Oregon Public Broadcasting

Affordable housing advocates want the Oregon Legislature to more than double the fees for filing real estate documents.

They say the money would go towards creating more housing for low-income people.

Sharon Miller is President of the Community Action Partnership of Oregon.  She says community outreach workers are dealing with hundreds of new cases of evicted families each month.

Sharon Miller: “Every day our calls from families are increasing, and this will continue in our state while we see unemployment rise, while average wages are falling, while heating costs are skyrocketing, and while family budgets everyday are shrinking.”

The plea comes the same day the state released a report that shows 13 percent of Oregonians live under the federal poverty level.  

The proposal would add $15 to the cost of filing some real estate documents.  It gets its first hearing on Monday.  The bill has the backing of groups representing home builders and real estate agents.

Online:

Oregon Housing and Community Services --  Report on Poverty 2008

(Note:  This is a very large .pdf document)