DeRemer: Bill to address housing shortage

By News Update
In: Uncategorized
Thursday July 11, 2024


Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer
Press Release,

Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) has joined the bipartisan and bicameral Housing Supply and Affordability Act (H.R. 7132) as a cosponsor. The proposal would create a new grant program to help states, localities, and regional coalitions increase housing supply, improve housing affordability, and reduce barriers to new housing development.

“Oregon has the second-highest percentage of homeless who are unsheltered, and I’ve been working toward bipartisan solutions that would address the housing shortage to help fix this crisis,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “The Housing Supply and Affordability Act would send federal resources to Oregon communities, ensuring they have more tools available to support affordable housing projects. As a former mayor, I’ll keep engaging with our local governments to solve problems like the housing shortages that have limited economic growth and opportunity.”

The Housing Supply and Affordability Act:

  • Creates a $300 million competitive grant program for state and local governments that demonstrate rising housing costs or projected rising housing costs, which would help them develop a housing plan to increase housing supply while avoiding the displacement of residents in the area;
  • Ensures that at least 10 percent of funds are awarded to rural areas;
  • Prioritizes grants that would increase affordable housing access for individuals of every race and income level, reduce barriers to affordable housing development, and avoid the displacement of residents;
  • Requires the HUD secretary to issue guidance with recommended strategies to encourage repurposing land for housing development, revise land use policies to allow for the development of more housing, streamline the approval process for housing development, provide financial incentives to support affordable housing development, and support inclusive engagement of community members; and
  • Requires routine reporting from applicants regarding the use of these grant funds.

The proposal is being led in the House by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), and Joyce Beatty (OH-03). It is led in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

Chavez-DeRemer recently helped secure a $5 million federal grant to help Bend build more affordable homes. She is also leading the bipartisan Choice in Affordable Housing Act to help more low-income families access affordable housing. Additionally, Chavez-DeRemer has backed bipartisan legislation like the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act that would help build more affordable homes.

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