Issue Position: Housing

Issue Position

I will fight to make sure Oregonians can count on investments in affordable housing so that regardless of whether you live high in the hills, or in an apartment, you have a safe and comfortable place to live.

As the Case Manager for Family Promise of Beaverton, a transitional housing program, I see the ramifications of an unjust system every day. I see the brutality of the housing market and what it does to our community. I am in favor of statewide rent control. I am in favor of legislation that protects renters. I would be a strong advocate for fully eliminating no-cause evictions in Oregon.

I will be a champion for raising the minimum wage to a living wage, as increases in the minimum wage have not matched the rising cost of living. The Fair Market Rent (FMR) numbers for 2020 show the ever-increasing cost of living - for example, the FMR for a 2-bedroom in 2020 - in the Beaverton/Aloha jurisdiction (HD 28) is $1,495. For a single-income household receiving minimum wage - these numbers can be devastating when families are expected to pay upwards of 75% of their income.

The housing crisis has hit Oregon statewide and the Beaverton School District itself has consistently had the highest number of students experiencing houselessness in the whole state of Oregon. We cannot expect children to excel academically if they lack housing, adequate food, family supports, language acquisition programs, and other basic needs.

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