Committee hears trio of homeownership bills aiming to boost affordable and middle‑income ownership

The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness heard three related bills Wednesday intended to expand access to homeownership in Oregon: House Bill 3,090 to fund the Homeownership Development Incubator Program (HDIP) and predevelopment grants; House Bill 3,507 to adjust down payment assistance administered through culturally responsive organizations; and House Bill 2,698 to set and track a statewide homeownership goal.

Supporters said the three measures form a complementary package to increase production of permanently affordable for‑sale homes, scale down payment assistance and create measurable statewide targets to close racial and income gaps in homeownership.

Representative Levy introduced HB 3,090 and yielded time to development and nonprofit partners. Gerry Amaris, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of the Mid Willamette Valley, said HDIP funding allowed his organization to increase production and "maximize resources, facilitating the future construction of 14 additional homes in both Marion and Polk County." Carl Tingley of Rooted Homes, a Central Oregon community land trust, told the committee that predevelopment funding is critical to advance rural and smaller projects, estimating a roughly $2 million funding gap for a 24-home Prineville project without HDIP support.

Representative Vanessa Hartman presented HB 3,507, the down payment assistance bill, and described the program’s counseling and education components for first‑time buyers, saying the program helps people who otherwise would not be mortgage‑ready. Karen Sachs of DevNW and other service providers told the committee their clients now typically need $35,000–$40,000 in assistance to purchase a home in many Oregon markets.

Jill Gray from Oregon Housing Services (OHS) told the committee that the substantive changes in HB 3,507 could be implemented administratively by OHS and that the agency would convene a partner work group before the end of the session to develop implementation details. "We can do everything that's in House Bill 3,507 without legislation," Gray said.

Rep. Ricky Ruiz’s office and other witnesses supported HB 2,698, which would set a statutory statewide homeownership goal and require the Housing and Community Services Department to track progress. Supporters including Housing Oregon and CASA of Oregon argued that establishing measurable goals and coordinating funding—HDIP, targeted down payment assistance, technical assistance for smaller developers and LIFT homeownership tools—would focus state resources and help close the racial homeownership gap.

Witnesses urged the committee to fund HDIP and down payment assistance and to adopt a clear statewide objective so programs can be aligned. Several proponents emphasized the need to continue funding and expand predevelopment grants, especially to move projects in rural counties where costs are similar but area median incomes are lower.

The committee closed the hearings on the three bills with no committee votes taken that day; OHS committed to convene a partner work group regarding down payment assistance.