Oregon had a 22% increase in homelessness from 2020 to 2022. In those years 2,591 Oregonians became homeless. Today the state is 140,000 housing units short of what is needed; this places Oregon 4th in the country in terms of under-producing housing. In order to meet current and future housing demands, we need to build 555,000 housing units over the next 20 years equating to 36,000 homes a year. The launch of the Inclusionary Housing Program in 2017 required housing developers who build apartment complexes with 20 or more units to keep 20% of those units affordable to people making 80% or less median family income (MFI). However, this program has not created housing opportunities for Portlanders facing the greatest economic disparities. 22% of Portland households had incomes of less than $35,000 in 2022 — the equivalent of 33% MFI for a family of four. ​

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We live in a world dominated by greed, but housing is a human right and providing shelter to our neighbors shouldn’t be limited by a profit margin. Housing shouldn’t be viewed as; “How much can I profit off this desperate family?” but rather, “How much does it cost to house this family?” That is why as your city commissioner, I am committed to create non-market housing via the creation of a new, affordable, sustainable form of construction – hemp blocks. Please peruse the other links found on this page to see the specifics of how the state/city/county could start a hemp block company, and how implementing hemp blocks can be utilized to address our housing crisis. 

 

Affordable housing is only partially addressed by changing our construction methods. We must also make tough decisions on how and where these new housing units are constructed. In addition to starting hemp block manufacturing, we must also add density to single-family neighborhoods and change zoning rules to create high-density housing. There are pros and cons to each of these ideas, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.