June 10, 2009
The Housing Alliance Update & Announcements is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date about everything the Housing Alliance is doing to win in 2009 — and how you can get involved!
We're in the final stretch of the 2009 Legislative Session!
Leadership plans to close the session by June 30th, now less than three weeks away.
Advocates for affordable housing have done a great job this session keeping housing needs at the top of the Legislature's to-do list in spite of the many competing needs and issues. We have a lot to celebrate, and a few items still to accomplish in this last twenty days.
Read on for a recap of what we have to celebrate, and what remains to be done.
To Celebrate:
2009 Housing Opportunity Agenda
- Housing Opportunity Bill (Document Recording fee)
- Housing and Community Services Budget Fares Relatively Well
- SB 952 Protects Tenants During Foreclosures
Still To Do:
Remaining 2009 Housing Opportunity Agenda Items
- SB 5535 -- Lottery Backed Bonds to Save Affordable Housing
- SB 199 to expand the Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit
- EITC expansion for working families
But first, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on our experiences this session. There have been a lot of especially rewarding moments, but there's a recurring theme.
When a small group of advocates formed the Housing Alliance in 2004, we had three main goals.
First, we wanted to increase ongoing resources available to meet the growing need for affordable housing.
Second, we wanted to move housing up the priority list for at least some legislators, from number eight or nine to up among the top three.
And, third, we wanted to build a cadre of housing champions in the legislature - representatives and senators who understood the needs for affordable housing in their districts and who cared enough about those needs to do some work on the issue.
Our success this session is directly attributable to having accomplished the third goal. We've done such a solid job of educating legislators about the issue that it's hard to winnow the list down to a top ten or even a top twenty champions. On Lobby Day, March 13th, we delivered "Housing Champion" awards and "Housing Advocate" awards to more than forty legislators. And believe me, they had all earned the recognition, not just by voting to support Housing Opportunity, but by going out of their way to bring another legislator along, to speak out in committee or on the floor, and to dig deeply into the details of the issue and build their own passion for making housing opportunity a reality.
The credit for these housing champions belongs to all of you. If you've made a visit to a legislator, shared a story, invited a representative to a project opening, written an email, had a conversation, written a letter to the editor, or done anything else to bring home the fact that housing needs exist in every corner of the state, you should feel good about the results of that effort. Even if your representative didn't vote with us, believe me it's made a difference. The other thing I noticed this session is that even our "opponents" are supporters. Their statements typically began with "We all know that everyone needs a safe decent place to live," or "I support affordable housing."
So - read on, because we're not quite done for this year. And, stay involved, because 2011 is just around the corner.
To celebrate: 2009 Housing Opportunity Agenda Partially Achieved
A Dedicated Revenue Source for Affordable Housing!
The Housing Opportunity Bill (HB 2436) was passed in February, and signed by the Governor in March. It will raise an estimated $15.2 million in 2009-2011. The funds will be divided between priority uses according to a formula set in statute: 70% to multi-family and strategic uses, 6% to build partner strategic capacity statewide, 10% to the Emergency Housing Account, and 14% to homeownership.
The law takes effect on the 91st day after session adjourns, and funds will be transferred to Housing and Community Services quarterly after that. Administrative rulemaking will be required for several parts of the law. We expect that rulemaking will begin not too long after session ends. It is a public process, and the Housing Alliance intends to stay engaged in the process.
Housing and Community Services Budget: Relatively Strong
The Housing and Community Services Budget has now been passed by both chambers. HCS programs sustained some cuts, though proportionally fewer than many agencies. The biggest cut is to the Emergency Housing Account, though that cut was made with the understanding that the funds will be replaced by the Housing Opportunity Bill revenues. Some cuts were made to the state homeless assistance program, and the general fund contribution to the Homeownership Assistance Account was eliminated, though it will also be made up by Housing Opportunity Bill revenues.
There was much agonizing on the part of the sub-committee members about the cuts to homelessness programs in particular, when the state one-night homeless count numbers had just been released showing a 37 percent increase in homelessness from 2008 to 2009.
