The Housing Alliance

2012 Housing Opportunity Agenda

Download a copy of our 2012 Housing Opportunity Agenda here.

The Housing Alliance knows that we all have a stake in addressing the problems our communities and neighbors are facing as a result of the recession. In Oregon, we believe in protecting those most impacted by the economic downturn. Housing gives people an opportunity to build better lives, and our communities are better and stronger when we and our neighbors can afford to pay rent and still have money left over for food or medicine. We’re asking the Legislature to take the following actions in 2012:

Protect Basic Services for Oregonians - We need to maintain life saving services to Oregonians. The Emergency Housing Account, Shelter Assistance Program payments, and the General Fund Food Program should be spared across-the-board cuts. These programs meet the basic needs of Oregonians with low incomes, helping them maintain or access housing, emergency shelter and food to feed their families.

Preserve Existing Affordable Housing – In 2011, the Legislature allocated $5 million in Lottery Backed Bonds to fund the continued effort to preserve existing subsidized housing in all corners of Oregon, helping to ensure that some of the thousands of Oregonians with very low incomes who are living in apartments with federal rent subsidy could continue to live in those homes. The need is still great; we cannot afford to lose these homes and the federal rent subsidies that come with them. We need an additional $5 million in Lottery Backed Bonds to prevent loss of homes.

Ensure Effective Recordation of Affordable Housing Covenants—When public funds are used to purchase affordable housing, the property should remain in the affordable housing stock.  The affordability requirements that attach to the property should be recorded in the public record. However, because of the complexity of affordability documents, recording errors are often made during property transfers.  This bill would provide greater consistency of property records and protect the long-term affordability of housing by allowing the recording of a Master affordability document in the public record that could be incorporated by reference during future transactions. (Support) (SB 1535)

Protect Homeowners Facing Foreclosure – Homeowners facing the loss of their homes need clear and accurate information about their rights, obligations and the foreclosure process. Where possible, alternatives to foreclosure ought to be fairly considered. When there is no viable alternative, the foreclosure process ought to be conducted with adequate notice and transparent process. The Housing Alliance supports:

  • Mediation to stop preventable foreclosures – Mediation should be required before finalization of a foreclosure, to provide homeowners and lenders the opportunity to make timely decisions regarding alternatives to foreclosure.
  • Dual-track protection – Homeowners should be protected from foreclosure during the time they are actively engaged in loan modification or loss mitigation negotiations. Loss mitigation negotiations ought to be fair and transparent.
  • Servicer standards – Loan servicers should adhere to basic minimum standards of good faith and fair dealing, and should be held accountable for violations of those standards.

Support the extension of the sunset for the Farmworker Housing Tax Credit until 2020, maintaining this key tool for housing development serving Oregon’s agricultural workers and communities. (Support)

Protect Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This program provides subsistence level support to families with children and very low or no incomes to help them survive. We need to protect this program from additional devastating cuts and make key investments to improve the program so that parents can return to employment, participate in substance abuse or mental health treatment, or access disability benefits. (Support)

Fix problems with the Senior & Disabled Property Tax Deferral program to help low-income seniors and people with disabilities stay in their homes. Along with HSCO, the Housing Alliance believes that HB 2543 (2011) had unintended consequences. We recommend grandparenting a number of former participants who were removed due to having reverse mortgages or because they moved in the last five years. We also support long term solutions to keep people stable in their homes who would otherwise be displaced because of lack of resources. (Support)

Questions? Contact Janet Byrd at jbyrd@neighborhoodpartnerships.org or Alison McIntosh at amcintosh@neighborhoodpartnerships.org.