Oregon’s Healthy Homes program awards its first round of funding to low-income communities
Oregon Just Transition Alliance and partners celebrating the victory of our 2024 Healthy Homes Grant Program funding request.
In 2020, as Oregon faced a global pandemic and an escalating housing crisis, too many families were forced to shelter in unsafe homes. COVID-19 exposed deep inequities in housing quality. Many frontline communities across our state still live in homes with leaky windows, poor air quality, and hazardous materials like asbestos.
Fueled by this injustice, OJTA and our partner organizations fought to create the Healthy Homes Grant Program (HHGP). By funding essential home repairs, HHGP helps low-income families improve indoor air quality, reduce medical costs, and lower energy bills.
This month, the Healthy Homes Grant Program is delivering results to Oregon’s frontline communities. The program just released its first round of funding, a total of $23 million, with $20.4 awarded to 34 organizations across the state and $3 million set aside for federally recognized Tribes. This hard-fought victory will ensure that families can breathe easier, stay warm, and live safely in their homes.
OJTA and its allies fought for more funding in 2024, and we won. With an additional $15 million secured for the Healthy Homes Grant Program, more families will get the help they need to make their homes safer and healthier.
How we won
The idea for the Healthy Homes program was born during Oregon Just Transition Alliance’s (OJTA) Green New Deal listening session in 2020, where communities across the state told us that advancing clean energy and environmental justice were their top priorities.
OJTA fought for this program alongside partners Verde, APANO, PCUN, and more. Together we brought in the powerful voices of community members who know firsthand what it means to shelter in place in homes that needed essential repairs and upgrades.
Among the first grant recipients are key partners and champions of this movement, including:
This funding illustrates the power of community-led advocacy to secure wins that will make Oregon families healthier and more resilient for generations to come. And, it shows OJTA’s approach is making an impact where it’s needed most.
Looking forward to a just future
Climate change is here, and it’s having a real impact. In 2024, 17 Oregonians lost their lives due to extreme heat, and the state faced its worst wildfires in history.
Ensuring healthy homes isn’t just about fixing what’s broken, it’s about making communities more resilient to climate change and keeping people safe where they already live. Too many frontline communities still live in homes that aren't safe or ready for the climate crisis. As they struggle to stay healthy, they’ve said loud and clear: Oregon needs energy solutions that work for all Oregonians, especially those hit first and worst by climate change.
Everyone deserves a safe, healthy home, and we will keep fighting to ensure no community is left behind.
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