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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 Man rescued from remote crash site above Galice ... Victims describe emotional scars from gymnastics coach's secret filming ... Driver charged in deadly high-speed crash ... Man rescued from remote crash site above Galice ... Victims describe emotional scars from gymnastics coach's secret filming ... Driver charged in deadly high-speed crash ... OUR VIEW Our View: Rental housing crunch hits home Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Aug. 11, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News An Ashland couple forced to move by the impending sale of their rental house are discovering just how difficult it can be to find housing in an area with a vacancy rate under 2 percent and rents on the rise. What makes their situation notable is that Jason and Vanessa Houk have made it their life's work to help those who don't have housing or enough to eat. The Houks are finding out the agency they have referred others to in the past can do only so much. ACCESS Inc., one of the area's largest nonprofit social serve agencies, provided them with a list of rentals they could afford, but the waiting lists were so long they would be homeless before anything opened up. The fact is, ACCESS and other agencies can't change the realities of the marketplace. The nearly nonexistent rental vacancy rate is driving rents out of reach of many would-be tenants. The Houks, who in their own words have supported their family over the years with "a series of cobbled together jobs" that kept a roof over their heads and food on the table, now face the reality that Ashland is not a city they can afford to live in. The small house they have rented for six years is now for sale for an asking price of $350,000 — below Ashland's average price of $450,000 but well outside the Houks' price range even if they could come up with a down payment. The Houks are fortunate to be receiving help from friends and supporters who know of their community service and are donating to a GoFundMe page that had collected $9,500 as of Wednesday. But their situation is not unusual. The estimated number of homeless Oregonians increased 9 percent in the past year, and 22 percent of those are children and families. Local communities seeking to address the problem face long odds, too. Oregon law prohibits rent control, and a new bill to let cities require developers to construct a percentage of affordable housing units was watered down before passing and might have little effect even if local communities choose to use it. Local ordinances allow landlords to evict tenants or raise their rent with 30 days' notice — a hardship even when rentals are widely available but a near-impossibility in today's market. Ashland may consider a 90-day notice requirement; Medford and other communities should do so as well. In the long term, there is a need to build more housing that working families can afford, but that will take time. Meanwhile, stopgap measures such as the 90-day notice will help, if only a little. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Aug. 11, 2016 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