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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2016)
Street Roots • Jan. 15-21, 2016 Editorial Page 3 Write in If you would like / , to have , / something L* \ "■*— — _____ . : that you’ve \ - written published \ \ m our pages, or would tike to get involved a&a member of our reporting staff, contact Managing Editor Joanne Zohl at , 503228 5657.ioanne@streetroots.org We ask that all submissions include the author’s name and contact information, if available, ; . Street Roots 211 NW Davis S t Portland. OR 97209 503-228-5657 Fax; 503-227-3117 ' . . . www.streetroots.org www.news.streetroots.org Hours: 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Fri.. 7:30 a.m.-2p.m. Sat. and 7:30-11 a.m. Sun. House Speaker TinaK otek addresses a Jan. 9 forum o f Portland residents, advocates and lawmakers about the state’s housing crisis. PH O T O C OURTESY O F W E L C O M E H O M E C O A L IT IO N State measures essential to ending housing crisis It’s not just Portland experiencing a housing crisis. Many communities throughout Oregon are facing a severe affordable housing shortage. Add this to rising rents and stagnate wages and thousands of Oregonians across the state, in ;-E5©0.dí;Bugene,HoodRiverandheyond, are,!’'; finding themselves scrambling for .a safe ...., placetocall home. Housing advocates, 1 including-Street Roots, have been calling on the Oregon Legislature to ■ m m h m u m h act in a meaningful way for years. Local governments, including the city of Portland, and the Oregon H otting Alliance are advocating for a menu of important revenueoptions and regulations to give hardworking Oregonians a fighting chance. This year, both Portland and Eugene have led the way by declaring a homeless emergency and working to increase both revenue and regulations to support people having access to housing. Rep.Alissa Keny-Guyer and House Speaker Tina Kotek, both Democrats representing North and Northeast Portland, are leading the charge with a multi-tiered proposal that lawmakers throughout the state need to support. The legislators are asking for $10 million in emergency rent assistance, because the best way to prevent displacement and homelessness is by preventing an eviction in the first place. Emergency rent assistance bridges the gaps, helping people weather a tough financial stretch and rebound. And it is proven to work. According to Home Forward, the local housing authority, the vast majority of families who receive rent assistance remain in their homes long after the assistance ends. The Legislature is also proposing $17.5 million to preserve affordable housing with lottery backed bonds and $5 million to support housing programs by raising the state’s document recording fee. These are ongoing revenue streams that are vital to keeping our state from f ailing further behind. Advocates and legislators are also hoping to pass important regulations on eviction 7 prevention and lifting the ban on inclusionary housing — which would create a clear path for | local govemments to require housing ; - developments to include affordable housing, dregori is one of only two states, along With Texas, where lobbyists succeeded in pushing through a ban on inclusionary zoning, thereby preempting local authority. That was just 16 years ago. Todays we have shortage of a more than 30,000 affordable units in Portland alone, according to the city’s figures. This prohibition has to go if Portland or any other community in Oregon is expected to get ahead of this crisis. All of this isn’t close to being enough, to actually tackle Oregon’s affordable housing crisis. But it’s a start and anything less would be an insult to Oregonians. Gov. Kate Brown should begin working with legislators throughout the state to craft a path forward to standardize investments in affordable housing the same way we invest in the environment, transportation and education. Because without stable, affordable housing, families are financially and personally vulnerable to failure. And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in two renters in Oregon - half of all renters - is already cost burdened from a combination of high rents and loW wages. Without ' significant action at the state level, jt is only going to get worse. X In order to have a healthy Oregon, affordable housing has to remain a top-tier priority. It can be fostered and restored alongside a healthy and vibrant private marketplace for housing statewide. These measures are a positive step forward for all folks in the community. Let your lawmaker know you support a healthy housing environment for everyone. Advertising Interested In advertising in Street Hoots? Contact Israel Bayer at israel@streetroote.org Staff Executive Director Israel Bayer israel@steeeftoote.org M anaging E d ito r Joanne Zuhi joanne@steeeteoote.org Vendor Coordinator Colè Merkel cole@streetroots.org Developm ent D ire c to r Sarah Cloud Operations D ire cto r Sarah Beeeroft P rogram A ssista n t Scott Jackson, Jesuit Volunteer Development A ssista n t Ann-Derrick Gaiilot R epo rte rs Emily Green, SueZaiokar, Ann-Derrick Gaiilot, Sarah Hansell, Leonora Ko P hotographers Diego Diaz, Joe Glode, Ben Brink Editorial A ssista n t Monica Kwasnik C an v asser Desmond Hardison Board of Directors C hairm an Bruce Anderson Vice-Chairm an Brad Taylor T re a s u re r Heather Stadidc S e cre ta ry Amber .Bielman D ire cto rs Rich Rodgers, Michael Anderson, Leo Rhodes, Nora Coon, Darren Alexander, Eddie Barbosa, Rachel Langford, Marcus Swift Volunteers Jan Bayer, John Barker, Stacey Heath, Brian Ritchie, Anders Frederickson, Stephanie Hdum, Anjafi Rathore, Sam Bouman, Joanna Chase, Zoe Klingmann, Haven Herrin, Eiiese Baker, Dan Jones, Rob Shyrock, Tom Ray, Doug Spangle, Susannah Kamala, Jessica Pollard, Lee Ko, Diana Richardson, Cherie Manning, Thomas Buell J r . ' if you are interested in volunteering with Street Roots, please submit a volunteer application at streetroots.org/volunteer. Or call our volunteer coordinator for more information at 503-228-5657.
