Click the links to view Street Roots' coverage of Multnomah County Commissioners, Oregon Legislature and the breakdown of how Street Roots conducted its candidate questionnaires.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 1st District Party Primaries
Clatsop County, Columbia County, Washington County and west Multnomah County
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D, incumbent)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has represented Oregon's 1st Congressional District since she was elected in the 2012 special election following the resignation of David Wu.
She served in the Oregon Senate from 2008 to 2011 and in the Oregon House from 2007 to 2008. A lawyer, her work history includes being a consumer protection attorney for the Federal Trade Commission and working in private practice in Portland, representing small businesses.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
Many factors are contributing to the crisis, including high housing costs, a lack of affordable housing and support services, and lack of access to health care and treatment. As the representative for northwest Oregon, I spend time meeting with service providers, housing developers, first responders, business owners and individuals experiencing homelessness. Although there are different perspectives on what is needed, there is strong agreement that Oregon is facing an unprecedented affordable housing and homelessness crisis.
To solve the crisis, we must immediately increase the supply of affordable housing. I’ve secured more than $6.25 million in funding this Congress to build hundreds of affordable housing units in northwest Oregon, but much more is needed to meet the demand.
Leaders at Central City Concern and Outside In have highlighted the challenges of the fentanyl crisis and lack of access to behavioral health and treatment services. I’ve spoken with behavioral health and addictions workers about low pay, high caseloads and constraints on treatment beds and available supportive housing units.
Increasing the housing supply will fix the housing crisis for some, but not all. To meet the needs in our community and see lasting results, we must also address addiction and behavioral health crisis.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
Solving the housing crisis is not a one-size-fits-all solution. People are homeless for a variety of reasons. We need more affordable housing, wraparound support services, detox beds, shelter beds and a workforce to help deliver these services.
It’s going to take state, federal and local leaders working together to help solve this crisis and to get people into safe, supportive housing. As a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, I’m advocating for individuals and families who are housing-insecure, including the millions of Americans facing eviction or foreclosure.
Too many people and too many families still struggle. Incomes aren’t keeping up with expenses, and the economy does not benefit everyone. Access to a living wage job, job training opportunities, paid family leave and universal health care will also help people who are unhoused and those on the brink.
At the federal level, I’m working to increase funding for the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to incentivize the construction of more affordable housing and to bring more Section 8 vouchers to Oregon. With partners in the Biden Administration, I am also working to provide first-time homebuyers with mortgage down payment assistance to help reverse the racist practice of housing discrimination. Equity must be central to expanding access to housing because everyone deserves a safe place to live.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
Despite the challenges, we are making some progress and the region’s best days are still ahead. I’m encouraged that we’ve seen elected leaders, businesses, and agencies work to be part of the solution.
I am a strong supporter of Portland Street Response and CAHOOTS in Eugene, on which PSR was modeled. Programs like these have proved to be successful and I am hopeful that Portland continues to invest in PSR. I have also been heartened by news of a new sobering center with van transport service in Multnomah County, something our region desperately needs. And I’ve had the chance to tour Washington County’s new Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment, which will open in 2025.
This Congress, I introduced bipartisan legislation to update and improve the Recovery Housing Program to provide stable, transitional housing for individuals in recovery. I also introduced The Build Housing with Care Act, which supports the development of child care in affordable housing communities so people can easily access quality child care close to home.
I oppose efforts to criminalize homelessness, and I am closely tracking Grants Pass v. Johnson, the case pending at the U.S. Supreme Court. Being homeless is not a criminal act. As a society, we fail if we do not meet the needs of people who struggle. Housing is foundational, and we must work to get everyone into safe and secure housing by advancing policies that will help those in need, not make their lives more difficult.
Did not respond: Jamil O. Ahmad (D), Courtney E. Casgraux (R), Bob Todd (R)
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District Party Primaries
Most of Multnomah County, Hood River County, N/NE Clackamas County
Ricky Barajas (D)
Ricky Barajas was born in Los Angeles and attended the University of Oregon and Portland State University for undergraduate study. His work experience includes work at Gentle Dental and Smile Brands Inc..
