Metro Housing Bond

We want to hear from you as we develop our local implementation strategy. Please join us for an upcoming event or share your feedback.

Metro-area voters recently approved a $652.8 million general obligation bond, a proactive measure to address the shortage of affordable housing within Metro’s urban growth boundary. The bond allows our region the opportunity to invest in the development of new housing resources for some of our most vulnerable and historically marginalized residents.

Metro-wide goals for the bond funds include:

• Create affordable homes for about 12,000 people across the region
• Create approximately 1,600 homes for households with 30 percent of area median or less
• Serve families (At least half of the affordable homes created will have two to five bedrooms.)
• No more than 10 percent of homes will house people between 61 to 80 percent of area median income.
• Create 20.8 percent of homes in Clackamas County, 45 percent in Multnomah County and 34 percent in Washington County (This number is based on the assessed value of the property tax within each county within the metro boundary, which is an estimate placed on a property by the county’s tax assessor.)
• Utilize all funding within seven years

What does the Metro Bond mean for Clackamas County?

Clackamas County currently has about 41 percent of the affordable homes needed to meet our residents’ needs. This includes single family homes, apartments in the private market that do not have rent limits and apartments with rent limits (regulated affordable housing lower-income families can qualify for).

The bond will cost homeowners, on average, about $60 per year over the next 30 years.

These funds allow the county to shape the landscape of housing that will serve our communities affordable housing needs for decades to come. The county’s goals for the bond funds are to:

• Create housing for over 2500 county residents
• Develop approximately 812 new affordable housing units
• Meet the needs of families by making at least 406 units two bedroom or larger
• Create affordable homes for low-income families earning between 61 – 80% of AMI by using up to 10% of the funding
• Develop and make accessible at least 333 units to extremely low-income families earning 30% or less of AMI

Clackamas County is committed to using information gathered by a robust community engagement process to inform the strategy that will be laid out in the Clackamas County Implementation Strategy Proposal. The implementation plan will guide the creation of housing using these new funds.

What is Area Median Income?

Area Median Income (AMI) limits are established annually by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Median income varies by family size. It is a measurement of where a family’s earnings lie on the spectrum from very rich to very poor. The median calculated by HUD is the middle of the spectrum where 50 percent of families make more than the median and 50 percent of families make less than the median. Those making 80 percent or less than the median are considered low income.

In Clackamas County $81,400 is considered the midpoint of earnings for a family of 4. If a family of 4 makes at least $81,400, they are not considered low income but rather “middle class”.

Will you or a family member qualify to live in affordable housing?

If your family earns 80% or less of Area Median Income based on the chart below you would qualify to live in housing developed by the Bond.

Family Size	Low Income 80%	Very Low Income 50%	Extremely Low Income 30%
1	$45,600	$28,500	$17,100
2	52,100	32,600	19,550
3	58,600	36,650	22,000
4	65,100	40,700	25,100
5	$70,350	44,000	29,420

What is affordable housing?

The definition of affordable housing applies to everyone depending on their income level. The more income you have, the more you can pay towards your housing costs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines affordable housing as, housing that consumes 30 percent or less of a household’s income. By this definition, whether you live in your own home in Wilsonville, or in public subsidized housing, you may be living in housing affordable to you. Unfortunately, the gap between current rents and the rental units available within our community has widened, making the majority of rental units inaccessible for our neighbors.

Will you or a family member qualify to live in affordable housing?

If your family earns 80% or less of Area Median Income based on the chart below you would qualify to live in housing developed by the Bond.

