Create more affordable housing

Oregon is facing an unprecedented affordable housing and homelessness crisis. It’s going to take state, federal, and local leaders working together to help solve this crisis and to get people into safe, supportive housing. As the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, I’m advocating for individuals and families who are housing-insecure, including the millions of Americans facing eviction or foreclosure.

If we are going to solve our housing crisis, we need to immediately increase the supply of affordable housing. I’ve secured more than $6.25 million in funding this Congress to build hundreds of affordable housing units in NW Oregon. I’m also working to increase funding for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to incentivize the construction of more affordable housing. Access to a living wage job, job training opportunities, and universal health care will also help people who are unhoused. And Congress must increase funding for behavioral health services and addiction treatment, as well as other social safety net programs that support those on the brink of homelessness. With partners in the Biden Administration, I am also working to provide first-time homebuyers with mortgage down payment assistance to help reverse the racist practice of housing discrimination. Equity must be central to expanding access to housing because everyone deserves a safe place to live.