Members will now embark on an education and storytelling campaign to highlight solutions and lift up voices of community members impacted by the housing crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bend, Ore, Jan. 15, 2025 – Partners for Affordable Housing, a growing coalition of diverse organizations in Central Oregon, held its first Partner Workshop on Monday, Jan. 13, where it adopted its Q1 2025 Policy Agenda.
With a focus on pro-housing policy and education, the workshop is part of the coalition’s strategy to empower elected leaders to enact bold community-supported solutions to make housing available and affordable to every person in Central Oregon. The coalition is unique in Central Oregon, bringing together experienced housing policy experts and groups representing people negatively impacted by the housing crisis.
The Policy Agenda adopted by the coalition outlines concrete goals and actions that help ensure a strong, thriving economy in Central Oregon and livability for all. Strategies include the formation of Housing Production Advisory Committees at the local government level throughout Deschutes County, which would tackle policy topic recommendations that are broadly supported by coalition members including:
Adoption of a pro-housing lens
Creation of housing production goals at all AMI levels during each local government two-year goal setting cycle
Development of creative infrastructure-funding strategies
Optimization of housing production approval processes
And increased land availability for housing production
See the full Policy Agenda here. Coalition members will now focus on educating elected leaders and community members on why the recommendations should be incorporated into goal setting processes now occurring at the local government level across the region.
The work of the coalition grows out of long-standing housing advocacy leadership of organizations involved in the founding of the group, including two opening speakers at Monday night’s Partner workshop: Jim Roberts with Bend YIMBY and Sara Odendahl, Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for the Bend Chamber. Both organizations are founding members of Partners for Affordable Housing and sit on the coalition’s steering committee.
“As an employer-focused organization, we recognize that in order for our businesses to thrive, so must their employees,” said Sara Odendahl, director of government relations and key initiatives of the Bend Chamber. “We hear similar stories all the time from businesses about the need for more housing options for their workers to move and stay here. Partners for Affordable Housing emphasizes the importance of building on the work being done to increase housing production as our region grows.”
After hearing from Odendahl and Roberts, the partners participated in two breakout sessions. One focused on discussion of the Policy Agenda prior to adoption. In the session, coalition members lent expertise and experience to refine the agenda.
The other session was a deep dive into the coalition’s upcoming education and storytelling campaign, which will provide education on Policy Agenda topics–such as the need to set housing production goals and why we must find new sources of funding for infrastructure in order to get housing costs down. The campaign will also feature powerful storytelling about the impacts of the crisis on individuals and families. The coalition’s goal is to ensure the voices of more diversely impacted community members are heard and amplified in public discourse on housing issues.
Organizations interested in joining the should visit www.partnersforaffordablehousing.com to learn more about coalition mission, vision, shared values and partner commitments, and to fill out the partner interest form.
Please follow Partners for Affordable Housing on Facebook and Instagram, or visit the coalition’s website to learn more and see partner organizations.
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