What does it mean when you have a good job, work full time, and still can’t afford to make ends meet? In this episode of Policy for the People, we meet Lora Edwards, a single mother of four who works full time as a state data analyst. Despite having a career and a steady paycheck,
She Has a Good Job. She Still Needs a Food Bank: Oregon’s Affordability Crisis Read More »
Executive summary On the eve of the pandemic, a time when the nation was experiencing the longest economic boom on record, poor quality jobs predominated in Oregon. In 2019, more than half of all jobs paid too little to adequately support a family. Many of these jobs not only paid poorly, they offered insufficient hours
Poor Quality Jobs Predominate in Strong Economy Read More »
The struggles of Oregonians to afford rent began long before the arrival of COVID-19 and will remain after the end of the pandemic, unless we take decisive steps to confront the problem. A key part of the solution is helping low-income families pay their rent. While it may seem obvious, providing rent assistance to those
Want people to stay housed? Help them pay their rent. Read More »
[This commentary was first published in The Statesman Journal.] In the most recent tally, more than 1,000 students in Salem-Keizer Public Schools were homeless — an indication of the devastating toll the housing crisis is taking on families locally and across the state. Although there is no silver bullet to the housing crisis, there is one
Rent assistance could quickly ease Oregon’s housing crisis Read More »
At a time when there is a dire need for federal leadership in confronting a national housing crisis, the Trump administration is heading down a path that will likely exacerbate the problem for many low-income Oregonians. Recently, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed changing the rules governing who qualifies for federal rent assistance.
Trump administration’s latest proposal could throw Oregonians onto the street Read More »