PATHWorks Newsletter: March 2019
Success Story - Employment - Finances - Asset Building - Community Events - Housing Works Updates - Resources
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Congratulations on Your Success Cynthia H.!
Cynthia H. joined the PATHWorks program in January of 2014. At that time she was unemployed and raising her 4 children on very limited child support payments. Cynthia immediately got to work on her goals. She found daycare for her children, found part-time employment and started to earn escrow savings due to her increase in earned income. She also had a desire to go back to college. Cynthia took the next steps and requested transcripts, took math classes and enrolled at COCC in the fall of 2014. She completed her Associates of Arts Oregon Transfer degree and transferred to OSU Cascades in the summer of 2016. Cynthia also worked on paying down her debt to stabilize her finances.
Cynthia has a remarkable ability to stay focused and persevere even when life throws challenges at her. Being a single mother, living on a limited income and going to school all at the same time was a big challenge. Even when things were really tough, Cynthia maintained a positive attitude and focused on the big picture: her desire to graduate college, earn a degree and secure full-time employment.
In June 2018, Cynthia graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences. Around that same time, Cynthia's daughter had some very serious health issues that required surgery. Even with the stress and uncertainty of her daughter's health, Cynthia stayed focused on her goal of full-time employment and in October of 2018 she was hired full-time as a Supportive Services For Veteran Families Case Manager at the Central Oregon Veterans Outreach (COVO).
Cynthia is now doing what she loves--helping others to overcome barriers and succeed. Her next goal is to become a homeowner and we have no doubt she will reach that goal as well.
Congratulations Cynthia!
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Indeed.com - More Than Just Job Postings!
If you are looking to advance in your career and/or searching for a new career, Indeed.com is a great place to start. W
ith Indeed, you can search jobs online to find the latest employment opportunities in Central Oregon. However, did you know that Indeed is more than just a job search website? Indeed.com provides a
Career Guide to help you in the job search process. It includes resumes and cover letters, interviewing tips, guides on finding a job, starting a new job, pay and salary information, career development and much more!
Check out this comprehensive resource for advice, strategies, planning, information, examples, activities and tips to help you be successful in your job search.
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What
is
your
Money
Color
?
The amount of money we earn, save and spend is driven by our personality and beliefs, which drive our choices. In short, our money color reflects our overall personality, lifestyle and values. Our attitude towards money (i.e our color) can affect how much of it we actually have or don’t have. The best practice is to strike a healthy balance between colors: save, invest, enjoy life’s pleasures and don’t spend your whole life worrying about money.
Your “
Money Color” will help you understand what you value when it comes to money. It will also help you understand why you use or fail to use money a certain way.
Click
here to check out your "Money Color". Read each statement in the document and respond according to what comes to mind first. Do not try to read too much into each statement.
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Protecting your assets
Many of our articles are about asset building through savings, homeownership, owning a vehicle, or retirement savings. As you start to build your assets, you should take the next step and
PROTECT them.
Protection can come in many forms: savings, insurance, or risk avoidance, for example. Protection strategies work to maintain and secure the assets you have and can help prevent a major financial crisis if theft, health problems, and/or car accidents occur.
The first step in protecting your assets is to think about what is most important to you and prioritize what to protect. Is it your income (for beneficiaries), health, credit score, home?
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What's most important to me?
- What laws require protection (car and health insurance)?
- What can't I afford to lose?
- What is my greatest risk?
- What would be the easiest risk to address?
After you decide what you have and what you want to protect, consider the different types of protection:
- Savings
- Insurance
- Retirement planning
- Estate planning
- Identity protection plan
Now you are ready to start comparison shopping for the best protection to cover your assets. Comparison shopping is best done in threes. Get three quotes for the coverage you are shopping for and choose the one that best fits your needs. It is recommended that you review your options annually to verify you are getting the best bang for your buck. You can shop online or meet with local insurance agents in person to explain what's covered and what's not covered. Also, make sure you are comparing "apples to apples" by making sure the same coverage, protection, and deductible are being used in your insurance quotes.
Protecting your finances from the negative impacts of unfortunate events is too important to ignore.
Here are more tools that may help you in protecting your assets.
Disclaimer: There is a lot of information available on this topic, so do your homework. Read the fine print. Pick the right protections for you and your family. If you have questions or don't understand what protection you need, ask a mentor for help before you act.
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File 2019 Taxes for FREE
If you want to file your taxes for free on your own, there are several websites available online.
Free File is a program for taxpayers who earn $66,000 or less. Taxpayers who earned more than $66,000 and are comfortable preparing their own returns, can use
Free File Fillable Forms.
- You qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit; or
- Your household earned $34,000 or less last year.
Keep in mind, if you are tempted to take out a refund advance or a refund anticipation loan by getting your refund sooner, be very careful. The fees associated with those tax products can cost you hundreds of dollars. Your refund is your money -- don't give it away. File your taxes as early as you can and ALL of your return will be in your hands before you know it.
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Hawks View Estates and Ponderosa Heights Completed
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Ponderosa Heights Apartments, an affordable apartment community that broke ground in March of 2018 in Sisters, is complete and fully occupied! Ponderosa Heights offers 32 one-bedroom flats, 8 two-bedroom apartments and 8 three-bedroom apartments for households at or below 60% area median income (AMI). The property has turned out beautifully, with many mature ponderosa trees on the site remaining, providing tenants forested views on the ground level and scenic Central Oregon vistas from the upper units.
Hawks View Estates, which consists of 42 apartments and townhomes in La Pine, is expected to be completed in March. Over half of the units are complete and occupied. Income restrictions for Hawks View Estates are also set at 60% or below AMI. R&H Construction of Central Oregon is working hard to complete the remaining units, despite the weather bringing snow and cold temperatures to the work site.
Each property has eight units set aside for very-low income families, a majority of which are targeted for 30% AMI and below households. Special vouchers through the HCV program allow Housing Works to provide rental assistance to families participating in the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare and Family Self Sufficiency programs.
Housing Works is planning a grand opening celebration at both communities in early April. We will be joined by funders, sponsors, partners, staff and new residents at each event. For more event information, please send an email to
jbenson@housing-works.org
.
Ponderosa Heights and Hawks View Estates are managed by EPIC Property Management. Currently both property waiting lists are closed. Please check
https://epicopenings.net
to find out which of Housing Works’ affordable properties, located throughout Central Oregon, are currently taking applications.
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2019 Waiting List Results
Housing Works received a total of 2,792 online applications for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program Waiting List from January 14–18, 2019. Approximately 2,000 of those applications were received from local residents living in Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties.
Current Applicants
- Click HERE To check your position on the waiting list.
- If your address, phone number, income and/or household composition change, please update your information by clicking HERE.
- If you are selected off the waiting list for the HCV program, Housing Works will contact you directly.
Technical Assistance
- The email address used at registration is your login. You must have a valid email address in order to access your application.
- If you forgot your password, please select the “Forgot Password” option and follow the instructions.
- Keep your login and password somewhere safe and secure.
If you need additional assistance, call Housing Works at 541-923-1018.
The 2019 HCV Waiting List will remain active until December 31, 2019. At that time, all remaining 2019 applications will be removed from the waiting list. If your application was not selected, you will need to reapply next year.
The 2020 HCV Waiting List will be open from January 13-17, 2020.
We would like to thank all our community partners for making the 2019 Waiting List opening week a success. Without all your hard work, we would not be able to serve our communities. Thank you!
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EMPLOYMENT
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
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