Metro Bond Frequently Asked Questions

1. How will the bond funding be distributed between the three counties?
   The bond will create 21 percent of homes in Clackamas County, 45 percent in Multnomah County and 34 percent in Washington County.
2. Why will Clackamas County receive only 21 percent, while other counties receive more?
   The Metro Urban Growth Boundary is made up of portions of three counties. Each county contributes a different percentage of property taxes based on how many of the county’s homes fall within the boundary. The intention of the program is to create affordable homes proportionate to revenue raised in each county. Clackamas County’s portion of the revenue generated through property taxes within the urban growth boundary is 21 percent.
3. Who will decide where housing projects are built (Metro or Clackamas County)?
   Each county will develop implementation plans that will be developed within Clackamas County based upon our own needs, This local plan will be approved by the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners and then and then by Metro Council. This plan will be developed following an extensive community outreach process, and Clackamas County intends to speak to our jurisdictional partners as well about their priorities. The Metro Implementation Committee will review project plans to ensure they are in alignment with the Clackamas County approved implementation plan and will enable us to meet our specific goals.
4. How much will property taxes increase?
   The bond will cost county homeowners about $60 per year, or $5 per month, based on assessed home value of $250,000.
5. How will we know Clackamas County gets their share?
   The bond requires the establishment of a Community Oversight Committee to track the program goals and provide accountability to voters. The distribution of funds is just one of several outcomes that they will track.
6. Who will be on the Community Oversight Committee and what is their role?
   The committee will be made up of 7-15 community leaders who cannot be elected officials or have monetary conflicts of interest. Metro is accepting nominations now for interested community members. The 2019 Metro Council will appoint members who are diverse in perspective and expertise.

   The committee will:

   • Review implementation strategies
   • Provide ongoing project review and annual program reports
   • Assess program outcomes and make recommendations to staff
   • Recommend changes to Implementation Strategy amendments as needed
7. How will the bond funds be used?
   The funds can only be used to:
   • Build new affordable housing
   • Purchase and rehabilitate existing housing
   • Buy land for new affordable housing
   • Create affordable homeownership programs
8. How much of the funds will be used to build housing?
   The majority of Bond funds MUST be used for housing units.
   Ten percent of the funds generated by the bond will be used by Metro to acquire land that will be developed into affordable housing within the region. Five percent of the funds will be set aside for administrative costs. This allows local entities to hire the staff required to implement the plans they are developing.
9. Will county residents have the opportunity to help create the priorities for the housing to be built?
   Yes. The Clackamas County Implementation plan requires robust community involvement as we develop our regional priorities.
10. How will the county decide what type of housing to build?
    The unit goals identified in the prior section labelled “What does the Housing Bond mean for Clackamas County” will be the driving force behind the type of housing to be built. Additionally, the county’s implementation plan will include input from the community as we work to identify local priorities which must be aligned with the following core values laid out in Metro’s Bond
    Framework:
    • Lead with racial equity
    • Create opportunity for those in need
    • Create opportunity throughout the region
    • Ensure long-term benefits and good use of public dollars
11. How long will it take to begin developing housing?
    There is much work to do before housing can actually be built. Metro has set a goal for the implementation plans to be approved by July 2019, with the targeted dates as follows:
    Nov-Dec. 2018: Stakeholder engagement to inform Metro plan for accountability/oversight
    Jan. 2019: Metro Council will adopt work plan and oversight committee appointments
    January through Spring 2019: Implementation Strategy development using local community engagement
    Summer 2019: Local Implementation Strategy Proposals will be delivered to Community Oversight Committee starting in May, and the proposals will be approved by Metro Council in June/July 2019. Funding will be made available for development and acquisition of affordable housing.

Community Engagement Activities

We want to hear from you as we develop our local implementation strategy. Please join us for an upcoming event or share your feedback with Metro through this survey.

May 14	Housing Forum: targeted outreach to jurisdictional partners and developers
May 15	Input from engaged residents through ClackCo Academy
May 23	Our housing, our communities! 6 p.m.
June 11	Homeless Solutions Coalition of Clackamas County - meeting dedicated to the bond (more info) Providence Willamette Falls Community Center 519 15th St, Oregon City, OR 97045 2 p.m. to 4p.m.
June 20	Our housing, our communities! 6 p.m.