In a panel discussion on homelessness with local leaders on Friday, August 10, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Director Andrea Bell outlined and defended what the state is doing to prevent and end homelessness.

“We are continuing to focus on supply, supply, supply—supply of affordable housing,” she said at the annual Oregon Mayors Association Summer Conference. “We don’t have enough affordable housing and haven’t had enough for a very long time. We also need to open up that stock of affordable housing by opening up pathways to homeownership. At the same time, we need to focus on preservation of affordable housing.”

Accompanied on the panel by North Bend Mayor Jessica Engelke and Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall, who provided their own cities’ experiences and efforts, Bell emphasized the importance of partnership between leaders on the state and local level.

“We’ve been able to make some collective strides,” Bell said. “It’s not just because of the state. It is primarily because of the partnerships we have with leaders, with leaders like yourselves, with leaders of these communities who are actually doing this work on the ground.”

Permanent supportive housing is one area where OHCS says that progress is being made. In 2019, OHCS set out to increase the number of new units by 1,000 by 2023.

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"Working with local governments to fund and build navigation centers is another way these partnerships have worked to get things done. It is these innovative solutions that have proven to be—and will continue to be—real solutions and pathways to help get people out of unsheltered homelessness and into permanent homeownership", Bell said.

Although the Oregon Housing and Community Services agency insists that progress has been made, critics are saying there is still much to be done.

“We are here today because we do not accept homelessness is a fact of life; we do not accept housing instability as a fact of life,” Bell said. “And so that’s great.”

In addition to preparing to ask the Legislature for $800 million in funding for the 2023-25 biennium to sustain homeless services and eviction prevention, among its other programs, OHCS says they will continue to listen for feedback from local governments. Observers of the situation remain skeptical of the efforts.

“The reality is that at the end of the day, our job, our responsibility is to the people of Oregon and to all of you to have what you need from us.”, stated Director Bell, who was appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2022-08-20 17:26:27

Last Update: 2022-08-20 17:56:15