Oregon Democrats’ housing agenda sees long road ahead
(The Center Square) – Oregon House Democrats have laid out a plan this session to spend $535 million on much needed housing, but advocates say a lot of work still lies ahead.
The spending package, comprised of 15 proposed bills, would be paid for with state and federal dollars along with some bonding measures. Its top priorities include expediting the construction of homeless shelters statewide to the tune of $45 million and restricting local governments from passing sweeping bans on homeless camps on public lands. Another bill would take $10 million out of the general fund to fund mobile mental health crisis units for homeless individuals based on a 30-year-old program in Eugene.
The stakes are high for the state where thousands more Oregonians may be on the hook for millions in back rent and affordable housing is in short supply.
In 2020, data from the National Council on Homelessness showed 15,876 people were homeless statewide on a given night, almost half of whom were in Portland.
Studies suggest another 89,000 Oregonian tenants could be at risk of eviction come June 30 when the state’s eviction moratorium expires if lawmakers fail to pass a proposed grace period ending on February 2022.
House Bill 2100 is the latest legislation to commission a state task force to study housing laws and make recommendations to lawmakers while upending the state’s funding streams.
Under an amended version, the bill would redirect 25% of the state’s emergency housing fund towards housing homeless veterans. Another 20% would pay for closing the state’s racial housing inequities by supporting culturally-specific programs for families of color, effective July 1, 2022.
Martha Lyon, executive director of the Community Services Consortium, a social services provider serving Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties, shared others’ excitement about the bill’s state task force on Tuesday. She said further that the bill risks pitting homeless services against one another and ignores the diverse housing programs already working with minorities in the state.
“Moving to to carve out that 20% without fully understanding what that does to the whole pot would be a disaster,” Lyon told the House Committee on Housing. “Our point is, let’s grow the pot. Let’s get more people talking about how to use the pot more effectively.”
Many testifying on Tuesday shared Lyon’s opinion that the state should not be locking in housing programs at set rates. Others shared concern about dumping too much cash onto small organizations without the resources to efficiently spend it.
Kemp Shuey, interim director of Washington County’s social services provider, Community Action, agreed that the state should consider the full impact of what funding mandates could mean for changing housing needs.
“We share the broad goals driving these proposed amendments, in particular the necessity of centering equity and racial justice in the system,” Shuey said. “We welcome the opportunity to redesign a system that centers community voices, understands the interconnectedness of the homeless service system to others, and eliminates racial disparities in our community. We have concerns that these outcomes won’t be achieved.”
The Oregon Legislature is set to adjourn its 2021 session on June 28.
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