Community coming together to fix Ashland housing crisis

With vacancy rates still as low as 1 to 2 percent, organizations and tenants are coming together to expand housing opportunities in Southern Oregon.

In the midst of the housing crisis, affordable housing in Ashland is hard to come by.

It’s a topic many members from the community are addressing Tuesday night right through these doors.

“I know it was very scary for me,” Ashland resident Bonny Photinos said.

Photinos has lived in Ashland for nearly 20 years.

In December of 2015, she became aware of the housing crisis when she was kicked out of her apartment.

Her landlord said she needed to do some renovations.

“What she did then is she let me know that she was raising the rent from $525 to $750, and there was no way I could afford that,” Photinos said.

Photinos says she was fortunate enough to find a place available at the last minute.

However, she knows that’s not the case for everyone.

“I’ve seen many loved ones just… be kicked to the curb,” Photinos said.

So Photinos is joining Southern Oregon Housing for All at the Ashland City Council meeting Tuesday night to discuss a four-part agenda of what the City of Ashland can do to help the crisis.

“We need our city to step up right now to really make housing available for all people and Ashland and our state,” Rich Rohde said, who is a part of the Ashland Housing Commission.

The four-part plan includes dealing with rent hikes, making sure the City of Ashland puts money toward its housing trust fund, supporting homeless shelters and finding land for tiny homes.

“We know that these four things are immediately possible for the city,” Rohde said.

Now, Photinos is eagerly anticipating the community coming together to make a difference.

“I hope that Ashland will rise to the occasion because there’s a good group of people here,” Photinos said.

Southern Oregon Housing for All will launch its agenda of policy solutions at the Ashland City Council Meeting Tuesday night at 6:30.