Housing emergency declared in Josephine County

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – A county in southern Oregon has declared a housing emergency.
 
The Daily Courier reports the Josephine County Board of Commissioners took the action this week, hoping to get state assistance and suspend some state rules to address housing problems.
 
A housing crunch caused by an increasing population and depressed housing construction has sent vacancy rates plummeting and rents soaring.
 
Homes in the Grants Pass area that rented for $800 or $900 six years ago are now $1,200 to $1,600. The National Low-Income Housing Council estimates that to be at 30 percent of monthly income, rents in the area would need to be $536.
 
Commission Chairman Simon Hare supports a rule change to allow accessory dwelling units, secondary residences better known as mother-in-law apartments.
 
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Information from: Daily Courier, http://www.thedailycourier.com