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
Two factors that have contributed to homelessness and the rise of the housing crisis are the lack of funding from the pandemic and lack of ongoing inventory shortage. Instead of being proactive, we are reactive which people are feeling from renting to finding an affordable home.
We need to address the facts. Homelessness is not just a city issue. It is a country issue. As a country, the homelessness issue has gotten worse since the 1970s. More and more homeless individuals are being sent to us by other cities who do not want to address the issue.
We need to combat the issue with compassion but with an idealistic outcome. Build more homeless shelters with mental health providers to address mental health and drug addiction. Put those individuals on the road to recovery and back into the workforce.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
Increase inventory and prevent Blackrock or Vanguard from owning huge chunks of land and increasing home prices due to corporate greed. Use state resources such as Department of Motor Vehicles registration to meet demand as more people move into Portland and the state. Provide tax incentives for landlords to maintain low rent, allow more permits to build, and set a cap on renting and housing costs.
As mentioned above, provide resources and training for individuals to return them to the workforce. As more private realtors are building more luxury tall buildings, build a minimum of five shelters per year to house the homeless. Encourage Nike and Intel to participate in supporting Portland and the state in reducing the number of people living in the streets.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
House the homeless. Europe is leading the world in combating the crisis by providing small units to the homeless. If we can house people, we can focus on solving other issues such as alcohol, drug use, mental health and finding a job.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Nolan Bylenga (D)
Nolan Bylenga has a bachelor's degree in political science from Portland State University where he served as a senator of the Associated Students of Portland State University. He is pursuing a master's in political science from Portland State University and serving as treasurer of the Pendleton Community Action Coalition.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
The biggest contributors to the crisis are mental health, the rising cost of living and the mass demoralization of Americans.
I keep saying it, but Americans are demoralized. People need purpose and meaning. They need to be inspired to believe that they too can contribute to society. Most (not all) of our homeless population has given up. They’ve lost faith, and they need us to help them find it.
What I believe we should do is help them find that light at the end of the tunnel and guide them to the light. For those that haven’t given up, we need to support them and give them real avenues of approach to improve their lives.
And by the way, I’m 26 years old. At the rate inflation is going, my generation will never be able to afford a home. We already can’t. Nobody can, and it’s only getting worse. If things don’t change soon, expect that homeless rates increase even more.
I don’t believe in aimless money, but it’s common knowledge that with the amount of money we spent in the last few years on wars and pandemics, our country could have literally ended homelessness. Instead, our populations are demoralized, we’re still funding forever wars, and the rich continue to siphon money from the poor and middle class. Both parties are allowing the middle class to erode.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
We should look to the past for answers. President Bill Clinton’s Welfare reform significantly changed America, and there were successes from it that I believe we can learn from, but also failures that we should avoid in the future.
Homelessness is a crisis that is only getting worse, and most Americans agree that money cannot be aimless when given. However, it’s also important that we do our diligence to help our neighbors with good policy. Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act into law in 1996 changing the Welfare system and giving Americans the ability to help themselves.
Now the truth is, this bill was not at all perfect. It left too many people at odds. In the ‘90s, the economy was booming, and it wasn’t a detrimental change. There is also evidence that this bill may have made the 2008 market crash even worse than before.
We should create programs that make a firm foundation for those struggling, but also help them develop skills to be self-sustainable. Those who are motivated to get off the street should have a government that does everything it can to help them.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
Our community has people doing everything they can to help those without homes gain opportunity, and I commend them. It is difficult work, especially when you’re experiencing failures as well.
It’s demoralizing when you’re putting effort into people, and it isn’t helping. There are success stories too, however, and organizations should continue their efforts. People in our area can see with their own eyes that folks are demoralized and that the crisis is getting worse.
I really believe that one of the most important things is mental health. Oregon is ranked as one of the worst states in the Union when it comes to mental health, and it’s an easy connection that improving and expanding our mental health capabilities will make a difference.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Maxine Dexter (D)
Maxine Dexter is a physician and has been the state representative for Oregon House District 33 since 2020. Her district covers portions of Northwest Portland, as well as Cedar Mill, Oak Hills and most of Bethany.
