Ways and Means acknowledges a package of housing reports covering eviction prevention, shelter funding, Article 11Q bond use and Housing Infrastructure Fund
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Summary
The committee acknowledged several housing-focused reports: $44.6 million in eviction and homelessness prevention funding guidance, shelter system funding recommendations tied to a $204.9 million budget note with a $31,000 per bed-year cap, a report on using Article 11Q bonds for preservation with constitutional limits, and Housing Infrastructure Fund awards from a $10 million lottery bond pool.
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 20 acknowledged multiple reports from the Housing and Community Services Department and the Oregon Business Development Department addressing eviction prevention, shelter funding, bond financing for preservation and Housing Infrastructure Fund awards.
Eviction and homelessness prevention: Representative Gomberg summarized recommendations tied to 'house bill 50 11' and the 2025 legislatively adopted budget, which includes $44,600,000 for eviction and homelessness prevention. The agency recommends service providers dedicate at least 70% of their allocation to direct financial assistance for eligible households and cap program delivery and administrative costs at no more than 30%. The agency also recommended follow-up measures to track housing retention, identification of at-risk populations, and policies to address households repeatedly accessing prevention resources. Recommendations would be fully implemented by the 2027–29 biennium.
Shelter system funding: The agency presented a budget strategy developed in response to a budget note directing recommendations for $204,900,000 in statewide shelter system funding for the 2025–27 budget. Among the recommendations were a proposed maximum annual state allocation of no more than $31,000 per bed-year, a 15% administrative expense cap, maintenance-of-effort requirements, and performance metrics focused on exits from shelter to permanent housing. The agency said it may require a demonstration that non-agency funds cover 20% of aggregate shelter costs and plans to select regional shelter coordinators in early 2026 with implementation of recommendations when shelter program funds are allocated for the 2027–29 biennium.
Article 11Q bonds for preservation: Representative Gomberg described the constitutional constraints on using Article 11Q general obligation bonds for preservation—state ownership interest, first-lien position, and tenant income restrictions—and said the agency sees preservation uses such as acquisitions of properties with expiring affordability covenants, manufactured housing park acquisitions to enable tenant cooperatives or nonprofit ownership, and rehabilitations tied to full refinancing. The agency indicated it would need 12–18 months to develop program rules and a dedicated staff position to operate the program.
Housing Infrastructure Fund awards: Senator McLean summarized a report on awards made from a Housing Infrastructure Fund created in 'House Bill 3,031' and funded with $10,000,000 in lottery bonds. The agency received 31 applications and recommended 11 projects expected to be complete by 2029, with allocations roughly described in the report by community size categories.
Responses and concerns: A committee member expressed frustration at the pace of housing results in their district, urging stronger action. Representative Smith said allocations omit very small frontier counties (Wheeler, Gilliam, Sherman) and urged greater equity for those communities; Senator Gerard and Senator Anderson traded concerns about debt classification and the relative cost-effectiveness of preservation versus new construction.
Outcome: The committee recorded no objections and acknowledged receipt of the housing reports; the transcript records acknowledgment votes for the eviction prevention report, the Article 11Q report, the shelter system funding report, and the Housing Infrastructure Fund report.
