Housing
Affordable housing
- The HOME program, which is used by states and local governments to assist low-income families with affordable housing,
- Neighborworks America, which has been a leader in affordable housing and community development since 1978,
- The Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which plays a crucial role in educating communities on the housing industry, and enforcing housing discrimination laws.
- Community Development Block Grants, the linchpin in the federal government’s commitment to help cities, counties, and states meet the needs of low- and middle-income residents and communities.
Mortgages and Foreclosure
If you are facing foreclosure, please visit www.MakingHomeAffordable.gov or call my Oregon Office at (503) 469-6010. Be wary of foreclosure consultants who make promises and make sure that any housing counselor you work with is HUD certified. More information is available at www.oregonhomeownersupport.gov.
The foreclosure crisis has caused devastation for many Oregonians. Too many families are underwater on their mortgages and many people, including families with children, have lost their homes. I am carefully monitoring the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to ensure that strong regulations prevent another financial crisis.
The economy won’t fully recover until the housing market is vital again. We need to explore policies that will help homeowners stay in their homes while the economy is recovering. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress and with advocates and the industry to address this important issue. I have joined with many of my colleagues in calling on the Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to reconsider his decision that prohibits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from reducing the principal owed on underwater mortgages. With so many mortgages underwater, this change could an immediate and constructive role in restoring confidence in the housing market.
More on Housing
Finding solutions to address affordable housing — not only in Columbia County but across the state and country — is complex and multifaceted.
That was the major outcome from a discussion between Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and a group of community leaders who met Monday, May 6, in St. Helens to discuss the intricacies, challenges and possible innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
St. Helens city leaders are reviewing a series of steps toward solutions to the city’s housing needs.
On May 1, the St. Helens City Council held a public forum to discuss the current results of the Housing Needs Analysis, an ongoing project that began in October of 2018 to address current affordable housing shortages in St. Helens.
Congressional review
How can the federal government help ease the North Coast’s housing crunch?
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici came to Seaside Tuesday, April 16, as part of a series of visits along the Coast. The goal was to crack the code of the South County’s ongoing housing crisis, one which sees a dearth of affordable workforce housing — a problem hindering economic development, leading to a rise in homelessness and higher housing costs.
As winter winds bear down on Portland's homeless, hi-tech workers are handing out an old-school solution: kits packed with emergency supplies.
Social service nonprofit Impact NW mustered about 80 volunteers to distribute some 500 "ImpactKits" to neighbors without a home in Old Town/Chinatown on Monday, Nov. 12.
Verda Heilman realized she was kicking herself out of her own home when she voted with other members of the Northwest Oregon Housing Authority Board this year to sell a former boarding house in Uniontown to a nonprofit that plans homeless outreach.
Heilman was the last of the building’s residents to find a place to live after the sale was finalized. But, she said in July even as she struggled to find a new home, “It’s going to a good project. … As much as I didn’t want to move, it’s for the best of the community.”
BEAVERTON, Ore. [08/21/18] – Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced that Easterseals Oregon will receive $1.5M in federal funding over three years to provide employment services for homeless veterans in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties. The funding allows Easterseals Oregon to expand beyond Multnomah County and offer these services for the first time in Washington and Clackamas counties.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici and some of her aides wore work clothes and hard hats, rolled up their sleeves and traveled to McMinnville Aug. 8 to apply muscle and sweat to a new Habitat for Humanity house.
Bonamici’s appearance in Yamhill County also included a visit to a family support program operated by Lutheran Community Services as well as Newberg’s Anvil Academy.
She was also honored by area hazelnut growers for her work to lower tariffs for the Oregon crop.
BEAVERTON, Ore. [06/01/18] – Congresswoman Bonamici met with Oregon Food Bank leaders and partner agency stakeholders to discuss the harmful cuts to nutrition programs currently under consideration as Congress considers the Farm Bill.