She serves on the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, Joint Committee on Transportation's Special Subcommittee on Transportation Planning, House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, Interim Committee of Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans.
Dexter defeated Republican Dick Courter in 2020 and Republican Stan Baumhofer in 2022. Both men are running this year for the Republican nomination.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
I believe two self-reinforcing factors are contributing to the current state of homelessness and the housing crisis we’re in. The first and primary factor is a lack of housing that people can afford. We know this from research. The second, unfortunately, is a lack of mental health and addiction treatment support.
I’ve seen from my work as a physician, both in the hospital and treating our homeless Oregonians on the street, how detrimental a lack of stable and secure housing is on an individual's well-being. The lack of basic needs being met, we know through decades of research in psychology and medicine, increases the risk of developing mental illness and substance use disorder.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
We need to get people off the streets, keep people from entering into homelessness, build more housing, and ramp up mental health and addiction treatment accessibility.
I’m proud of the work I accomplished in the Oregon Legislature to invest in expanding shelter capacity, especially for homeless youth and families. We need to ramp up outreach efforts with accountable metrics to ensure we are reaching this vulnerable population and can get them on-ramped to shelter and additional services.
We need to drastically increase long-term rental assistance from the federal level down and provide down payment assistance to help working families, particularly those excluded from home ownership such as the Black community, move out of rentals and start building durable wealth.
Congress must undo the decades-long campaign of disinvestment in the building and support of public and affordable housing. This means repealing the Faircloth Amendment and launching aggressive grant programs through states and public-private partnerships to ramp up housing production — incentivizing walkable communities and green construction.
Lastly, we need to prioritize securing federal investments to expand the number of detox beds, drug treatment programs and low-cost mental health clinics in our community. We cannot criminalize our way out of homelessness. We must invest in mental and behavioral health resources in schools, communities and our justice system and close the de minimis loophole to allow our government to crack down on fentanyl imports and curb the supply chain of drugs by international drug cartels.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
I’m thrilled to witness the impact of the legislation I spearheaded in Oregon’s Legislature aimed at reforming our land use laws. Our goal is to safeguard forests, farms and natural resources while promoting housing development across all income levels. Moreover, I’ve advocated for innovative, Oregon-based modular housing initiatives to kickstart immediate construction within our state, and I’m excited to see the impacts.
The implementation of Permanent Supportive Housing programs represents a promising initiative, effectively merging housing accessibility with mental health support for those in need. Additionally, community land trusts offer a promising avenue for the next wave of community-led affordable housing endeavors. This model ensures long-term affordability, shielding homes from market fluctuations. CLTs empower residents, fostering community participation and decision-making.
We must move beyond just throwing money at the issue without a sound strategy. We need to establish measurable objectives, enhance data collection mechanisms, and foster robust collaboration among various governmental levels, as well as our private and non-profit partners. Furthermore, I staunchly oppose any endeavors to criminalize homelessness. These measures only exacerbate the challenges faced by an already vulnerable population, funneling individuals into the justice system without addressing the underlying causes of homelessness or providing adequate support upon release.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Susheela Jayapal (D)
Jayapal served as a Multnomah County commissioner from 2019 to 2023. She worked for Goldman Sachs before getting her law degree at the University of Chicago. She worked for the Portland law firm Ater Wynne before heading the legal department at Adidas.
She is the older sister of Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington).
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
The lack of deeply affordable housing. This has its roots in decades of federal disinvestment and state inattention. Zoning and other regulations and local decision-making that allowed existing affordable housing to be torn down and replaced with condos and hotels without making provision for the people who lost their housing has also contributed.
And of course, rising rents that have far outpaced wages are a huge factor in the housing crisis being experienced in cities like Portland. All these issues have been exacerbated by the pandemic, our addiction crisis and an ongoing and longstanding dearth of behavioral health services and infrastructure in the state.
