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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Since You Asked: Iowa, N.H. don't always predict a final winner ... The Latest: Refuge occupier says members will turn themselves in ... Thieves target health club parking lots, again ... Since You Asked: Iowa, N.H. don't always predict a final winner ... The Latest: Refuge occupier says members will turn themselves in ... Thieves target health club parking lots, again ... OTHER VIEWS Other Views: Fund affordable housing, but spend wisely Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Aug. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Bend Bulletin Gov. Kate Brown pushed a landmark request in the Oregon Legislature: $100 million for affordable housing. It didn't happen. The amount approved by the Legislature was $42.5 million — or $62.5 million if you include $20 million in housing for people with mental illness. That $42 million plus could still help thousands of families. But there should be real concern about the state's ability to put the money to work and how fairly the money will be allocated. Both Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Rep. Knute Buehler, R-Bend, raised questions about how well the state has been using the money it already has. The state created a document recording fee in 2009. It generated about $59 million for affordable housing. But the state has only spent over half that. The rest of the money for affordable housing was not doing anybody any good. Margaret Van Vliet, director of the state agency in charge — Oregon Housing and Community Services, has pledged to do better at, you know, building affordable housing. And it would also be good if there were a way to reduce its administrative costs. Even Van Vliet said she thought the program's 10 percent administrative costs are high. The Legislature is going to have to continue to keep a close eye on the agency. Some legislators tried to pass a bill, House Bill 2198, requiring the agency to do more regular reporting about what it's doing and ensure that it distributes money according to relative need. The bill failed in the last days of the Legislature. That could be an additional concern for Central Oregon. For instance, Deschutes County had contributed about $4 million to the fund. And in return, it has received only about $700,000 in projects financed. Brown told KATU in Portland that the additional money for affordable housing is "an incredible success. That's a historic level of funding for Oregon and for the nation." We wouldn't call it an incredible success, yet. The state needs to prove it can do much better than it has in using the money effectively. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501