Source: Oregon.gov/OHCS/
Housing Stability Council approves sending disaster recovery Action Plan to HUD, funding for land purchases
On June 3, the Oregon State Housing Stability Council took several vital steps in the agency’s continued efforts to support recovery for survivors of the 2020 Labor Day Fires. First, the council approved money to secure two critical pieces of property in Marion and Jackson counties. The land to be purchased in Marion County is intended to provide low- and moderate-income survivors a chance to buy a home. The Jackson County property, which will be purchased by CASA of Oregon, will be developed as a cooperatively owned manufactured home park. Both projects will prioritize survivors of the 2020 fires.
In addition, the council approved staff to move forward on submitting the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The plan was refined through extensive public engagement, including five public hearings held in fire-impacted communities in May. The plan’s core elements are:
- A housing replacement program for those who lost homes to the fires.
- A new homeowner program for renters displaced by the fires.
- A fund to support locally prioritized projects to build new infrastructure such as early warning systems carry out activities aimed at reducing the impact of future disaster support economic revitalization in the wake of the fires.
Applications for both housing programs will open first to low-and moderate-income fire survivors (defined as those at or below 80% of area median income). Other program elements include intermediate housing assistance, housing recovery services, and recovery planning activities. The plan was drafted with an explicit concern for the needs of the members of the Latino/a/x community of Jackson County, who have suffered many of the most significant impacts of this statewide disaster and face particular hurdles in recovery. To learn more about the plan or to sign up for email updates as programs become available, please visit Re.Oregon.gov.