Imagine for a moment, you’re in a grocery store looking to buy food for your family, and yet the shelves are full of caviar, lobster, champagne, and other items you simply can’t afford.
Today, the housing market in the metropolitan region is increasingly offering the same level of choice as this grocery store. Many hardworking people are being priced out and forced to choose between paying for rent, medicine, or food. I believe every community needs to have options for decent, safe and affordable places to live. And this is why I’m proposing a budget amendment enabling Metro to refocus on its role in advancing housing choice for everyone.
This proposal is a first step at helping local communities adopt policies and programs that makes housing within reach for all people. It will build capacity within Metro to continue its work in this arena and it will set the stage for the work ahead.
In our region, if those in poverty incorporated into one place it would be Oregon’s second largest city. However, poverty isn’t concentrated into one city. It’s distributed across our entire region. And as your regional government, Metro is uniquely positioned to work on issues that cross city boundaries. I ran for the Metro Council because I believe the issues that affect those in need are issues that affect everyone.
On June 12th at 2:00, the Metro Council will hold a hearing and consider this amendment. I hope you will join me in support of this work.
–Sam Chase
Learn More: