Oregon Housing and Community Services issues ‘midway report’ on Statewide Housing Plan progress – KTVZ

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) — Oregon Housing and Group Providers on Friday launched a report to offer an replace on what the company calls vital progress in assembly the objectives outlined within the 2019 Statewide Housing plan, “Breaking New Floor.”

Here is the OHCS information launch on the report:

The company is now barely greater than midway into the five-year plan, which was launched after intensive listening periods throughout the state to light up areas of want and supply a direction-setting framework for OHCS to construct help and coordinated motion.  

The halfway report particulars the super progress made by the company on the housing entrance, particularly within the areas of accelerating housing provide whereas housing instability and want are mounting. Within the Letter from the Director, Andrea Bell facilities the shared values of Oregonians whereas promising daring dedication to extend reasonably priced housing:  

“The a number of successes outlined on this report are a testomony to the energy of our partnerships advancing shared values to make sure all Oregonians have a protected, reasonably priced place to name house,” mentioned Andrea Bell, OHCS Government Director. “It’s more and more evident the nice want for housing of all sorts stays. For anybody struggling to get by, know that each second of every single day OHCS will likely be relentless, by means of the lens of humanity to extend entry to reasonably priced housing.”  

The achievements outlined within the report are notable, given the immense scope of the challenges on the housing entrance. With lower than 400 workers, OHCS is a relatively small state company with an outsized affect. (For instance, the Oregon Division of Transportation has greater than 4,700 workers.) In recent times the company has quietly elevated the quantity and portfolio of reasonably priced housing developments throughout the state. OHCS leverages the function of a housing finance company by aggressively weaving collectively quite a lot of state and federal funds, bonds, tax credit, and different income streams to serve Oregonians throughout the complete continuum of housing.  

One instance of an progressive funding strategy to construct extra properties consists of Oregon’s Native Progressive Quick Monitor (LIFT) funds that concentrate on funds to underserved communities, together with rural communities and communities of coloration. Because of this strategy of funding, together with the work of employees and a number of companions throughout the state, OHCS not too long ago surpassed the agricultural housing objective of funding 3,612 reasonably priced properties in rural Oregon.  

Different report highlights embody the company surpassing the objective of funding 1,200 Everlasting Supportive Housing (PSH) properties. PSH is a confirmed mannequin of pairing housing and supportive companies for people and households that chronically expertise homelessness. The company was not too long ago acknowledged with a nationwide award for this work. Maybe probably the most formidable progress made is on the objective of funding the event or preservation of 25,000 properties inside 5 years. This objective is triple the earlier work of the company. In the present day the company is on observe to satisfy the objective with 20,624 properties within the growth pipeline. 

“I’m overjoyed to see this progress,” mentioned Claire Corridor, Chair of the Housing Stability Council, which strategically leads the company’s work. “That is spectacular work. Housing developments are advanced transactions a few years within the making. This report exhibits that tens of hundreds of properties are within the pipeline and there’ll quickly be keys in palms and roofs over heads. The tripling of the reasonably priced housing growth objective comes not a second too quickly at a time when Oregonians desperately want housing at costs they’ll afford.” 

The progress within the report comes at a welcome time when homelessness and housing affordability are prime of thoughts for Oregonians. The Oregon Housing Wants Evaluation not too long ago detailed the affect of many years of divestment in housing and different advanced challenges which make any progress on the housing entrance troublesome to gauge or rejoice.  It’s clear that Oregonians desperately want extra choices. Transferring ahead the company hopes to increase this work and has outlined these and different housing priorities within the 2023-2025 Company Request Funds. You may learn extra about how the company hopes to fund these priorities.  

“Behind the numbers are tens of hundreds of people and households that have been in a position to transfer into a house. This report outlines a roadmap of options that work. For we all know that investing in reasonably priced housing is investing in household stability, kids’s success, and the financial well being of our whole state,” mentioned Bell. “No household ought to must battle to seek out protected, high quality, and reasonably priced housing.” 

The halfway progress report is on the market to learn on the OHCS web site. The report can also be accessible in Spanish. The unique Statewide housing plan will be discovered on the SWHP touchdown web page. Please word the report is measured in fiscal years that may conclude in the summertime of 2024. OHCS values neighborhood suggestions and partnership. To observe this work and assist inform future variations, please signal as much as obtain electronic mail updates and alternatives to interact.