Housing and Homelessness

No matter where I go in Northwest Oregon, I hear the same thing: we need more affordable housing. Housing is foundational—it forms the bedrock of household stability and security and is vital to full and meaningful participation in society. We face a serious housing shortage and homelessness crisis in Oregon and across our nation, and I am committed to doing all I can until everyone has a safe place to call home.

Throughout my time in Congress I have been vocal in the need for all levels of government to help close the gap in available affordable housing. With federal programs, more people will be able to afford rent, transition from homelessness to permanent housing, and have the opportunity to own a home. Some of my related priorities include:

• Helping working families by introducing the Build Housing with Care Act to build affordable housing connected with child care services;
• Fighting in Congress to fund and expand NeighborWorks America, which was created by Congress in 1978 to support affordable housing and community development;
• Supporting people experiencing homelessness by increasing funding for services like emergency shelters and re-housing support through Continuums of Care and the Emergency Solutions Grant; and,
• Protecting residents of manufactured housing by leading the Fair Manufactured Housing Lending Act to prevent retailers of manufactured homes from using predatory tactics to lock homeowners into high interest loans.

As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, I am working to remove various barriers unhoused people experience in obtaining housing and related services, including lack of access to rental assistance and mental health care.