OHCS to release draft action plan, seek public comment on $422 million HUD disaster recovery grant

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – Oregon Housing and Community Services will publish on May 2 a draft Action Plan for a $422 million disaster recovery grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The effort, which will be known as “ReOregon,” will support individuals, households, and communities continue to recover from the 2020 Labor Day Fires. This will be accomplished primarily by providing new permanent housing in the areas most impacted by the disaster. 

In May, OHCS will seek public comment on the draft Action Plan for spending the funds, which will come in the form of a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR). Members of the public will be invited to provide their input on the draft Action Plan in person at public hearings (see below), online, or via telephone.

“Feedback from the community plays a critical role in the development of the plan and recovery programs,” said Alex Campbell, chief external affairs officer for Disaster Recovery and Resiliency at Oregon Housing and Community Services. “That is why we want to make it easy for Oregonians to do so in whatever format works best for them. In particular, we are very interested to hear from fire survivors themselves and will be visiting four of the most-impacted counties to hold public hearings.” 

A short summary of the key elements of the plan and the entire draft Action Plan itself will be made available for review on OHCS’ website at:

https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/housing-assistance/Pages/CDBG.aspx.

Printed copies of the plan will be available by request.

"The draft Action Plan lays out our initial plan for how we will use CDBG-DR funding," said Ryan Flynn, assistant director of Disaster Recovery and Resiliency at OHCS. "These funds will replace hundreds of lost housing units, particularly for low- and moderate-income families and individuals. The Action Plan also includes funding to build new public infrastructure to support that new housing development and help make communities better prepared to withstand future disasters."

The programs in the draft Action Plan will ensure that the housing needs of very low-, low- and moderate-income (LMI) households and vulnerable populations are addressed to the greatest extent feasible. The proposed programs will help survivors who were renters prior to the disaster or who lost a home that they owned. The draft plan also includes funds to assist with rent payments while homes are built or rebuilt and to provide recovery counseling and legal aid services to address a range of barriers that survivors might face.

As part of the public comment process, OHCS will hold a series of public hearings to provide information on the plan and obtain feedback and comments during a 30-day public comment period. The schedule is as follows:

Oregon CoastCC-North Campus Monday, May 16, 2022Door: 5 p.m.Public hearing: 6 p.m.Community Room (#108)3788 SE High School Drive, Lincoln City

Gates Community Christ Church  Tuesday, May 17, 2022Door: 5 p.m.Public hearing: 6 p.m.40070 Gates School Road, Gates

McKenzie RiverCommunity School Wednesday, May 18, 2022Door: 5 p.m.Public hearing: 6 p.m.“New” Gym51187 Blue River Drive, Vida

Talent Community Center Thursday, May 19, 2022Door: 5 p.m.Public hearing: 6 p.m.(Behind City Hall)104 E. Main St., Talent

Prior to the hearings, OHCS officials will be on hand to answer questions about the draft Action Plan. Partners will also be on hand to connect survivors with resources and programs that are already available to assist with recovery. The hearings will include a short presentation by OHCS officials, followed by acceptance of public comments. 

All of the information presented at the public hearings will be available on the ReOregon website at:

https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/housing-assistance/Pages/CDBG.aspx. Spanish and ASL translation services will be available at all of the public hearings. OHCS will publish through a forthcoming press release how attendees can request any additional accommodations they may need. 

In addition to providing comment in person, the public will be able to do so by e-mail, web form, phone, or mail. Those details will be provided when the draft Action Plan is published. All comments must be submitted to OHCS no later than 11:59 p.m.June 1, 2022.

After the 30-day public comment period, feedback will be incorporated into the plan before OHCS submits it to HUD for review and approval. As required by HUD, OHCS will respond to all comments received. The state’s deadline to submit its Action Plan is June 8, 2022. The Oregon State Housing Stability Council, OHCS’ governing body, will review and approve the final Action Plan at its June 3 meeting.

To learn more about the Community Development Block Grant funding process, timeline, and upcoming presentations, visit the OHCS website or sign up to receive e-mail notifications.