Partners for Affordable Housing recently announced that the new regional housing advocacy coalition has adopted a shared vision, mission, values and strategic priorities, and is now issuing a call for additional coalition partners from across Central Oregon. Large employers, nonprofits, advocacy groups and civic organizations are all invited to submit an interest form on the coalition’s website as the first step toward joining the impactful new regional partnership.
Partners for Affordable Housing initially came together to hold a Bend City Council Housing Forum in September, then spent the fall working through a collaborative input process to establish a long-term visioning framework for the organization. The group’s mission is to develop and advocate for bold solutions that increase housing supply and lower housing costs across Central Oregon. Read the full vision, mission and values at partnersforaffordablehousing.com.
Groups already involved in Partners for Affordable Housing include Bend Chamber, Bend Police Association, Bend YIMBY, Central Oregon Association of REALTORS, Central Oregon Builders Association, Oregon Nurses Association and RootedHomes. The groups recognize that housing continues to be out of reach for community members and essential workers such as nurses, teachers and first responders, which is profoundly impacting our communities and workforce’s ability to thrive.
“We believe that together our voices are stronger in speaking the need for bolder action to address the housing crisis,” said Karl Dinkelspiel, deputy director of RootedHomes, a founding member of Partners for Affordable Housing. “Our hope is that employers large, small and in-between, culturally-specific organizations, civic organizations, unions, and groups that represent impacted populations like people of color, seniors, veterans and low-income families will join with us to amplify the call for more solutions to increase the supply and lower the cost of housing.”
Partners pledge to support the coalition in three ways:
- Adding their logo and name to the website and shared advocacy efforts
- Providing input on advocacy priorities as desired
- Sharing coalition education and advocacy materials as desired
The coalition’s next step is to hold a policy advocacy workshop in January before providing input to government organizations establishing housing goals in the region.
Partners interested in joining the coalition should fill out this partner interest form by January 5, 2025 to ensure participation in the upcoming policy advocacy workshop.
