Environmental justice advocates applaud housing bill’s passage
HB 2001 ensures new housing is built in a way that centers racial justice and environmental justice
This week, Oregon environmental advocates and leaders lauded the passage of housing bill HB 2001 as a major win for environmental justice and frontline communities around the state. This bill is a top priority for Oregon’s environmental justice leaders because it ties housing production statewide to local equity indicators and will increase affordable housing and location choice.
“Many people in Oregon struggle to find a home they can afford in a neighborhood with the things they need to thrive, like good-paying jobs, green spaces, and walkable neighborhoods. It doesn’t have to be this way,” said Joel Iboa, executive director of Oregon Just Transition Alliance. “Frontline communities, especially communities of color, have been left out of decisions about how buildings and neighborhoods are planned and built. HB 2001 is an opportunity to remedy this long-standing and ongoing problem, and make communities in every corner of the state more resilient by ensuring they have safe and affordable housing. This victory will go a long way to addressing the housing crisis today and long term, in a way that will most benefit frontline communities. We are grateful to state legislators and Governor Kotek for advancing this smart policy.”
Approximately 70% of Oregon’s residential lands are zoned for detached single dwellings, which often cost more and use more land to house fewer people. Advocates say the emphasis on single-family housing reflects and exacerbates racially and economically exclusionary zoning practices put in place decades ago. HB 2001 establishes the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis which requires cities around the state to measure key housing equity indicators and implement plans that meet housing equity goals.
“For our communities to thrive, we need housing choices for all family sizes and incomes, in every neighborhood,” said Mary Kyle McCurdy, deputy director of 1000 Friends of Oregon. “Today, Oregon is short about 140,000 homes, and much of that housing is for those whose incomes are at or below the median family income. That is true across all Oregon’s cities and towns. The passage of HB 2001 is an important step forward for our state.”
“Every community in our state is faced with the housing affordability crisis,” said Allan Lazo, executive director, Fair Housing Council of Oregon, and state Land Conservation and Development commissioner. “With this new law, we are envisioning a future where we meet the housing needs of every person in our state. HB 2001 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead with production, improve on affordability, and increase housing choice and access to opportunity for every Oregonian.”
“After decades of underbuilding, Oregon has a serious housing shortage,” said Michael Anderson, senior housing researcher and transportation lead, Sightline Institute. “We can make up this deficit, but we have to make sure that we build more homes without falling into harmful and racist housing patterns of the past, like concentrating affordable housing in areas with high air pollution, or far from jobs and transit. HB 2001 and the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis are major steps toward a future where all Oregonians have a roof over their heads. This new law will also make sure that communities center racial justice and the environment as they make decisions about how and where to build housing.”
