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<\/a><\/p>\nBy PDX People<\/span><\/p>\n PORTLAND, OR \u2013 Portland Oregon\u2019s Mayor, Ted Wheeler, announced this week that he\u2019s going to delay spending the $258.4 million affordable housing bond until he can establish a specific plan for oversight and spending.<\/span><\/p>\n Although more oversight and management of the $258.4 million affordable housing bond is a good idea, nobody can deny that real solutions are needed right now to combat the affordable housing problem in Portland Oregon especially as more of the cities homeless are dying this winter due to prolonged exposure to the elements.<\/span><\/p>\n Portland voters\u00a0in November approved\u00a0the bond after the City Council declared a state of emergency for affordable housing. The city has since earmarked almost\u00a015 percent of the bond\u00a0to buy an affordable housing complex in northeast Portland.<\/strong>\u00a0That purchase will go as planned, but beyond that, the mayor wants to set his own strategy for spending and evaluating the use of the bond, spokesman Michael Cox said Monday.\u00a0Willamette Week\u00a0first reported the halt in spending, according to Oregon Live.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n “I want to make sure we have a community agreement in place around the goals and priorities for that spending,” Wheeler said in a statement.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The mayor hopes to set up measurable goals for bond spending so that he can evaluate the most effective use of the money, Cox said. Wheeler plans to appoint a chair of the bond oversight committee.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n He also plans to consult with housing experts to get consensus on how to best spend the rest of the bond. Real Solutions for Affordable Housing Are Needed Now<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Mayor Wheeler\u2019s commitment to sound fiscal management of the affordable housing bond is commendable but with ever rising rents, combined with sluggish job growth, the city needs real solutions now to create more affordable housing in Portland Oregon.<\/span><\/p>\n The city recently spent $51 million on an apartment complex in Portland, with the goal of turning it into affordable housing, but with more developers purchasing real estate in the city by the day, it\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess as to how much progress they can make in 2017 with creating more affordable housing here.<\/span><\/p>\nMoving Towards Affordable Housing in Portland<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
\n“I’m going to rely upon the advice of\u00a0<\/em>affordable housing<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>experts to make sure we meet the public’s expectations,” Wheeler said in a statement.<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n