$200 Million For Housing And Homelessness Receives Oregon House’s Approval, Seen As An Initial Response

The State of Oregon has taken a significant stride towards combating homelessness and a persistent housing crisis with the state House approving two measures that would allocate $200 million towards these efforts. The proposed financial aid would assist homeless residents in acquiring housing, provide a grace period for overdue rent payments, and set construction goals for cities to produce new homes.

The two measures, House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 passed with votes of 50-9 and 49-10, respectively. The sole opposition to the bills came from Republicans. The next stage for these bills is a vote in the Senate, anticipated to take place in the coming week. With a successful passage in the Senate, Gov. Tina Kotek is projected to sign them into law.

These proposed bills are the commencement of a larger strategy to address the significant homelessness crisis and housing shortage in Oregon. Supporters of these measures highlighted the urgency of the situation. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Oregon is home to at least 18,000 homeless individuals. Furthermore, a considerable number of residents are on the brink of homelessness, barely managing to pay their rent or mortgages. It is estimated by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development that the state must build approximately 550,000 new homes within the next 20 years, a demand propelled by a growing population and years of inadequate construction.

Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland, who is the chair of the House’s housing committee, said, “This is a decades-long deficit that won’t be fixed in one year. We have much work to do.”

The designated $200 million in these bills would be divided between the existing budget, which concludes on June 30, and the new biennial budget commencing on July 1. The lawmakers anticipate allocating additional funds towards housing and homelessness when they propose a comprehensive budget for the subsequent two years later this year.

The measures also introduce a number of policy changes, including the extension of eviction notice periods for overdue rent from three to 10 days, offering renters a longer grace period. They also propose annual construction targets for new subsidized and market-rate homes for cities with a population over 10,000. Noncompliant cities may face penalties, such as loss of grants or state funding.

This particular aspect sparked opposition from some Republicans, including Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, who argued that cities should retain autonomy in their growth and development decisions.

The bills also faced opposition from Republican Reps. Shelly Boshart Davis, Jami Cate, Christine Goodwin, Emily McIntire, Lily Morgan, Virgle Osborne, E. Werner Reschke, and Brian Stout voted against both measures. Rep. Rick Lewis, R-Silverton, opposed the funding in HB 5019 but approved the policy changes in HB 2001.

Reschke questioned the wisdom of such significant spending in an unstable economy and argued that attention should be paid to addressing mental health or addiction issues, which are significant contributors to homelessness.

Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, used the tragic example of former Bend mayor Craig Coyner, who died homeless, to underscore the importance of tackling homelessness. Coyner, a respected prosecutor and defense attorney, and descendant of another mayor, ended up on the streets, battling alcoholism and exposure to the elements after losing his wife and home to foreclosure. Levy noted, “It’s a reminder that we are all human, subject to the difficulties that may find us.”