Flipping like prime condo real estate, the Oregon GOP withdrew its support of an affordable housing bill, leaving it dead in the water for this legislative session.
It was a bill that would have directed $20 million annually in new money toward affordable housing — the biggest commitment from the state in many years. It would have created a sustainable income source through a surcharge on existing document recording fees, raising them from $10 to $25. That would have been about $124 on a house worth around $250,000. And it could have helped tens of thousands of renters and homeowners gasping for air in the inflated housing market.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
In a virtually unified rally against the poor, House Republicans voted to defeat the measure, citing everything from the burden of an additional charge to homeowners, to retaliation for Democrat-backed transportation projects. Not to mention the fact that it falls right in line with the party’s success in killing proposals to tax beer, cigarettes and corporations to support children's health insurance, state police and higher education. This time, however, it reeks not only of partisan politics as usual, but straight-up class warfare.
But in the spirit of unification and support, we will take a moment to applaud the two solitary Republicans who bucked the GOP caucus and voted, along with all the House Democrats, to support the funding. To Reps. Patti Smith of Corbett and Chuck Burley of Bend, thank you for not playing politics with the lives of low-income renters. Thank you for recognizing that a stable home is the foundation for a strong family, health, education, employment and opportunity.
Thank you for not pandering to party interests and instead listening to the majority of Oregonians who say housing affordability is a top concern regarding community development. That’s according to a recent survey by the Oregon Progress Board. Spending no more than 30 percent of a household’s income on housing is the federal government’s benchmark for affordability. But in Oregon, 82 percent of lower income renters are spending more than the 30 percent of their income on housing. Nearly half of all low-income homeowners in Oregon (those making below the state median income) are in the same situation. Simply put, one in five people in Oregon can’t afford their housing. The bottleneck for affordable housing is causing an overflow to the streets, where the state homeless population now includes an estimated 15,000 youths.
For more than a decade, affordable housing advocates have tried to secure a steady stream of funding for housing, and in that time the cost of housing in Portland has soared, leaving salaries and wages behind. Once-affordable apartments have been flipped into high-priced condominiums. Federal funding grants to preserve affordable housing are expiring, putting prime real estate on the market for higher rates.
The matter of funding falls on the states and local governments because the federal government has washed its hands of providing housing for the poor. If the administration is demanding that state and local bodies pick up the slack for its own short-sighted policies, then our lawmakers in Washington should let the people in Salem in on the plan. If Salem lawmakers are too weak, then let the push come from our senators and representatives in Washington to establish a sustainable funding stream to ensure affordable housing in our communities. This buck has been passed one too many times.
