Bonamici Rolls Out Legislative Agenda to Address Housing Crisis

WASHINGTON, DC – RealEstateRama – Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) announced her package of legislation to address the housing crisis in Oregon and across the country.

Bonamici introduced three bills: the Build Housing with Care Act, the Project Turnkey Act, and the START Housing Act. These bills reflect the complex nature of the housing crisis and would spur development of affordable housing, increase access to child care, improve services for people recovering from substance use disorders and mental health crisis, and more.

“I hear compelling stories about the urgent need for more affordable housing from people in every corner of NW Oregon,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “Housing is essential for people to find stability and reach a brighter future. The housing crisis has many layers of complexity, and it will take all of us working together from multiple angles to solve it. The legislation I’m leading has the potential to quickly increase the amount of affordable housing and the support services people need to succeed.”

Build Housing with Care Act

The Build Housing with Care Act would provide $500 million to help construct child care centers and support home-based child care providers connected with affordable housing developments. Priority would be given to projects in child care deserts or rural communities, including qualified Head Start providers and providers that serve low-income children. The full text of the legislation can be found here.

“Affordable, high-quality, and stable housing and childcare are essential for economic stability and childhood development,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “Across Oregon, the cost of childcare and housing consumes a significant portion of household income, forcing families to make impossible trade-offs. This reality does not have to be a fact of life that we accept. Resource interventions, such as the Building Housing with Care Act, provide a model for how our nation can support parents in maintaining employment, strengthening our economy, and investing in the health of our children. We must act with the urgency working families deserve.”

“We all deserve the opportunity to provide for our families,” said Candice Vickers, Executive Director of Family Forward Oregon. “When child care is an afterthought in economic developments and investments, parents and caregivers — and those they care for — suffer. Our future suffers. Child care must be at the forefront of planning, and HR 3207 does just that. Ensuring parents and caregivers have access to affordable child care in their neighborhoods allows families to not only survive but thrive.”

“The high cost and limited supply of child care is being felt in every aspect of our community and our economy,” said First Five Years Fund Executive Director Sarah Rittling. “We know that the cost of child care for two children exceeds annual housing costs in a majority of states – and too many parents are trying to figure out how they’ll afford to pay for both. We are so grateful to Congresswoman Bonamici for her leadership on the Build Housing With Care Act, and her work to expand access to high-quality child care, especially for families in low-income communities.”

A video statement of support from the Low Income Investment Fund can be viewed here.

The legislation is endorsed by: Low Income Investment Fund, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Oregon Housing and Community Services, First Five Years Fund, National Women’s Law Center, Family Forward Oregon, National Housing Law Project, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, National Children’s Facilities Network, Save the Children, National Association of Counties, National Partnership for Women and Families, Early Care & Education Consortium, Family Values @ Work, UnidosUS, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, First Focus Campaign on Children, ZERO TO THREE, National Association for County Community and Economic Development, Center for Law and Social Policy, and Home Grown.

Project Turnkey Act

The Project Turnkey Act models Oregon’s successful Project Turnkey Program to provide flexible funding that can quickly convert unused buildings into affordable housing and emergency shelters, enhance services for people experiencing homelessness, and address the nationwide housing crisis. The full text of the legislation can be found here.

“During the pandemic, Congress acted with urgency to provide historic and unprecedented resources to address the health and housing needs of America’s lowest-income and most marginalized households, including people experiencing homelessness. With these investments, Congress saved lives and prevented a wave of evictions and an increase in homelessness,” said Renee Willis, interim president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “Congress must build on the tremendous successes and lessons learned from the pandemic to build a stronger housing safety net by enacting Rep. Bonamici’s ‘Project Turnkey Act’ and other critical legislation.”

“We appreciate Representative Bonamici’s leadership in translating into sensible legislation the lessons learned during COVID from the conversion of hotels to non-congregate housing and shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Her Project Turnkey Act would help communities convert not just hotels, but also motels, schools, hospitals, and office buildings into affordable housing or shelter as well as repair and expand existing shelters.  If we are to achieve deep and meaningful reductions in homelessness, we must build significant new affordable housing. But that takes time, years. Representative Bonamici’s bill would help communities to provide shelter and housing to people experiencing homelessness while that permanent housing is being built.” – National Alliance to End Homelessness

The legislation is endorsed by: National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Low-Income Housing Coalition, National Association of Realtors, American Hotel and Lodging Association, College Housing Northwest, National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders, SchoolHouse Connection, Coalition on Human Needs, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, National NeighborWorks Association, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

START Housing Act

The bipartisan Supporting Transition and Recovery Through (START) Housing Act would expand access to transitional housing for individuals in recovery from a substance use disorder or mental health crisis. The full text of the legislation can be found here.

“The Council of Large Public Housing Authorities is proud to endorse Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici’s reintroduction of the START Housing Act,” said Sunia Zaterman, Executive Director, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities. “The bill would reauthorize and expand the Recovery Housing Program (RHP) to provide housing for individuals recovering from substance use disorder. While public housing authorities play a critical role in housing the most vulnerable in our country, they also understand that improving the lives of their residents is central to their mission. The START Housing Act helps PHAs accomplish this goal by allowing them to coordinate with other housing providers to ensure stable housing for individuals recovering from substance use disorder.”

The legislation is endorsed by: Council of Large Public Housing Authorities, Drug Policy Alliance, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Central City Concern, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

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