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By Claire Rush

The Associated Press

PORTLAND 鈥� Oregon lawmakers on Tuesday passed a sweeping, $200 million package addressing housing and homelessness, displaying a bipartisan will to tackle two of the state’s聽most pressing crises.

The vast majority of the funding 鈥� about $157 million 鈥� is aimed at boosting services to prevent evictions and homelessness. The money will go toward increasing shelter capacity, addressing youth homelessness, and funding rapid rehousing efforts and rental assistance programs.

鈥淭his bill will help us build more housing, get people off our streets and make our communities more safe,鈥� Democratic state Sen. Aaron Woods, who carried one of the two bills in the package, said on the Senate floor.

Like much of the U.S. West, Oregon has struggled with a surge in homelessness driven in part by high housing costs and a lack of affordable options. Analysts and agencies estimate Oregon is short 140,000 housing units, and federal data shows its homeless population has increased by 22 percent since 2020.

The crises are affecting both cities and rural regions. About 4,000 of the nearly 18,000 homeless people in the state live in rural areas, according to the latest 2022 federal point-in-time count.

The Senate approved the package Tuesday night, with half of the chamber’s Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, voting in favor. The legislation previously passed the House with support from both parties.

Lawmakers pointed to the package’s investments outside cities 鈥� nearly $27 million is earmarked specifically for rural areas to combat homelessness 鈥� as the fruits of cross-aisle negotiation.

鈥淚 have rural communities in my district as well that need this housing opportunity for our homeless. Homeless don’t just reside in urban communities,鈥� Republican state Sen. David Brock Smith, who represents a rural southern Oregon district, said on the Senate floor. 鈥淚’m going to be a yes vote so that I can be a part of the solution.鈥�

The package will also direct $20 million to ramp up factory-produced modular housing, in a bid to meet Gov. Tina Kotek’s housing construction target of 36,000 units per year 鈥� an 80 percent increase over current production.

Republican state Sen. Daniel Bonham, who voted against the package, said cutting bureaucratic red tape and creating more incentives for housing developers would better address the issue.

Some members of the public submitted written testimony opposing the high spending. But most representatives of nonprofits and housing groups expressed support, saying it would help communities that are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and the affordable housing shortage.

鈥淧romoting stability in the state’s housing laws will increase the well-being of communities of color in Oregon,鈥� Jenny Lee, deputy director of the Coalition of Communities of Color, said in written testimony.

The package will now head to Kotek’s desk for her signature.