Cuts to the Housing and Community Services General Fund Budget:
Emergency Housing Account (to be replaced by Housing Opportunity Bill -- Document Recording Fee) |
(1,600,000) |
State Homeless Assistance Program |
(171,358) |
Homeownership Assistance Program (to be replaced by Housing Opportunity Bill -- Document Recording Fee) |
(842,468) |
The budget bill as passed also authorized Housing and Community Services to receive and spend federal stimulus funds. As part of the process, HCS detailed staff changes occurring as a result of budget shifts and changes to funded programs. In line with an agreement reached in principle between HCS and the Housing Alliance early in the session, the Housing Opportunity Bill is funding only staff positions related to the expenditure and monitoring of those new resources. This is 8 positions, totaling just under 5 FTE.
While HCS has lost some core, permanent staff positions as fee and bond revenues have declined in the last several years, stimulus funds and the associated program management requirements mean the Department will be adding some staff positions back into the budget to accomplish the programs' goals. Most of these are limited duration jobs.
Protecting Tenants in Foreclosed Properties: SB 942
The Housing Alliance supported SB 942, which was passed in early June. We were pleased to lend our support to this effort, which successfully increased notice requirements and the rights of tenants living in properties which are in foreclosure. We're especially pleased by the provision that tenants can apply past rent and security deposit payments to current rent once they know foreclosure proceedings have begun. This allows tenants time to accumulate rent and deposits required for a move, and will reduce the threat of homelessness as a result of foreclosures.
2009 Housing Opportunity Agenda --
Still To Do!
SB 5535: Funds to preserve existing affordable housing and manufactured home parks.
These funds are contained in SB 5535, which allocates lottery revenues. SB 5535 contains $19.4 million in Lottery Backed Bonds to save affordable housing.
- Preservation -- $16.3 million
- Manufactured Home Parks -- $3.1 million
SB 5535 is being considered by the Capital Construction Sub Committee of Ways and Means. If you haven't yet voiced your support for this important bill, it's not too late! Let your Senator or Representative know that we need to preserve existing affordable housing and keep folks in their homes!
Sub-Committee members are:
- Sen. Peter Courtney, Co-Chair
- Rep. Larry Galizio, Co-Chair
- Sen. Margaret Carter
- Sen. Betsy Johnson
- Sen. David Nelson
- Sen. Jackie Winters
- Rep. Bill Garrard
- Rep. Dave Hunt
- Rep. Bob Jenson
- Rep. Nancy Nathanson
- Rep. Chuck Riley
SB 199: Increase to the Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit Cap
SB 199 contains an increase to the cap on the Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit. Increasing this cap will have very little impact on 2009-2011 biennium revenues, estimated at only $300,000, but it would help keep the preservation pipeline flowing.
This issue may become part of a larger tax credit omnibus bill. The current bill has passed Senate Finance and Revenue and has been heard by the Transportation & Economic Development Subcommittee of Ways and Means.
If you haven't weighed in on this issue with your Senator or Representative, please do. Every bit of extra push at the end counts!
We'll keep you posted these final days of the session, and we'll be in touch again as rulemaking begins on the Housing Opportunity Bill.
Expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit
The Housing Alliance has joined the Oregonians for Working Families Coalition in calling for an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Visit their website for more information about the proposals, to join the coalition, or to get updates directly.
The state's budget shortfall has made the EITC expansion especially difficult, but the coalition is continuing to push for a commitment to the expansion, if not in this biennium perhaps in the next.
One final note:
We here at Neighborhood Partnerships have changed our name, and updated our website. We've added a news and blog section - please check it out to see what's going on in our part of the world!
When even your opponents carry your message, you know you've gotten your point across. Yes, everyone does deserve a safe decent place to call home. And together, we've made that vision more of a reality.
Need talking points? Click here.
Also, click here for data for your local area on housing costs.
For more information about joining the Housing Alliance please visit our website at http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/joinus.html.
Want more information on the Housing Alliance? Go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org.
For a full archive of Housing Alliance Weekly Updates, go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/updates_archive.html
For information on the 2007 legislative session, click here.
For information on the 2005 Legislative Session, click here.
Please email or call us with questions or ideas for how we can best keep you informed. Contact Janet Byrd or Michael Anderson.
