General background
In the interest of helping more Oregon families, SALC adopted the Community Development Law Center (CDLC) in late 2010, as a core program of the Clinic. Founded in 2000, the CDLC has provided low-cost legal assistance to more than 100 non-profit agencies in Oregon that provide shelter for special needs populations including seniors, farm-workers, individuals with physical and emotional disabilities, and people in recovery from drug and alcohol dependency.

Across Oregon, housing prices have been moving out of reach for ordinary people -- Oregonians who have contributed so much; working-class families and their children, seniors, people with disabilities and military veterans. The Community Development Law Center provides transactional assistance to housing and development authorities, charging a modest $120 per hour, a rate at just 30 percent of what it would cost them to hire a private attorney, freeing up more funds to stabilize and protect at-risk families.

Program mission
The Community Development Law Center (CDLC) was established in 2000 by Legal Aid Services of Oregon to provide legal services for Oregon nonprofits. Its mission was, and continues to be, providing legal services to low income Oregonians by representing the interests of community-based organizations. Together, SALC and CDLC provide low-cost legal support to families in-need. Since 2000, the CDLC has served low-income Oregonians by representing nonprofit human services organizations. The CDLC provides low cost legal advice in matters of:

• Economic development, including affordable housing and community facilities
• Green and sustainable projects
• Housing development
• Land use/energy/sustainability
• Microfinance and microenterprise
• Regional food bank facilities development
• Weatherization and renewable energy for low-income renters and homeowners

Devoted to improving the lives of Oregon families, in ten years CDLC has helped more than 1,300 families own homes, and provided representation in developing over 3,200 housing units, 9 community centers, and advised hundreds of nonprofits on corporate matters.

Program significance
CDLC was developed to address the high priority need in low-income communities across Oregon: low income housing. CDLC attorneys provide legal assistance to non-profit organizations seeking to create low-income housing for at-risk families. CDLC provides expertise in areas of transactional law needed for real estate development, land use, tax, financing, construction, and related community development issues. CDLC assists non-profit community development corporations (CDCs), providing housing-related legal services on a low-fee-for-service basis.

Additionally, CDLC has forged collaborations with a range of institutions and attorneys to enhance its capacity to assist Oregon’s tax-exempt corporations. One area of focus for CDLC is the Lewis and Clark Law School Community Development Transactions Project. Through this project, CDLC operates a practicum that enables law students to assist non-profits with business transactions. CDLC attorneys, as law school faculty, also teach weekly seminars on nonprofit law, real estate, and employment law issues.