Community Alliance of Tenants Calls for $100M for Housing Stability and Homelessness Prevention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: 2/16/2022
CONTACT: Donovan Scribes, donovans@oregoncat.org, 503-756-6128
Community Alliance of Tenants Calls for $100M for Housing Stability and Homelessness Prevention
The Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT) is calling on legislators to include $100 million in the budget for housing stability and homelessness prevention services during the 2022 Legislative Session. The group is emphasizing the need for more funding to support the work of community organizations providing housing stability and homelessness prevention services, including emergency rent assistance, temporary shelter assistance, assistance with application fees and deposits, rapid-rehousing services and wrap-around services.
The extended grace period for repayment of residential rent accrued during the emergency period of April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, as provided by Senate Bill 282 is set to expire at the end of this month.
Communities across the state are struggling to manage some of the highest rates of rent burdens and unsheltered homelessness in the nation. At the same time, Oregonians continue to be impacted by instability due to the pandemic.
“In the last 6 months, our state saw two additional, devastating waves of COVID-19 increase homelessness and destabilize renters, said CAT Executive Director Kim McCarthy. “During the recent surge of cases, people again had to miss or lose work due to illness, school and care closures, and more. Investment in flexible housing stability and homelessness prevention services is a top priority for our members.”
“Oregon’s housing crisis, and the pandemic conditions that exacerbated it, have disproportionately affected people of color, families, and low-income communities,” said Marcus Mundy, Executive Director of the Coalition of Communities of Color. “We are joining the call for additional funding because we agree our state needs a comprehensive solution to secure housing and prevent homelessness.”
CAT put out a statement to lawmakers today with sign-on from a number of organizations including the Stable Homes Coalition, Basic Rights Oregon, Fair Shot for All, SEIU, Unite Oregon, Coalition for Communities of Color, the Oregon Law Center, and more. The funding package comes from the Fair Shot Coalition’s proposal called “the People’s Budget”.
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