Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday released preliminary details of her "urgent request" to lawmakers to spend $130 million to add more shelter beds, keep at-risk families from becoming homeless and to help get at least 1,200 unsheltered Oregonians off the street this year.
While declaring the homelessness issue an emergency during her inaugural speech Jan. 9, Kotek made the request of lawmakers. The next day she held a news conference, signed three executive orders around the housing and homelessness crises, one of which formally declared a state of emergency, and again said she wanted lawmakers to invest $130 million to help alleviate the homeless crisis.
Of that $130 million investment, Kotek said Thursday she wants $54.4 million to go to rehousing the 1,200 people by funding prepaid rental assistance, block leasing at least 600 vacant homes, have landlord guarantees and incentives, as well as other rehousing services.
There are at least 11,000 households that are considered unsheltered in the state. And in Multnomah County alone, there are more than 3,000 people considered unsheltered, according to the latest Point in Time Survey.
Additionally, the governor wants $33.6 million to go toward keeping nearly 9,000 households from experiencing homelessness, and she wants to spend $23.8 million to add 600 low-barrier shelter beds and hire more housing navigators.
Under the governor’s plan, money would also be spent on supporting Oregon tribes, ensuring equitable outcomes, supporting local sanitation services and coordinating emergency response through the Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services.
“I am urging the legislature to take up this investment package as quickly as possible,” Kotek said in a news release breaking down how she wants the money spent. “Unsheltered Oregonians need relief now, and our local communities need the support to provide the relief.”
In her news release, Kotek said she had had conservations with legislative leaders.
Ashley Kuenzi, spokesperson for Senate Republicans, said in an email Thursday that Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, had a “productive conversation earlier last week” with the governor.
“We had a great conversation, focused mainly around housing,” Knopp said during a news conference earlier this week in which Senate Republicans rolled out their legislative agenda. “We had a great exchange of ideas. She’s putting together her housing agenda and asked for names to serve on her Housing Advisory Council. I gave her some. I mean, so, you know, that’s what cooperation, bipartisanship looks like, and we hope that that continues.”
Kuenzi said Senate Republicans are awaiting to see more details on the plan and if it will include investments other than in the major urban areas like Portland, Eugene and Bend. She cited the coast, as an example.
The governor’s office did not respond Thursday to emailed questions that aimed to get more details around Kotek’s vision on what specific organizations would receive money or how and where it would be distributed.
A spokesperson for House Republicans said she would not have a statement about Kotek’s investment request until Friday.
Senate President Rob Wagner, a Democrat from Lake Oswego, said in a statement that homelessness and affordable housing are the most urgent issues facing the state.
“We appreciate that the governor came into office with a clear vision and a plan for action,” he said. “The Senate is ready to match her urgency. We are moving quickly to chart a path forward that takes into account Governor Kotek’s proposal and the expertise and priorities of this governing body to deliver immediate results for the people of Oregon.”
House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, said House Democrats agree that “swift action must be taken” and that lawmakers are reviewing the plan.
“Our first reaction is that there is a lot of alignment on values and general approaches between the Governor’s ask and what we have been vetting for our housing investments package. We look forward to partnering with the Governor," he said.
Kotek’s ask for the $130 million investment is just part of a broader budget plan on the housing and homelessness crises that lawmakers are expected to deal with during this year’s legislative session.
She said she will release her budget Feb. 1.
As part of Kotek's executive orders, she wants the state to build 36,000 new homes a year over the next 10 years to alleviate the state’s housing shortage. She also directed state agencies to prioritize reducing homelessness.
Scott Kerman, executive director of Portland's Blanchet House, said repurposing vacant buildings for housing and preventing homelessness will help his nonprofit function.
"Anything that we can do to, at least sort of keep the status quo in terms of the number of the unhoused, is going to help our agency and agencies all over the state who are helping people that are unhoused," he said.
KATU's Barry Mangold contributed.
The first paragraph and headline of this story have been updated from their original versions to make it clear the $130 million will be used for more than just sheltering 1,200 people.
Here’s is Kotek’s breakdown of her plan:
Prevent vulnerable households from becoming homeless
$33.6 million to prevent 8,750 households from becoming homeless by funding rent assistance and other eviction prevention services.
Add shelter beds and housing navigators
$23.8 million to add 600 low-barrier shelter beds statewide and hire more housing navigators to ensure unsheltered Oregonians can get connected to the shelter and services they need.
Rehouse unsheltered households
$54.4 million to rehouse at least 1,200 unsheltered households by funding prepaid rental assistance, block leasing at least 600 vacant homes, landlord guarantees and incentives, and other re-housing services.
Support Oregon Tribes
$5 million to support emergency response directly to the nine sovereign tribes in the State of Oregon.
Ensure equitable outcomes
$5 million to increase capacity for culturally responsive organizations to support equitable outcomes of the homelessness state of emergency.
Support local sanitation services
$2 million to support local communities for sanitation services.
Coordinate emergency response
$1.8 million to support the emergency response being coordinated by the Office of Emergency Management and Oregon Housing and Community Services.