The Housing Alliance Update & Announcements is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date about everything the Housing Alliance is doing to win in 2008 - and how you can get involved!

New Funding for Preservation Moves Closer to Passage!

On Wednesday, the Ways and Means Committee discussed adding $1 million in General Fund into the omnibus budget reconciliation bill (SB 5556). The $1 million General Fund will be matched by $1 million that the Department of Housing and Community Services has identified from their resources to make the $2 million we need to start the Housing Acquisition Fund. This is an essential tool to save affordable homes across the state.

SB 5556 will be heard again in Ways and Means late Thursday afternoon, and is expected to pass out of committee.

This is great news for housing advocates in such a difficult budget period. Many legislative champions worked very hard to make this happen, most notably Senator Betsy Johnson, Senator Kurt Schrader, and Representative Mary Nolan.

Also on Wednesday, HB 3619A passed out of Senate Revenue with an additional $4 million (annual) cap in the Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit. This complements the Housing Acquisition Fund by creating new capacity for state tax credits to help make the long term financing of preservation possible. This bill was introduced at the request of the state Housing Council.

Both bills are expected to move quickly as the Legislature wraps up its business. This is a remarkable achievement -- and a testament to how concerned legislators from all parts of the state are about housing needs and issues. The overwhelming support for action on housing has been remarkable. We applaud YOU, our grassroots network, for cementing this victory.

For more information about joining the Housing Alliance please visit our website at http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/joinus.html.

Want more information on the Housing Alliance?  Go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org.
For a full archive of Housing Alliance Weekly Updates, go to http://www.oregonhousingalliance.org/updates_archive.html

For information on the 2007 legislative session, click here.
For information on the 2005 Legislative Session, click here.

Please email or call us with questions or ideas for how we can best keep you informed. Contact Amy Fauver or Michael Anderson.