Affordable housing funding included in 2018 spending bill

Medford, Ore. — Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are working to bring more money into Oregon to help with the housing crisis many rural areas are experiencing. The Senators are addressing affordable housing needs in the 2018 spending bill.

“The nation is facing its biggest housing affordability crisis in decades, with rents dramatically outpacing incomes,” Merkley said. “Every family deserves a decent home in a decent community, and while much more needs to be done, this bill is an important stride in the right direction.”

The bill includes the following assistance:

$1.345 billion to provide rent subsidies for low- and very low-income rural households in rural areas
$10 million for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program
$5 million for the Rural Capacity program
$3.3 billion to help develop quality affordable housing
$40 million to provide 5,100 new rental assistance vouchers for homeless veterans
$2.5 billion to support rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, and other crisis response programs for people struggling with homelessness
$2.1 billion to Continuum of Care
$3.6 million to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

“The need for a remodel of America’s housing policy is clear when families in Oregon and nationwide are struggling to pay rising rents and save enough for a first mortgage,” Wyden said. “This legislation provides the tools to work on that remodel by solidifying the foundation of support for housing in our country.”