AFFORDABLE HOUSING &
TENANT PROTECTIONS
Housing is a basic need and a fundamental human right. Our failure to treat it as such has directly led to our ongoing housing crisis, which was decades in the making. There's no single solution that can make up for past failures while addressing the current housing unaffordability crisis across our region. And we will not solve it without the support of our Regional, State, and Federal partners. This is why I'm continuing to focus on local policy solutions while working with colleagues across the state and throughout the country to develop comprehensive affordable housing policies.
Stabilizing renters, preventing displacement, reducing barriers to housing, incentivizing affordable development in the private market, and increasing investment in permanently affordable housing are my top housing priorities. We've made a lot of progress since 2017, including:
✓ Developed and passed The Mandatory Rental Relocation Ordinance (or "Relo"), which helped stabilize thousands of renters in their homes by requiring landlords who were no-cause or economically evicting tenants to share in the burden of their moving expenses
✓ Developed and passed The Fair Access in Renting (or "FAIR") Ordinance, which lowers multiple barriers to housing and reduces housing discrimination
✓Developed and funded a directive to develop anti-displacement strategies in the City’s 2019 budget
✓Endorsed and championed the Metro Regional Housing Bond, which will create 3900 permanently affordable homes throughout the region
✓Worked closely with the Kenton neighborhood and community advocates to site the Kenton Women's Village, an alternative shelter site which is home to 20 women transitioning out of homelessness
✓Deprioritized enforcement on RVs and tiny homes parked in private driveways to allow homeowners to provide safe sites for people living in them
✓Made major improvements to BDS permitting process (including online applications and plans submitting)
✓Created a small business concierge service to help small developers and community organizations navigate the permitting process
But we're not done! With your support, we can advance a housing justice agenda that affirms housing as a human right, essential to equality and dignity, and indispensable to inclusive and vibrant communities including:
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Passing a Tenants' Bill of Rights
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Establishing a Citywide Anti-Displacement Task Force
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Funding for Universal Eviction Defense
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Establishing a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase program
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Rolling back decades of discriminatory and exclusionary zoning laws to allow all types of housing--ADUs, duplexes, multi-family--in all neighborhoods.
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Creating an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) financing tool which will allow average Portland homeowners to contribute to our housing inventory
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Developing incentives for affordability and accessibility for ADUs
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Supporting development of affordable housing co-ops and Community Land Trusts
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Full funding for the Rental Services Office
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Passing the HereTogether ballot measure to fund homeless servicesext transportation project that will focus on improving pedestrian and cycling opportunities within neighborhoods while decreasing car traffic volumes and speeds on residential streets