I specifically mention “deeply” affordable housing because while there’s a dearth of housing across the board, the private market will never provide housing affordable to people at the lowest income levels. So simply building more housing without a focus on affordability at the lowest levels — which will always require government subsidy of some kind — won’t solve homelessness.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
The federal government must make affordable housing and homelessness a priority. With the passage of the Supportive Housing Services measure, we are fortunate to have local resources for long term rent assistance and supportive services.
The state has also stepped up, under Gov. Kotek’s leadership, to provide resources and policy support for building more housing. But we won’t solve this problem sustainably and at scale without federal resources.
I believe we need the federal government back in the business of actually building and maintaining public housing. We need to repeal the Faircloth Amendment, which caps the amount of public housing Congress can fund and make massive new investments in housing. Sen. Bernie Sanders and others have proposed a “Green New Deal for Public Housing” that would both increase supply and provide good jobs. I will champion this proposal.
We should also make housing vouchers an entitlement. People cannot wait seven years for a voucher when they’re on the verge of being evicted. And we know long-term rent assistance is a game changer in getting and keeping people housed. Other necessary investments include eviction prevention and defense and, of course, shelter and homeless services. And the federal government must also invest in behavioral health infrastructure, like treatment facilities and recovery housing. We know that addiction and mental health needs are contributors to, and caused by, homelessness — so they must be addressed as well.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
It’s clear that permanent supportive housing is the most effective strategy to end homelessness. The most cited example of recent success is Houston. While Houston’s zoning policies and other conditions create a very different housing market from ours, their implementation does provide some lessons. Strong leadership, agreement on approach, and structured coordination among jurisdictions and providers is key. Houston has also emphasized and been consistent about a Housing First approach that tries, as much as possible, to place people directly into housing, with supportive services, rather than routing them through shelter.
Doing this successfully requires a much stronger and more coordinated governance system than we currently have in place. It also requires assessing every individual’s needs at entry and tailors housing and services to those needs, and real-time identification of shelter and housing availability that matches the person’s needs. We not presently have such a system and must create one. We also need to be strategic about our infrastructure investments so that we can “flow” people from one point to the next as they are ready. For example, if we don’t have residential treatment facilities or transitional or permanent housing into which people can go from shelter, we’ll continue to have a growing backlog of people awaiting shelter placement. The federal government can and should provide funding for the infrastructure (capital investments, data systems, etc.) to build such a system.
A narrower prevention strategy that has been implemented with success in other parts of the country is specifically focusing on people being released from jail, treatment facilities, and recovery housing to connect them with housing. This approach has been piloted here in Multnomah County but needs to be expanded and coordinated as part of an overall strategic plan.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Michael Jonas (D)
Michael Jonas is an attorney who founded Rational Unicorn Legal Services in 2017. He is the owner and principal attorney of the nonprofit company, which specializes in intellectual property, business and nonprofit law.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
Lack of affordable housing, insufficient supply and rising rents make housing unattainable for many. “Affordable housing” should potentially be defined differently if what’s built is not actually affordable.
Stagnant wages and economic inequality deepen housing affordability challenges. Many in Portland (and in America) even if they’re employed can’t afford an apartment’s upfront costs (i.e. security deposit and first month’s rent), let alone be able to sustain based on what they make.
Limited funding and coordination hinder access to vital support services. We need the real experts who provide these services to be at the table when the city, county and state decide what policies and budgets should look like and how they should be implemented.
Untreated mental health issues and addiction compound homelessness. Wraparound services that not only help with housing, mental health and addiction services but also provide things like workforce training are a necessity now more than ever.
Neighborhood redevelopment displaces low-income residents, exacerbating homelessness. We’ve seen this in both the Alberta and Mississippi areas. Families who have been there for generations often can’t afford to stay there or come back there.
Discriminatory housing policies perpetuate higher rates of homelessness among BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) communities. This includes but isn’t limited to judging people based on credit scores, past rental history, past job history, or past jail time (i.e. a short-term cannabis-related conviction from years ago).
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
Fight for increased funding for affordable housing and rental assistance.
Work to raise the minimum wage and make sure it’s also a “livable wage” and promote job training programs for economic equity.
Secure funding for homelessness prevention programs and improve coordination between agencies.
