Should Portland appropriate grant for $125,000 from Oregon Health Authority for the 2024 State Healthy Home Grant?

The 2021 Oregon Legislature enacted groundbreaking legislation to help achieve Healthy Homes for low-income households (low-income household = a household having an income equal to or below 80 percent of the earned median family income) and communities impacted by environmental justice factors (environmental justice factor = a circumstance or condition that affects a community's ability to achieve a balance of health, economic or environmental benefits, and burdens or that impacts at community's ability to participate in public processes). HB 2842 directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to provide grants to a wide array of third-party organizations, which in turn provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners and landlords to repair and rehabilitate dwellings to address climate and other environmental hazards, ensure accessible homes for disabled residents, and make general repairs needed to maintain a safe and healthy home. Lead-based paint hazards are the number one environmental health hazard facing American children. Research has indicated that low levels of lead exposure significantly affect IQ, reading and learning ability, attention span, and behavior.This grant aims to improve health outcomes for residents who live in repaired and rehabilitated housing; preserve the affordability and availability of existing housing stock by addressing deferred property maintenance issues; and help low-income homeowners avoid displacement in the face of short-term crises through access to home repair funds. The Portland Housing Bureau responded to a Notice of Funding Availability for State Healthy Home Grant Program funds through the Oregon Health Authority in April to undertake healthy home repairs, in partnership with Portland Permitting and Development (PP&D).Oregon Healthy Authority has notified the City of Portland and Portland Permitting and Development that it will award a grant for $750,000 in federal funds to serve households earning 80% AMI or less, with a focus on critical home repairs.The Program leverages partnerships to preserve and improve the health and safety of affordable housing in partnership with Empowered Neighborhood Program through substantial grants to address life, safety, and fire hazards. The Portland Housing Bureau will leverage the State funding with our current Federal Healthy Home Production Grant.The program serves as a critical anti-displacement resource for low-to-moderate-income families city-wide.

The reviewed sources do not clearly identify every existing policy, service, contract, or obligation that would remain unchanged.

This proposal concerns housing & homelessness and requires action through Portland’s public legislative process.

This grant application was submitted to leverage federal funding support for an established healthy home program to provides direct services to low-income households. The grant will serve 21-30 households within the three-year grant period.