Share your support for investments in housing opportunity!
This week begins the OHCS Budget Hearings – it’s about four days of committee hearings on HB 5512, which is the OHCS budget as it is included in the Governor’s budget. This is our opportunity for advocates to testify. We need to share support for important parts of the budget, and help Legislators understand how resources create housing opportunity in our communities.
On Monday, March 25th, the Committee will hold one day of public testimony. Written testimony will be accepted until Wednesday, March 27th at 3 pm.
Written testimony:
Send your letter to: jwmtr.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.
Address your letter to:
Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development
Attention: Co-Chair Manning, Co-Chair Gomberg, and Members of the Committee.
Open your letter by stating the name of your organization and that you are writing to support SB 5512.
Next, share your organization’s mission and the geographic area that you serve. Then, share one or two sentences about who your organization serves in your community, and the work your organization does to help create housing opportunity.
Now, share a value statement about why you do this work. For example: “At (organization name), we believe everyone deserves a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.”
Share one (only one!) statistic or data point about the housing needs in your community.
Now it’s time to get into the details:
- Share with the Committee what you’re advocating for. Here are the things that you could advocate on that will be discussed or included in the budget:
- Additional resources to support preventing or ending homelessness, through investments in the Emergency Housing Account and State Homeless Assistance Program, or investments in ending homelessness for children and families;
- Additional resources to support investments to assist renters in the private market.
- Additional resources to support developing new affordable rental homes.
- Additional resources to maintain affordable housing.
- Additional resources to support developing new affordable homes for sale.
- Share a little bit about your expertise related to the issue you’re advocating for, and why you know you could make a difference with more resources:
- How many people or families does your organization serve? Have you built affordable rental homes, or do you provide rental assistance? Help paint a picture for how we can solve these problems in our community by sharing your organization’s work and success.
- What has it meant for the families you serve to have housing stability?
- What changes have you seen for families who have access to housing stability? Has it impacted their financial stability? Their educational outcomes? Their health outcomes? Share a story about why a stable home impacts these areas of people’s lives?
- Does your organization have a waiting list for the services you are advocating for? How long is that waiting list?
- If you had more resources, what could you do with them?
- Help the Committee to understand that you can create housing opportunities to individuals, families, and communities, if you had more resources.
Last, it’s time for the ask:
- Ask for their support of your priority issue. If you need a guide, here is what the Housing Alliance is requesting or supporting (Pick one that relates to the subject of your letter):
- $50 million in on-going funds for the Emergency Housing Account and State Homeless Assistance Program;
- $20.5 million to support preventing and ending homelessness specifically for children and families;
- $20 million to support renters in private market rental housing to access information, legal assistance, and hotline services (among other supports);
- $200 million to develop new affordable homes across Oregon (80% to affordable rental homes, 20% to affordable homes for sale);
- $100 million to preserve existing affordable rental housing; or
- $1.24 million to help people access foreclosure counseling.
- Share what you think the impact of this investment might be. How would these resources help your community? What would you be able to build, or who would you serve? How would individuals, families, and communities benefit from this type of investment?
- Share your support for the Department’s request for increased staffing in order to ensure work happens smoothly. Their staffing request isn’t a general fund request – it’s just what is called “position authority”, to give them the ability to hire more staff. We all know how critical it is to have programs that are adequately supported.
- Remind the Committee what it means to have a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.
Close your letter by thanking the Committee for their attention and for their service.
Remember to sign your name, and submit your letter by Wednesday, March 27th at 3 pm to: jwmtr.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.