Recently, the Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office requested that all state agencies that receive General Fund and Lottery funds prepare reduction scenarios and impacts before the 2012 supplemental session. Each agency must prepare 10.5 percent reductions occurring in three increments of 3.5 percent. These budget cuts affect the Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) agency in several ways, including the Lottery funds that are allocated to OHCS for debt service on both past and future lottery-backed bonds. OHCS uses the bond financing for preservation of federally subsidized housing, housing for people experiencing homelessness, and community development projects. The agency has proposed to reduce funding for these housing development programs by a total of $323,486 during the first increment of reductions to a total of $10,469,317 for the 2011-2013 budgets.
OHCS is currently working to educate policymakers about the detrimental effects these budget cuts will have on the state’s most vulnerable citizens. In addition, the agency asks housing and community services stakeholders to do their part to provide as much information as possible to state legislators about what is at stake with these funding cuts. Interested parties may contact Rick Crager at (503) 986-2005 about the proposed budget cuts and other information regarding affected programs.
To read the memorandum from OHCS, click here.
