鈥淲e know we have a crisis,鈥� Kotek said before she signed a handful of measures into law. 鈥淭he biggest indicator of that crisis 鈥� too many people living unsheltered 鈥� is something we need to make progress on.鈥�
Since she was sworn in at the start of the year, Kotek promised the state would play an aggressive role in addressing the ongoing crisis. Some estimates have shown the state needs to meet demand.
鈥淲hether you鈥檙e on the coast or the valley or out in the beautiful Wallowa mountains, every community is wrestling with how to provide more housing for their community,鈥� the governor said.
The bills Kotek signed on Thursday are:
- , which will cap the amount landlords can increase rent for tenants. The measure limits annual rent increases to either 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower. In 2019, At the time, landlords worried it would only be a matter of time before state lawmakers tried to lower the cap further. They were right. But what most people couldn鈥檛 have anticipated was the spike in inflation, which allowed some
- aims to remove bureaucratic hurdles and streamline the approval process for affordable housing construction. It puts $48.5 million from the general fund toward this effort and aims to reduce restrictions on housing types, such as duplexes and condominiums. It also calls for issuing funds to help low-income college students access affordable housing options and money to provide housing for agricultural workers.
- would give Oregonians who rely on subsidized housing a safe-harbor period of three years as some federal protections start to expire. That extra time is designed to keep them in their existing homes and to preserve affordable housing.
- is the budget bill for the Housing and Community Services Department and it includes more than to the state agency. The money includes $55 million for rental assistance, $6 million for eviction prevention services and more than $7 million for down payment assistance.
Earlier this year, the that supporters hope will shift the state鈥檚 approach to building homes and make a dent in the homeless crisis.
Despite the focus on housing and homelessness, Kotek noted there is still a lot to be done.
鈥淲hat is good about today is we are making progress to be helpful and we, of course, always have more work to do,鈥� she said.
The governor said she hopes the 2024 legislative session focuses on increasing the housing supply andis deemed buildable in the state.
Copyright 2023
