March 16, 2023 3:00 a.m.

On Wednesday, the Oregon House passed the $200 million Affordable Housing & Emergency Homelessness Response Package.

A release from the House Majority Office said the package takes bold and effective action to help shelter Oregonians living on the street, prevent more homelessness, ramp up affordable housing production in the state and more.

House Committee on Housing and Homelessness Committee Chair Maxine Dexter of Portland, said, “Every Oregonian deserves to have access to safe and affordable housing in the community of their choice”.

In contrast, House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson in a release from the Oregon House Republican Caucus said, “The urgency to address Oregon’s housing shortage is long overdue. Republicans are focused and ready to solve problems in Oregon, and while this legislation take’s a crack at it, it does not do enough”.

Breese-Iverson said, “Without a bi-partisan commitment to reform Measure 110 and truly tackle the drug crisis in Oregon, I fear we will continue to see more of the same. While the bill provides expanded shelter capacity and rental assistance, I do not believe it gets to the heart of this issue – the failure of Measure 110 to provide meaningful access to treatment”.

The legislation now moves on to the Senate.