Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) released the draft Breaking New Ground: the OHCS Statewide Housing Plan, a five-year look at the agency’s priorities, goals, and strategies in ensuring a stable and affordable housing landscape. Drafted after combining robust statewide outreach and partner input sessions with quantitative data analysis, the document reflects what is needed to address the housing and service needs of both rural and urban communities across Oregon. OHCS will seek feedback over the course of the next month to clarify strategies and strengthen the Plan.

“There is no single solution that can solve the housing crisis in Oregon, but together, we are making progress,” said Governor Kate Brown. “The new Statewide Housing Plan, driven by Oregon Housing and Community Services, will serve as our roadmap to make sure more Oregonians have a safe, affordable place to call home.”

The Plan was crafted after over forty listening sessions and community focus groups across the state, from Klamath Falls to Ontario to Tillamook. We spoke with a variety of Oregon communities each facing unique challenges with unique assets at their disposal. The Plan identifies six priorities with corresponding goals and strategies. The full Plan and a summary document are available online.

“This Plan will guide us as we pave the way to opportunity for Oregonians struggling to find or keep stable housing,” said OHCS Director Margaret Salazar. “Around the state, we have seen unprecedented engagement and leadership on housing issues from Governor Kate Brown to our local elected officials. I am thankful for their commitment to this issue and the long-term partnership OHCS has with local organizations and governments across the state – we cannot do this work alone.”

Over the next month, OHCS will solicit feedback on the strategies laid out in the Plan. Director Margaret Salazar will be releasing a video interview later this month, ahead of five public meetings to introduce the draft plan and seek feedback on the strategies. The five meeting dates and locations are listed below.

  • La Grande – November 29th 1 PM – 3 PM at Cook Memorial Library
  • Eugene – December 10th 10 AM -12 PM at a location to be determined
  • Redmond – December 11th 12 PM – 1 PM at Redmond City Hall
    • Part of the Housing For All meeting
    • Forest Grove – December 11th 1 PM – 3 PM at Forest Grove City Hall
    • Newport – December 13th 1 PM – 3 PM at Oregon Coast Community College

Additional details about the Statewide Housing Plan, including details about 2017 outreach and county profiles, are available online.