayli Thomas Holli Johannes
Ixel Elwess Jason Kyler-Yano Jeremy Doucette-Hardy Joanne Di Paola Jodi Erickson Karen Saxe Katie Laughlin Keenan Moore Kevin Gutierrez Kimberlee Shoop-Lockett Kohl Bryant Kym O’Hare LaDona Martin Liliana Robles Lisa Hartwick Liza Newcomb Lori Stout Luis Bonilla Luis Mendoza Luisa Palacios Lynn Meyer Maddy Yang Matthew Baccary Mayela Solano
Micole Olivas-Leyva Misty Sorte Nate Taylor Nicole Leseney Nicole Navlet Preciosa Stucky Rafael Bernal Rebecka Weinsteiger Ross Kanaga Russell La Rosa Snyder Ryan Hilterbrant Sarah Brooks Sarah Coulter Skyler Yang Stephany Guzman Tara Hanby Tiffany Y’vonne Vanessa Ries Veronica VanAndel Yunuen Tavares Yvett Falcony Zelene Flores Zo Copley-Scitern
DevNW Volunteer Board Members Albert Kong Christina Tran Chrystal Shearer Cynthia Campobasso-LeDoux Daniela Alexandru-Abrams Duane Walrod Jin Plummer Matthew Bromley Miguel Arellano Randi Bowers-Payne Steve Ochs
CLW Volunteer Board Members Carrie Copeland David Hill Jin Plummer Kristen Bartels Larry Abel Spencer McCoy Troy Reichenberger
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Thank you to our greater community for navigating the year of 2022. Together we are creating pathways with improved access for everyone, where all members of our communities recover and thrive. We look forward to continued and expanding partnerships in the journey ahead. Stay connected – our community needs you. Learn more at www.devnw.org
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