Street Roots • Jan. 15-21, 2016
BYRD, from page 10
longer notice periods before rent increases.
What we would really like is for there to
be a moratorium of rent increases of more
than 5 percent if a tenant has been living in
the unit for more than a year. We want
good-cause evictions - there needs to be a
sensible reason given. Typically, with a
good-cause eviction, if (a landlord) says,
“I’m going to evict you because you keep
letting the water overflow in your
bathroom,” the tenant should be able to say,
“Well, I’ve created this way to make sure I
don’t do that,” (the landlord) has let (the
tenant) correct it. (The tenant) would
deserve one warning. That’s what we’re
aiming for - the standard that tenants have
the expectation that if they’re going to be
told to just move, there is going to be a
reason, and they then have the opportunity
to address that reason and stay.
We are supporting the coalition that is
trying to get inclusionary zoning housing
policies. And make it clear that inclusionary
zoning can be for rental and ownership. We
want to be able to have a mix of prices
within multifamily developments.
What we’re talking about inclusionary
zoning in rental properties is what
happened successfully in the Pearl. As
(buildings) were being designed, 30 to 35
percent of the units were intended to be
affordable. Some of the affordability was
achieved by trading off incentives and giving
things to the developers in the design
process. There was a lot of money that was
put into infrastructure and streets, for
instance,
At the design stage of new multifamily
units, there would be able to be some
standards or expectations to (make the
units) affordable. The square footage might
be slightly smaller, or the units wouldn’t
have as nice a view or be as close to
elevators. You’re engineering affordability.
A.W.: There seems to be a frenetic level o f
no-cause evictions right now. What is causing
that? Have these sorts o f evictions not been an
issue before?
News / Poetry
J.B.: It’s been an issue forever. For a long
time, it’s been on our radar. It’s been
getting increasingly problematic as vacancy
rates have gone down. It’s gotten so bad
with landlords seeing an opportunity in the
market, make small cosmetic improvements
and raise rent; the rate of eviction has gone
up. Displacement in this market means that
you’re homeless, in some communities. It’s
shifting the energy around the lobbying.
This isn’t a Portland problem. It’s statewide,
and it’s huge. The other thing about
no-cause evictions is that it sets up a
dynamic where people are afraid to
complain about needed repairs because
they’re afraid of retaliatory evictions. They
put up with stuff - interruptions in water,
mold, bad heat, whatever.
A.W.: It seems like it wouldn’t be such an
issue i f the vacancy rate were higher and it
was easier to fin d a home to move to.
J.B.: The rate of home construction fell
behind during the recession. What we’re
starting to see as development picks up
again is development for people with higher
incomes.
We had a shortage of units. It’s not
improving because the current development
is (geared toward those higher) incomes.
Because of that pressure, there’s also this
pressure on rents and the ability to really
escalate rents. It’s eviction; not just units.
A.W.: Over the long term, what do you
think will solve the shortage o f affordable
housing? Is it simply building more units and
keeping up with demand?
J.B.: It’s policy plus new units: Policy to
make sure that we can put units where we
need them to try to keep neighborhoods
whole and balanced and inclusive. It’s going
to take a lot of money. We need to talk not
about $100 million, but we do need to talk
about the investment from the state in the
order of a billion dollars. But it’s also a
reprioritization. We spend a lot of money on
other things. We’ve put a ton of energy into
access to health care and a lot of money to
education and access to education. We need
to recognize that housing is fundamental to
the success of both of those.
Page 11
Terse Coelho
by Rachel D.
Be self
No fear
Follow heart
Hope and a New Day’s Dawn
by Bill Burwell
You may have passed me by
On the way to the store
You may have seen the light
Or a flicker on the bridge
Mighty strength of spirit is needed to cross
On the other side is a new dawn
Shattered dreams and feelings of defeat are no more
I see ahead of me a mountain to climb
Shame and sorrow are in th e past
.
You might think it will be all good
And it will often be different
You might think I am here to preach
Instead I am here to learn
All good teachers do not judge
All good students listen
I open my eyes to a new day’s dawn
No more tunnel vision
The light in me recaptured
No more the face of deceit
Or any reason to worry
Is there any reason to change one’s ways
I keep moving with new passion
No longer in the dark with eyes covered
A child dreams of growing up
Later on they look back
To see the doubt in one’s self
And all the powers that be
Growth happens day by day
Often without notice
The student willing to show up
And surrender themselves to God
n
How do you share he
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111
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