Habitat for Humanity Portland Region advocates at the local, state, and federal levels to protect and expand policies and resources for affordable homeownership and thriving communities.
Here are our advocacy priorities:
HOMES: Build More Affordable Homes for Sale
Each affordable housing development is the result of years of planning, funding applications, and permitting. We know we have too few homes to house our current population in Oregon. Scarcity drives up costs for everyone and is the root cause of our housing crisis. In order to scale up affordable homeownership development, we need:
- Increased state and local funds for land, construction, and housing preservation, including funds dedicated to culturally specific and culturally responsive organizations and communities
- Funds that are dedicated to affordable homeownership
- Reliable funding that we can count on and plan for year after year
PEOPLE: Equitable Access to Homeownership
Homeownership eliminates the stress of a pending eviction, another move, or financial hardship. That level of stability is proven to lead to better health, better educational outcomes, the chance to build community, and long-term financial stability. With rising interest rates and housing costs, homeownership is farther and farther out of reach for communities that have been most impacted by racist and unjust housing practices and policies. In order to afford a home, our families, friends, and neighbors need:
- Increased down payment and mortgage assistance, housing counseling, and access to Individual Development Accounts (IDAs or matched savings programs)
- Targeted funds that seek to close the homeownership gap for communities of color
- Property tax exemptions to increase the purchasing power of households with lower incomes
- Resources for critical repairs so that homeowners on a fixed budget can afford to maintain their homes, age in place, or accommodate a disability
LAND: Inclusive Land Use
From racist covenants to redlining, single-family zoning to urban renewal, land use policies tell the story of how our urban and suburban landscapes came to be; who has benefited and who is left out. Local policies that promote affordable housing development can help to foster, nourish, and preserve diverse identities and lived experiences in our neighborhoods. In order to share land equitably and sustainably, we need:
- Mixed-income communities and housing density near jobs, schools, cultural and religious spaces, basic necessities, parks and transportation
- Eliminated fees attached to affordable housing (such as System Development Charges)
- A streamlined and faster permitting process
- Policies to incentivize condo and middle housing production
- Creative and intentional strategies to make vacant, underutilized, and publicly owned land available for affordable housing development
COMMUNITY: Housing for Thriving & Diverse Communities
Real estate in our region generates a windfall of wealth for some, mostly White families, while Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) households have scrambled to keep up with skyrocketing rents and are increasingly closed out of homeownership. Housing pressures are displacing communities of color and threatening the connections necessary for cultural identities to survive and thrive. Our communities need:
- Increased affordable housing of all types, including permanent supportive housing, accessible housing, housing that can accommodate intergenerational families as well as individuals, and affordable homes both for sale and for rent
- Community investments that center the needs and voices of those historically marginalized by directing tax increment finance (TIF) funds to stabilize and preserve diverse and inclusive neighborhoods
Get involved
Join the movement. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter today to stay up-to-date on Habitat happenings or donate now to make an immediate impact in the lives of your neighbors.
Advocacy stories
- Oregon’s past may hold the key for future homeowners
In 2023, Washington State authorized a landmark study into its role in housing discrimination and the racial gap in homeownership that… Read more: Oregon’s past may hold the key for future homeowners - State of the State’s Housing report calls for urgent action to address the growing crisis
Oregon’s lack of affordable housing isn’t new, but the degree to which it is increasingly unaffordable to live in this state… Read more: State of the State’s Housing report calls for urgent action to address the growing crisis - Lasting affordability and community land trusts
Portland recently passed its first Housing Production Strategy, with a goal to create more than 120,000 units by 2045 to meet… Read more: Lasting affordability and community land trusts - In memory of the starter home
Starter homes – modest in size and price – used to be a gateway for first-time homebuyers to begin building equity… Read more: In memory of the starter home - The state of housing in the midst of a crisis
Homeownership’s connection to economic stability, improved educational outcomes and better health is well documented. But amid an unprecedented housing crisis, homeownership… Read more: The state of housing in the midst of a crisis - Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for housing justice
In the final years of his life, Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy was already cemented with his leadership in the Civil… Read more: Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for housing justice