Oregon lawmakers propose $200M housing and homelessness package

Dianne Lugo, Salem Statesman Journal
Wed, February 22, 2023 

People hang around Salem's ARCHES homeless shelter Jan. 10. The Oregon Legislature is considering a $200 million housing and homelessness assistance package to address needs in both rural and urban areas of the state.

Democratic state lawmakers remain hopeful that their $200 million homelessness and housing package can be on Gov. Tina Kotek's desk by mid-March.

Legislative housing chairs Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Portland, Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, and Sen. Kayse Jama, D-Portland, on Wednesday went into more detail about the "urgent" proposal that would fund more housing construction, prevent evictions and provide additional funding to rural counties to address homelessness.

"The proposed affordable housing and emergency homelessness response package, HB 2001 and HB 5019, is a $200 million down payment on our longer-term investment in safe and affordable housing for every Oregonian," Dexter, chair of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, said.

The omnibus bill, House Bill 2001, is the result of a "bipartisan and bicameral process," according to Democratic lawmakers who spoke about the package Wednesday.

No Republicans were present at the roundtable discussion but they've been present at the table for policy discussions since the start and are important contributors to the ongoing process, Jama and Dexter said.

The proposed package would fully fund the $130 million request Kotek made earlier in the year, as well as support housing policies aimed at closing an estimated 140,000 housing unit gap in the state.

"Affordable housing will be the state's #1 priority," Dexter said.

Affordable housing

HB 2001 would direct local governments to create and implement housing production strategies, streamline urbanization processes and clarify responsibilities for metro areas across the state.

Recognizing the unique needs of each jurisdiction, each local government will have to create its own "Housing Production Strategy" in partnership with the Department of Land Conservation and Development to increase its affordable housing production.

There would be $20 million for the production of affordable modular homes and $3 million for a "Revolving Loan Fund" that would help local governments and developers build affordable housing for working families, including health care, education and construction workers.

A man moves his belongings along the railroad tracks Wednesday near a campsite in Eugene. The Oregon Legislature is considering a $200 million housing and homelessness assistance package to address needs in both rural and urban areas of the state.

Funding from the Revolving Loan Fund would cover redevelopment costs that can prevent projects from starting and increase the time between projects.

HB 2001 would also direct funding towards farmworker housing, providing $5 million in grants to improve the health and safety conditions of existing on-site housing for farmworkers.

Stakeholders including the Oregon Law Center, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, the Department of Agriculture, lawmakers representing parts of the state with more farmworkers and the governor's task force on farmworker housing have recommended "urgent upgrades" to housing that is "frankly unsafe," Dexter said.
Funding for homelessness

HB 2001 would fully address the $130 million Kotek requested earlier in the year.

Kotek proposed:

$33.6 million for rent assistance and other eviction prevention services to prevent an estimated 8,750 households from becoming homeless.


$23.8 million for 600 low-barrier shelter beds across the state and for more housing navigators to connect unsheltered Oregonians to shelter and services.


$55.4 million for prepaid rental assistance to rehouse at least 1,200 unsheltered households, block leasing at least 600 vacant homes, landlord guarantees and incentives, and other re-housing services.


$5 million for the nine sovereign tribes in Oregon to support emergency response.


$5 million toward increasing capacity for culturally responsive organizations for "equitable outcomes" of the homelessness state of emergency.


$2 million to support local sanitation services.


$1.8 million to support the Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services in their emergency response.

Additional funds outside of the governor's request will address other solutions, including $27 million towards 25 rural counties through the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care and an additional $25 million to connect youth with rental assistance, shelter facilities, outreach, mental health and/or substance abuse services and other resources.

Rural and coastal communities have been clear that they need support that is different from coordination for other parts of the state, Gomberg said.

“As a legislator representing parts of rural and coastal Oregon, it's important to me that we make sure our state's response to homelessness reaches the 25 rural counties and the hundreds of small cities and towns in those parts of Oregon,” said Gomberg, co-chair of the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee.

Of the 18,000 people currently estimated to be homeless in Oregon, 4,000 are in the rural areas, Gomberg added.

Preventing evictions

The bill would also lengthen the amount of time a tenant has between non-payment of rent and being evicted in hopes of preventing more people from becoming homeless.

Currently, landlords must give tenants past due on rent a 72-hour notice to pay rent or move. The bill would require landlords to give tenants 10 days of notice. It would also extend court timelines, changing the initial appearance to 15 days after a complaint is filed instead of the current 7 days, and require the trial to begin between 15 and 30 days after the claim for nonpayment.

The bill does not propose to postpone eviction proceedings for up to 60 days while an application for rental assistance is pending, as some advocates had hoped for.
What's next

A public hearing and work session for the bill is scheduled for 8 a.m. Thursday.

The public can attend in person in Hearing Room F or virtually online.

To register to testify, submit the form online. Registration closes 30 minutes before the scheduled start. Written testimony is also accepted.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon lawmakers propose $200M housing and homelessness package