Latest news with #HomelessnessandHousingCommittee
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Portland proposal to ban rental price-fixing software hits stumbling block
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Portland City Council measure that would ban rental price-fixing software has hit a stumbling block. After hearing a third round of testimony on the proposal on Wednesday night, city leaders unanimously approved District 3 Councilor Angelita Morillo's motion to refer the ordinance back to the Homelessness and Housing Committee. A six-figure salary might not be enough in Portland, report finds 'It's kind of with a heavy heart that I have to say this — that there is some new litigation elsewhere that touches on similar issues with the algorithmic price fixing ordinance,' Morillo, the proposal's lead sponsor, said. 'And I want to assert that the litigation is not determinative of what's going to happen here, but it's worth us keeping an eye on and being responsible stewards of policy and maintaining good conversations with stakeholders as we look into it.' The councilor was referring to a real estate software company's ongoing legal battle with the City of Berkeley. In early April, the Associated Press reported that accusing the California city of violating its free speech with an ordinance that prohibits rent-pricing algorithms. The lawsuit against Berkeley is the most recent development in a nationwide attempt to crack down on an alleged price-fixing scheme. In August, Oregon and several other states joined the Department of Justice in filing a federal complaint that claimed with property managers and hike up the cost of rent. The plaintiffs to include some of the country's 'largest landlords' in January. Portland's Homelessness and Housing Committee began discussing an ordinance against these practices the following month. The committee later , but Morillo's recent decision to reverse this move comes as the city is 'facing other immediate priorities, like the upcoming budget.' Complaint requesting prosecution of St. Helens Mayor heads to Oregon DOJ The councilor previously noted that 47% of Portlanders are renters. And while much of the has come from those in support of it, RealPage Vice President of Associate General Counsel Mike Semko argued that banning the software would impact renters negatively. 'What this draft ordinance does at the present moment — It doesn't ban price fixing,' Semko said on Wednesday. 'It bans the use of data sets in applied math. Essentially, what you're doing is — you're banning a math tool. That's not going to help anybody. It certainly won't help housing providers and, by the way, it won't help your residents either.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Portland City Council to study social housing amid ‘dire' affordable housing need
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Amid the homelessness and housing affordability crises, Portland City Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Wednesday which could help bring an additional housing model to the city. The resolution, introduced by Councilors Mitch Green (District 4) and Candace Avalos (District 1), directs the City Administrator to study social housing and submit a report on the housing model with recommendations to City Council by May 31, 2026. Social housing is owned and managed by the public or non-profits with a focus on affordability and community benefit — as opposed to traditional public housing in the United States, which is reserved for low-income tenants in spaces managed by federally granted housing agencies. Oregon is doling out $11M in unclaimed funds. Here's how to find out if you're owed money 'To put it simply, it is housing that is non-market, and is permanently affordable,' Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi Hisserich previously testified during a Homelessness and Housing Committee hearing in late March — noting the model exists in cities from Seattle, Washington and Montgomery County, Maryland to Vienna, Austria. 'Often, it is described or developed as mixed-income communities, where people of all incomes live together,' Hisserich said. Under the resolution, Hisserich would lead the study — bringing her near-two-year experience studying Vienna's social housing resolution points to an October 2022 resolution passed by Portland City Council that states the need for more than 20,000 affordable housing units in the city after accounting for the 4,200 units that were planned for the years following the resolution's adoption. Citing American Community Survey data, the resolution also notes more than 50% of Portland households were cost burdened in 2023, with 25% of Portland households spending 50% or more of their income on rent. 'This resolution finally puts Portland on a path to address the root causes of housing unaffordability and homelessness,' Councilor Green said. 'Portland is in a housing crisis that demands bold solutions and systems change. We have been responding as a reaction to the scarcity of affordable housing in this city for a long time. The intention of this resolution is to empower the Portland Housing Bureau to unlock its expertise and have the explicit direction to go out and study new ways of doing housing production, in particular social housing.' Councilor Avalos added, 'As the Chair of the Homelessness and Housing Committee I'm more aware than most of the dire situation that our city is in when it comes to providing housing to meet everyone's needs. We have spent the majority of our time since the housing crisis was declared over 10 years ago responding haphazardly without a unified vision for how we solve homelessness. I'm excited to see the results of this study because I believe that social housing can be an important piece of the housing solutions that we are seeking.' The resolution was co-sponsored by Councilors Sameer Kanal (District 2) and Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
