6/13/22 10:20 a.m.

Oregon Housing and Community Services submitted an action plan last week that will direct support to survivors of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, including those in Douglas County.

The plan was submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Wednesday after it was approved by the Oregon Housing Stability Council.

The plan is intended to fund a program that would specifically help victims of the Labor Day 2020 wildfires obtain safe, affordable housing.

Oregon Housing and Community Services expects the Department of Housing and Urban Development will approve the plan within 90 days.

The action plan will direct the state to allocate $422 million in federal funding to support wildfire recovery in various Oregon counties including Lane, Linn, and Douglas counties.

Officials said the goal of the funding is to provide those affected by the fires equitable access to necessary resources and safe, permanent, affordable housing.

The plan also includes a housing replacement program for those who lost a home in the fires, a new homeownership program for former renters who were displaced, and a fund to support local infrastructure and fire mitigation projects.

Other programs include housing recovery services, intermediate housing assistance, and recovery planning.

Oregon Housing and Community Services officials said they will implement the newly funded programs as soon as possible, and hope to be accepting applications starting in early 2023.