Support expanded access to mental health care and addiction treatment, especially within supportive housing models. Treat people who are houseless as not monolithic (i.e. create unique case management solutions for them).
Advocate for policies to protect tenants from displacement and address systemic racism in housing. Make sure that tenants not only understand their rights but have access to legal representation or legal resources.
Provide accessible financial literacy, rent-ready and first-homeowner resources and educational programming.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
Promising national efforts that we can learn from:
- Housing First, but not ‘housing only’ programs prioritizing housing stability and supportive services (ie job training, mental health, substance abuse)
- Strong tenant protections, like rent control and eviction policies, prevent displacement.
- Investing in affordable housing development and preservation increases affordability.
- Supportive housing models integrate housing with wraparound services.
- Collaborative approaches involving multiple stakeholders (multiple levels of government, small and big business, non-profit, private individuals) leverage resources effectively.
- Taking a systems approach to housing, not just housing but how transportation infrastructure, economic development, environmental justice and social services intersect and influence housing stability and accessibility.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Rachel Lydia Rand (D)
Rachel Lydia Rand is a jazz musician, software engineer and Navy veteran. She also spent the past decade as a political activist.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
I lived in cars for three years in my 30s and then ultimately lived on the streets for a year in 2004. There are many reasons for being homeless. Drug addiction and not being employable are two common reasons. Perhaps a more lower-level reason is apathy.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
My platform is based on addressing climate change and the inevitable end of oil. We pave our roads with oil, and it will eventually run out. I think it is foolish to think we can sustain a population of 8 to 10 billion, so I’m suggesting that for the next 40 years, we decrease our birthrate to one child for every two women.
This would reduce world population to 2 billion by 2099. It would create a glut of housing and put us into an entirely different economic system. There would be no need to build new housing. The decreasing population would have no way to take care of the much larger aging population, and I would fight in Congress to keep them from taking on that unreasonable burden.
We are all going to have to modify our behaviors to make this work. Human activity causes climate change, and we’ll all need to learn to live more locally and survive without powered transportation and 8K TVs. I’ll introduce a bill in 2025 that’ll give all people in households making less than $60,000/year food stamps with no questions asked.
I feel that is the doorway into this new economy. Ideally, we would get rid of payment machines in grocery stores and just use optical food stamp cards. Less machines to build and maintain.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
I was a bit of a special case when I got off of the streets in 2004. I spent my time on the streets crushing my brain with math and computer programming to get into a higher-paying career. Central City Concern helped me get a $500 per month HUD voucher. I was able to get a one-bedroom apartment in a four-plex. It worked extremely well for me, and I only had to use the voucher for two years.
I think it is sad to put mass groups of formerly homeless people into one big building. If we can decrease population like I am suggesting, then we need to figure out better ways of distributing our properties to keep people from hoarding them as vacation houses.
It’s a complicated issue, and I had a top Oregon realtor who regularly meets with members of the U.S. Congress over to my house the other day. I’m confident that we’ll find a solution if Generation Z can take on the difficult task of decreasing population like I’ve suggested. Generation Z has all the power in this really. Nothing works too well unless they can prove that the population is going way down. If they can do that, then it is a whole new ballgame out there.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Gary Dye (R)
Gary Dye has a bachelor's degree from Oregon State University and a master's degree from Pepperdine University. He has worked as a chemical engineer and measurement engineer in the natural gas industry. He also worked as a process engineer in oil refineries.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
Government has purposely made housing too expensive through onerous building codes, bad zoning, hugely expensive permit and system development charges and the Urban Growth Boundary limiting land to build on (and thus making the available land too expensive).
Owners of businesses have shifted their good-paying factory jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor and are wanting to bring in millions of immigrants to be able to work here at poverty wages. U.S. citizens are left begging and on the street.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
Reverse the above, and form charities to help the drug addicted.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
Government needs to stop taxing the shit out of everybody and turn their “charitable” activities over to private charities.
Private charities work, and government doesn’t. We need to go to a universal transaction tax at one rate (TBD). Tax anything and everything at that one rate, including food, shelter, services, goods, charity, capital purchases and sales, inheritance, both individuals and businesses. No exceptions.
