Local Leadership Spotlight: Hope Shines Bright in Portland
HUD’s Regional Administrators will be sharing their localized perspectives on Housing Supply. HUD Region X Regional Administrator Margaret Salazar authored the following Portland Business Journal op-ed.
July 21, 2022
On my commute to downtown Portland, I see…hope. Yes, I see tent encampments and too many people forced to live unsheltered. And, like many of you, I struggle to explain to my children that this lack of shelter isn’t normal, it’s unthinkable – even though it is what they have seen their entire lives.
But I also see major progress. In a story that is too often obscured by political blood sport, Portland, and Oregon more broadly, is making incredible strides to expand housing supply. Throughout the state, we are seeing a five-fold increase in annual affordable housing starts compared to just a few years ago. The state is ahead of its goals to create 25,000 affordable homes in five years, and Metro is ahead of schedule for building homes with its $650 million bond measure. We have historic funding to develop affordable housing, we have the will to help people get housed, and we have leaders in every sector working together toward a common goal – to build more homes.
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge knows that the Portland area is on to something. In April, Secretary Fudge visited our region for conversations with affordable housing residents, developers, and community leaders. She applauded work by the state, the City of Portland, and the City of Milwaukie to lift restrictions on zoning to reduce barriers to housing development. She also thanked voters for stepping up to make Metro funding available for construction and supportive services for permanent housing. In Congressional testimony, the Secretary later heralded the recent preservation of the Oak Leaf Mobile Home Park she visited in the Cully neighborhood for its creative use of federal Community Development Block Grants and related to Appropriators the stories she heard from resident leaders.
It’s no secret that homelessness is directly correlated to the lack of housing supply. Our dearth of housing options contributes to spikes in rent and home prices. According to HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research, in the fourth quarter of 2021, home prices in Multnomah County spiked 14%, while rents spiked 9%. In Oregon, we are at the forefront of housing innovation, but we cannot tackle this challenge alone: we need bold federal action. The Biden-Harris Administration is answering the call. In May, the White House released a Housing Supply Action Plan with a dozen legislative, funding and policy proposals to bridge the gap. President Biden is calling for a $50 billion Housing Supply Fund, including $10 billion to help local governments to update zoning and permitting to expedite housing approvals.
On June 1, Secretary Fudge launched her new housing supply initiative, Our Way Home, with a National Day of Action across the nation to highlight housing supply solutions and how local communities are investing the historic resources of the American Rescue Plan to create an array of housing types – rental, homeownership, and supportive homes – with an explicit call for racial equity in how those funds land in our neighborhoods.
None of us can tackle this housing shortage alone. The time is right to partner with the federal government to do more of what works. We need to work together to unlock solutions and open doors. We need to provide housing options for seniors, veterans, and families. We need to combine construction funds with supportive services to help folks retain their homes. We need to create communities of opportunity that address racial inequities created by generations of federal policy. And we need to rise above infighting, quick fixes, and finger pointing and work together on proven solutions.
This is what our community deserves. This is Our Way Home.
To share HUD-funded affordable housing projects, key HUD community partners, or other HUD events to elevate as a model on the Our Way Home blog, please email OurWayHome@hud.gov. Please include a short summary paragraph describing the project and key stakeholders.