Press Release: Oregon Passes Healthy Homes Repair Fund (HB 2842) Amidst Record Heatwave
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Saturday, June 26 2024
CONTACT:
Damon Motz-Storey, [email protected], 303-913-5634 (text, Signal, call)
Amidst Record Heat Wave Oregon Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Invest $10 Million in New Healthy Homes Repair Fund
House Bill 2842 creates a home repair grant program at the Oregon Health Authority intended for low-income renters and homeowners to receive energy efficiency upgrades, smoke filtration and home hardening, and other critical housing fixes and upgrades.
SALEM, OR – Today the Oregon Senate voted to pass a bipartisan bill intended to support low-income Oregonians across the state in receiving home repairs that will drive down energy costs, improve wildfire resilience, and protect the health of residents from mold, smoke, and polluted air. This was the final step for HB 2842, and it was approved as many parts of Oregon, already in the midst of an early fire season, are experiencing record high temperatures as a result of climate change.
House Bill 2842, known as the Healthy Homes bill, will seed a new Healthy Homes Repair Fund at the Oregon Health Authority with $10 million that will be granted out to housing authorities, local governments, Tribal Nations, coordinated care organizations, and nonprofit organizations to support home repairs that improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of housing stock for low-income Oregonians. These grants can be used for a variety of home repairs, including heating and cooling systems, fire hardening, and measures to improve indoor air quality like duct sealing, mold abatement, and air purifiers.
“For many years, it was difficult for me to find housing that was healthy, clean, and safe. I’ve lived in homes where there were broken pipes that dripped dirty water, and windows that didn’t keep out the cold,” said Maria Dolores Torres, a 25-year resident of Beaverton and a mother of three. “HB 2842 can make a huge change in the quality of life for families who live in buildings with problems like this. This bill helps provide resources we’ve never had before to make every home healthy, clean, and safe, and every family deserves that.”
“Right now, the State of Oregon lacks a program to support critical home improvements for low-income families,” said Alessandra de la Torre, Energy Justice Organizer at Rogue Climate in Southern Oregon. “As we work towards climate solutions, we need immediate fixes to people’s homes to reduce energy and withstand the new weather patterns created by the crisis. HB 2842 provides this. This is especially important on days like today when heat poses a health risk, and the drought and early fire season threaten homes in rural communities.”
"Weatherizing our homes not only protects us from the elements, but also reduces our energy bills and creates jobs in home retrofitting," said bill supporter Lisa Muñoz in Hood River, Program Director for Comunidades and a life-long resident of the Columbia River Gorge. "Our community members who have suffered due to contracting COVID-19 and those who are permanently affected by lung and breathing issues such as asthma should not have to worry about wildfire smoke in their homes. These home upgrades will help provide a refuge as wildfire smoke becomes a seasonal companion."
House Bill 2842 establishes a grant program to provide funding for repair and rehabilitation of homes owned by low income households or to landlords seeking to repair rental units occupied by low income households. Repairs can include energy efficiency improvements, health and safety upgrades including radon, lead or mold abatement, installation of smoke filtration or air purification systems, structural improvements, seismic upgrades or other repairs.
The program will be administered by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) via grants issued to eligible entities such as local governments, housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, Tribes, and coordinated care organizations. The bill encourages OHA to gather data and refine the program over time, and establishes an Interagency Task Force on Healthy Homes to collect and review data on the program in coordination with other relevant state agencies.
HB 2842 passed 56-2 with overwhelming support in the House and 23-4 in the Senate. It now moves to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
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House Bill 2842 (Healthy Homes) was one of three bills supported by the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign, whose leadership consists of rural- and BIPOC-led environmental justice groups convened by the Oregon Just Transition Alliance and its members. Click here to see a list of supporters of HB 2842.