The housing crisis is impacting communities across the state of Oregon. Multnomah County reported last week that 80 people impacted by homelessness died on the streets of Portland in 2016. Meanwhile rural Oregon is experiencing its worst housing crisis in a generation, and Central Oregon’s rental market makes it increasingly difficult for people to find safe and affordable housing. As we highlighted this week, high housing costs can also contribute to food insecurity, an issue that impacts 194,070 children across the state.
Non-profit organizations are working to expand available affordable housing, but that alone can’t solve this issue. State Representative Allisa Keny-Guyner (D-Portland) argued earlier this month that housing should be a core responsibility of government. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler seems to agree, tweeting that U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson should step aside if he doesn’t believe that government can be part of the solution to the housing crisis. Portland has recently decided to subsidize the construction of 203 low- and super-low-rent apartments on the Southwest Waterfront, as well as 200–300 affordable apartments on Southeast 30th Avenue and Southeast Powell Blvd.