Housing Affordability Forum

The Bend 2030 Livability Series: Housing Affordability Forum is the first crack at this new chapter in the Bend 2030 organization’s work. It begins with a survey that goes live today, which will take the community’s temperature on housing affordability. We know it’s a problem, but what critical choices are we willing to make to ensure everyone in our town has a place to live? Are we willing to allow taller buildings? More homes per acre? How about exempting developers who build affordable homes from fees?

To help us ask the right survey questions, Bend 2030 talked to two-dozen housing stakeholders, including agencies like Housing Works, Central Oregon Builders Association and the City of Bend. Now we’ll work hard to ensure hundreds of people take the final survey. To encourage participation, Bend 2030 is giving away dozens of $25 gas cards to those who take the survey by Oct. 26.

That date is important because on Thursday, Oct. 30, Bend 2030 will hold a Housing Affordability Forum at the Bend Senior Center from 6-8:30 p.m. Featuring interactive exercises, survey results and personal housing struggles, this is the public’s chance to learn the truth about housing in Bend. More importantly, participants will make real recommendations on solutions, which Bend 2030 will summarize in a final report presented directly to decision makers and key stakeholders.

Funding for the Bend 2030 Livability Series is provided by the generous support of the Leadership Alliance of Bend 2030, including BendBroadband, Bend Park and Recreation District, Brooks Resources, Central Oregon Community College, the City of Bend, Deschutes Brewery, OSU-Cascades, St. Charles Health System, US Bank, The Garner Group, Sunwest Builders and NorthWest Crossing.