The latest round of state-funded LIFT Homeownership grants will fund 239 new affordable homes across Oregon. Previous LIFT grants totaling over $100 million have helped triple affordable home production. Kim Gammond, executive director of Habitat for Humanity in La Pine, said the funding will support 10 new homes in the next two years – but notes the program’s future is uncertain. In a tough budget year, LIFT was left as the only surviving program supporting affordable homeownership in the state.
“Through these grants we’ve really built up across the state a network of affordable housing that was finally producing at the level that we needed to see,” said Gammond, “and we just took a giant step back.” Other programs like the Homeownership Development Incubator Program and Down Payment Assistance were cut entirely from the state’s budget this year.
Programs focused on building new affordable rental properties retained funding. Peter Hoover is the executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Sisters, another recipient of LIFT funding. He explained that in order to qualify for a Habitat home, the household must make at most 80% of the area’s median income, adjusted for household size. He said the average home in the area goes for more than $700,000, while the average wage is under $22 per hour.
“What that means,” said Hoover, “is the down payment requirements alone are going to exclude a high percentage of your population.”
Gammond said the current budget will mean less affordable housing construction across the state. She added that competition for the next round of LIFT funding will likely be steep.
“LIFT funding will remain to be our one source in the next couple years,” said Gammond, “and as things hopefully get better, we can look at all these funding sources again.”
Isobel Charle, Oregon News Service
