January 15, 2024 10:40 a.m. 

On Thursday, 4th District Representative Val Hoyle and California Representative Salud Carbajal introduced the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All (DASH) Act, a companion bill to Senator Ron Wyden’s legislation in the Senate.

A release from Hoyle said the legislation aims to tackle homelessness and address the housing affordability crisis in Oregon and across the country.

Hoyle said, “I am proud to introduce the DASH Act which is a comprehensive bill that will help increase access to affordable housing for low-and middle-income families and take concrete steps to address homelessness”.  Hoyle said, “We have a housing crisis because there is a lack of available housing at all income levels and I’m proud to be introducing a bill to address that need. The DASH Act provides support and incentive to states and local communities to help provide needed housing solutions for families in Oregon’s Fourth Congressional District and across the state”.

Hoyle said the DASH Act addresses critical aspects of the housing crisis by:

*Providing a pathway to increase access to middle income housing and take a much -needed step to address the housing stock

*Ensuring that families or individuals experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness have access to Housing Choice Vouchers

*Reforming local zoning and housing development, which is vital to building affordable homes in America

*Providing innovative tax policies, helping investment in homeownership, providing rent support for low-income families, and constructing affordable housing nationwide

*Providing relief to families of diverse economic backgrounds by establishing the Middle- Income Housing Tax Credit and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

The release said the bill would help build an estimated three million additional homes in the U.S. over the next decade and has been endorsed by Enterprise Community Partners, Leading Age, Council for Large Public Housing Utilities, and Network for Oregon Affordable Housing.