{"id":27357,"date":"2021-07-30T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/habitatportlandregion.org\/?p=27357"},"modified":"2021-08-03T16:48:01","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T23:48:01","slug":"advocacy-update-big-wins-for-affordable-housing-this-legislative-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/habitatportlandregion.org\/advocacy-update-big-wins-for-affordable-housing-this-legislative-session\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy Update: Big Wins for Affordable Housing this Legislative Session"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Preston Korst, Advocacy & Government Relations Manager<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habitat for Humanity Portland Region has had a busy couple months as federal stimulus dollars hit local municipal bank accounts and the 2021 legislative session in Salem drew to a close. With a busy session behind Oregon lawmakers, Habitat now looks to advocate for strong implementation of newly drafted legislation. We\u2019re also working with cities and counties across the region to ensure that their use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, supports and expands access to affordable homeownership opportunities.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE STATE OF OREGON\u2019S 2021 LEGISLATIVE SESSION ENDS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to federal stimulus dollars flowing into our state, we are also happy to report many successes from the 2021 legislative session in Salem that ended on June 26th<\/sup>, 2021.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One item in particular is worth calling special attention to: the Oregon Housing and Community Service\u2019s budget. Totaling more than $896 million, this biennium\u2019s budget has over $100 million dedicated to affordable homeownership programs. This budget includes $20 million for Down Payment Assistance, $7 million for Individual Development Accounts (IDA), $20 million for new home construction, and over $5 million for foreclosure counseling and POC homeownership assistance, among others. This is not including the State\u2019s increased funding of LIFT for Homeownership. LIFT<\/em>, or Local Innovation and Fast Track <\/strong>is a state housing program that creates affordable homes for vulnerable families throughout Oregon. ,<\/s> This biennium\u2018s budget for the program will top $410 million, of that a portion will be dedicated to homeownership development. Here is a link to the OHCS 2021-23 Budget Outline: https:\/\/www.oregon.gov\/ohcs\/about-us\/Documents\/gov-relations\/07-01-2021-OHCS-2021-Legislative-Highlights.pdf<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also meaningful housing-related reforms this session. This link<\/a> will take you to a list of the many legislative wins for homeownership as led by our colleagues at Habitat for Humanity Oregon. Fortunately, there were several big wins for housing, but one deserves particular attention: our lead item for the session, SB 458.<\/em><\/strong> <\/em>This bill outlined an improved, streamlined land division process that aligns with the \u201cMissing Middle\u201d house types allowed through HB 2001 passed in 2019. Missing Middle <\/em>H<\/em>ousing<\/em> is a term that describes building types, such as duplexes, fourplexes, cottages, and courtyard buildings. These are diverse housing options that typically support local retail and public transportation. We call them \u201cMissing\u201d because they have typically been illegal to build and \u201cMiddle\u201d because they sit in the middle of a spectrum between detached single-family homes and high-rise apartment buildings, and often, within the affordability spectrum. SB 458 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support from the Senate (25-4) and the House (54-2), and was signed by Gov. Brown on May 26th<\/sup>, 2021. This will help affordable housing developers, like Habitat, build more for-sale homes with a less arduous permitting and zoning process.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also successful in lobbying for the following bills: <\/p>\n\n\n\n