Northwest Area Foundation

• Home
• News
• Umpqua Wins 2008 Great Strides Award

Roseburg, Ore., Umpqua Community Development Corporation Wins $100,000 Great Strides Award from Northwest Area Foundation

|

The Award Recognizes Poverty Reduction Efforts and Successes

ST. PAUL, Minn. (January 25, 2008 ) – The Northwest Area Foundation today named Umpqua Community Development Corporation of Roseburg, Ore., a 2008 Great Strides award winner for its successful model of reducing poverty through affordable housing, small business development, financial education and jobs creation. The award is given in recognition of innovative strides communities have taken to reduce poverty for the long term. Every year up to four communities are selected for a Great Strides Award; each winner receives $100,000.

The once renowned Timber Capital of the world, Roseburg has suffered with the industry’s decline. The picturesque city in the Umpqua River Basin gave way to old housing, rundown buildings and high unemployment with poverty rates in the tri-county region hovering between 13 and 15 percent. Umpqua Community Development Corporation has reversed that downward trend through a portfolio of products and services including a “Self-Help Housing” program which offers no-down-payment, low-interest mortgages for housing built with sweat equity. A business development program has helped launch some unique enterprises such as Sisters Shredding, a document shredding service run by two special-needs sister who are not able to read the documents they shred.

“Umpqua Community Development Corporation has proven that creative approaches to economic development can successfully reduce poverty. The CDC’s efforts add to the economic diversity of our region, and the impact has been far reaching. For instance, Sutherlin is economically the healthiest community I’ve worked in,” said Bud Schmidt, city manager of Sutherlin.

Other 2008 Great Strides winners include the Eagle Butte, S.D., Four Bands Community Fund; Elk City, Idaho, Framing our Community (FOC), Inc.; and Glendive, Mont., Community GATE. The $100,000 award will go to community organizations to be used for community benefit. Northwest Area Foundation has asked each winner to work with the Foundation to share key lessons about their efforts and programs so that other communities can learn from their experiences and possibly replicate the success.

“In our work, poverty reduction is neither fast nor easy. This year’s Great Strides winners have proven that by identifying new economic engines communities can make sustainable changes to reduce poverty over the long run. They have valuable lessons to share,” said Kari Schlachtenhaufen, interim president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation.

Twenty-three communities from the Northwest Area Foundation’s eight-state region applied for the 2008 Great Strides award. Six finalists hosted on-site visits by the Foundation after which the four winners were selected.

Great Strides Award recipients were selected using the following criteria:
• Inclusiveness: community involvement from diverse sectors and groups.
• Regional impact: interaction with and awareness of other communities facing similar issues in their geographic area.
• Asset-based perspective: recognition of the community’s existing strengths.
• Economic engines: involvement with businesses and other organizations that drive the local economy.
• Leadership: efforts to develop leaders from different public and private sectors, ages and genders.

The Northwest Area Foundation’s mission is to help communities reduce poverty long term. The Foundation's service area includes Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington – the states once served by the Great Northern Railway, founded by James J. Hill. In 1934, Hill’s son, Louis W. Hill, established the Foundation.