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L/RAIN Temp: 48 °F Wind: WNW at 8 mph Tuesday, April 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 26, 2003 Affordable housing dwindles Oregon Action will seek legislative move to help finance efforts to build trust fund By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune Affordable housing is dwindling in Oregon during the nation’s economic slump and, with rapidly declining government funding, will get worse, says a new report to be released in Medford today. To counter the trend, affordable housing proponents from around the state will converge on the Legislature April 1 to push for repeal of a ban on real estate transfer fees. The repeal would give local governments the power to levy a .2 to .5 percent tax to help finance affordable housing, said Rich Rohde, Rogue Valley organizer for Oregon Action, which released the study. Under pressure from the real estate lobby, the Legislature banned such a tax a decade ago, said Rohde. But he said it is the best option for building affordable housing trust funds, so cities can maintain a stock of lower-priced houses and apartments and a diverse mix of income levels. For the 2005 Legislature, affordable housing proponents plan a campaign to repeal the ban on "inclusion zones" passed in 1999 by the Legislature with support from the developers’ lobby, said Rohde. Repeal would allow local governments to pass laws requiring a certain percentage of low-income housing be included in more expensive developments. "The proven effectiveness of these zoning ordinances and the extreme need for more affordable housing should compel the Legislature to stand up to developer interests on behalf of families in need," the report said. Housing trust funds, the report said, have been successful in hundreds of communities because they provide a dedicated source of money for affordable housing developers. Each dollar from the fund can also be used to leverage an average $9 from public and private sources and contribute to the economy with new jobs, it said. The report also urged the use of land trusts by local governments to take the exorbitant cost of property out of the purchase price for low-income buyers; to reduce speculation and absentee ownership of land and housing; and preserve the long-term affordability of housing. "Everyone knows, if you just look at sale or rental prices, we’ve got a serious problem," said Kate Titus, Oregon Action executive director, who is here for the release of the report. "It’s a roadmap for the state and the nation as to how we should build a consensus for a workable strategy." Forty percent of Oregon renters pay more than 30 percent of their income for rent — a level considered unaffordable by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the report said. Titus said Ashland is a good example of a community that has more available housing for upper income people than there are people in that income range. Ashland has plans for an affordable housing trust fund, but not the revenue stream, Titus said. Diane Paulson of Ashland, a Realtor with John L. Scott agency and a supporter of affordable housing, said the timing is right to begin a dialogue with legislators and others in the real estate industry. "We need to look at the opportunities for the younger and older people, the grandparents and the young people just starting out, to be able to stay together in a vibrant, multi-generational community." Paulson said. "The new generation is having to move because they can’t stay in the town where they grew up." Paulson said the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors is not supportive of the transfer fee repeal, but that she and other Realtors would talk with legislators about eventually doing away with the law. "Because of the state deficit, it’s not going to be on the map this session," she said. The Oregon Action report, titled "Raise the Roof" and researched by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, said the homeless population is a barometer of the lack of affordable housing. More than 9,000 homeless people seek shelter each night in the state, and 37 percent of these are children, most of them under 12. See the report on the Internet: www.nwfco.org John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S