Oregon Housing & Community Services (OHCS)

On May 29, Fair Housing Council of Oregon is hosting a training on “Fair Housing Basics.” Concepts covered include protected classes, red flags of discrimination, and disparate impact. Plus, there will be info on protections for people with disabilities, including how to write Reasonable Accommodation and Modification Requests. Don’t miss out! The training starts at 10am and lasts 2 hours. Register here: t.ly/Fqcow

Last week, Director Bell participated on a panel at the Oregon Alliance Panel. This event brought together organizations that serve children, youth, and families. At the panel, Director Bell got to talk about the recent launch of our co-location fund aimed at expanding access to early childhood education. These funds will help bring early childhood education providers to affordable housing developments, either onsite or nearby. The goal of the fund is to create or preserve 600 of these slots across Oregon. To learn more about the co-location fund and our recent partnership with BuildUp Oregon, visit t.ly/Q9qoY. Thank you to the Summit for having us!

Another critical #ARHRole is resident services. This one might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about who plays a part in affordable rental housing, but they’re essential to helping communities thrive. So, what do they do? 👔 Connects tenants to resources such as food, transport, jobs, counseling, and more 👋 Helps tenants approach property management 📋 Helps with eviction prevention and connects tenants to legal aid ☀️ Additional support for tenants to reach their full potential and thrive Learn more about affordable housing roles and responsibilities at t.ly/z7s_g.

OHCS staff at a booth for the Southern Oregon Coast Housing Summit. We're grateful to participate and connect with the community on regional housing solutions 🏘️ If you're still at the summit, come say hi!

As part of the $23 million in LIFT awards that were recently announced, $4 million is going to SISTERS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY to help build 24 new units of affordable housing. $10 million in total is going towards projects in Central Oregon. "It's a wide swath of people that are stuck in that scenario where they cannot afford to buy a house. We're going to make that opportunity available to these vital members of our community," Peter Hoover, executive director of Sisters Habitat for Humanity, said Thursday. Article: t.ly/qvbUf

ICYMI, the Homeowner Assistance and Reconstruction Program (HARP) is OPEN! If your home was damaged or destroyed in the 2020 Labor Day disasters and you still need to rebuild, fill out an Eligibility Questionnaire at re.oregon.gov to see if you qualify. HARP supports low- and moderate-income homeowners who still need to repair, rebuild, or replace their homes. 2020 Labor Day disasters included the Almeda, Archie Creek, Beachie Creek, Echo Mountain, Holiday Farm, Lionshead, Riverside and South Obenchain fires.

OHCS has announced the approval of almost $23 million to create 157 new homes for homeownership across the state. 30% of the projects will be in rural communities. 10 developments will receive funding from this round of awards, with locations in Newberg, Sisters, Medford, Hood River, Redmond, Gresham, and Corvallis. "Even in this tough economy, our imperative is to continue fighting to ensure that Oregonians can still realize the dream of homeownership,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. Read more at t.ly/fLJL1.

Renters play a big role in the places they call home. Responsibilities of renters typically includes: 🏠 Takes care of the home, keeps it clean, sanitary, and free from damage, and disposes of garbage 🧯 Ensures smoke alarms are working and maintains any appliances in the home 🚮 Follows guidelines & takes care of community spaces 📢 Raises issues and needs to the property manager For a full list of who’s responsible for what when it comes to affordable rental housing, visit t.ly/z7s_g.

Last weekend, we got to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Talent Mobile Estates, a housing community in Southern Oregon that will feature 87 homes for wildfire survivors. Thank you to CASA of Oregon, Coalición Fortaleza, and all the partners that made this project a reality! We're excited for the community and look forward to the grand opening celebration in the future.

OHCS is moving into the next phase of the Homeowner Assistance and Reconstruction Program (HARP) after receiving nearly 800 eligibility questionnaires from survivors of the 2020 Labor Day disasters. This is an important milestone only made possible because of the partnership of local organizations. ReOregon, an OHCS program, launched HARP at the end of March to help homeowners with low to moderate incomes who still need assistance to repair, rebuild, or replace their homes in the wake of the disasters. For the full press release and more info on this next phase of HARP, visit t.ly/HEooP.