Dear John,
Affordable housing has been a serious and persistent issue in communities in every corner of our state -- one that has only been made worse by the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus crisis. Especially now, when health experts are encouraging us to stay at home and avoid people from outside our households in order to curb the spread this pandemic, it couldn’t be more important that we double down on our efforts to address our affordable housing shortages.
That’s why when it came time to pass our 2021 federal spending bills, I used my position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that the bills included resources that will help Oregonians put roofs over their heads. Those resources-- which are detailed in the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development spending bill that passed in December -- include:
- $3.5 billion for the Community Development Block Grant, a program that funds vital housing rehabilitation, supportive services, public improvements, and economic development projects in communities across Oregon and the nation, while simultaneously encouraging local investment.
- $895 million for affordable housing assistance that will help 1.2 million low-income households.
- $10 million for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), which provides funds for non-profit sweat-equity homebuilders, such as Habitat for Humanity, to help cover costs associated with new land purchases and infrastructure building.
- $5 million for the Rural Capacity Building Program, which helps build the capacity of rural low income housing non-profits by providing training, information, technical assistance, and financing.
- $3 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, a $179 million increase over previous years, which will help organizations across Oregon. That funding includes $82 million for homeless youth programs, and $290 million to support street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, and rapid re-housing assistance to those in need.
- $1.35 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which provides states and localities with flexible resources to respond to their affordable housing challenges, including rental housing and paths to homeownership for low-income families.
- $40 million for Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs supportive housing, to provide new rental assistance vouchers for homeless veterans, along with case management and clinical services. These vouchers have been critical to reducing veterans’ homelessness by 49 percent since 2010.
In addition, I worked to include in the spending bill that funds the U.S. Department of Agriculture $1.41 billion for rural rental assistance funding and $40 million for Rural Housing Service Vouchers. Those resources will be critical in our fight to address the housing crisis in Oregon’s rural communities -- many of which have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic.
Every Oregonian, regardless of the color of their skin, zip code, or income, deserves a safe roof over their head -- especially during global public health emergency. I’m going to keep doing everything I can to fight for the resources we need to tackle Oregon’s affordable housing crisis head on and turn that vision into a reality.
All my best,
Jeff |