Then, couple this with universal basic income (TBD, at a subsistence level) for every citizen of the United States (including billionaires) and cancel all charitable activities of government, including (and especially) corporate welfare. With this, we can cut a lot of programs and federal employees (e.g. the IRS), and eliminate the deficit and start paying down our debt.
And cripple the military-industrial complex.
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 3rd District
Joanna Harbour (R)
Joanna Harbour is a lawyer with a degree from Willamette University. She practiced law at her own firm in Estacada. She later worked as an office manager for a local landlord who owned multiple rental properties. She then began a coaching career while working in estate planning.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
Addiction and mental illness. Lack of affordable housing. The legalization of drugs recently increased the problem. Hopefully, with the new law making it a misdemeanor will help reverse the trend.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
The first step is to address it at the individual level and find out why that person is homeless and get that individual to the correct resources.
The second step is to have the correct resources, enough rehabilitation centers, mental health facilities, job resources, affordable housing, etc.
The third step is to audit the resources to make sure they are effective. The resources that work need to be rewarded and the ones that don’t work need to no longer receive funds.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
What efforts are promising. I was at a forum April 20 where I heard Clackamas County Chair Tootie Smith talk about how Clackamas County has decreased homelessness by dealing with it on the individual level. I believe that this process should be investigated to see how it works.
What we should stop doing. We should stop aiding drug addicts and stop making it easier to get drugs, stop taking away consequences, don’t allow public drug use, do not supply equipment to use drugs. Send the people to rehab instead of providing supplies to use drugs.
Did not respond: Eddy Morales (D), Teresa Orwig (R)
U.S. Congress, Oregon's 5th District Party Primaries
SE Portland suburbs in Multnomah County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties, Linn County, E Marion County
Jamie McLeod-Skinner (D)
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is an attorney and engineer. She was the Democratic nominee for Oregon's 5th Congressional District in 2022, losing to Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the former mayor of Happy Valley.
What do you think is the biggest contributing factor(s) to the homelessness/housing crisis in the area in which you are seeking office?
In my conversations with people struggling with homelessness, topics that often come up are the cost of living, the availability of housing and insufficient support services — including physical and behavioral health care. I’ve heard some heartbreaking stories about people losing their homes after health care challenges, struggles with addiction or mega-corporations buying out all the available housing in an area and then jacking up rental prices.
What should be done to alleviate the housing/homelessness crisis?
Both long and short-term solutions are needed to be responsive to the many reasons why people are facing homelessness and to help people get off the streets. In addition to more housing, and more types of housing, we need wrap-around services to address the multiple components that lead people to being in crisis.
We need strong, committed partnerships at all levels of government so we can work together effectively to address the crisis. At the federal level, we should be investing more in housing and the physical infrastructure needed to expand housing (water, sanitation, sewage systems) as well as in the social infrastructure that helps families stay in their homes — including physical and behavioral health care, addiction services, childcare and education. There are existing mechanisms, including the Community Development Block Grant program, that can help communities fund affordable housing.
What are some of the efforts you've seen that are promising (in Oregon or elsewhere), and what are some tactics you feel our communities should not pursue or stop doing?
I’m currently working on an affordable homeownership project that has been part of the wildfire recovery work I’ve done. This project will help people get out of cycles of generational poverty by enabling them to become homeowners and build personal equity, helping people invest in themselves.
I was previously part of a city-school district-developer partnership to build affordable housing for teachers. A similar model can be used for front-line workers and first responders. I was also part of developing housing for youth aging out of foster care — a particularly important time for a vulnerable community.
I also believe that we need more support for housing for our veterans. Those who have served our country deserve our support when they return home. Professionals providing addiction services have told me that one of the biggest needs of those who have completed their program is to have housing options that are different from where they came from before undergoing treatment so they don’t relapse by going back into the same living circumstances in which they developed their addiction.
Beyond housing itself, some of the partnerships needed include those between public safety and behavioral health professionals, such as the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, to ensure that homeless people are treated and cared for appropriately.
Did not respond: Janelle Bynum (D), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (Incumbent, R)
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