Northeast OreGon
Workforce Housing
Imagine workers in your county having many innovative housing options available to them, options that contribute to supporting the region’s growing economy and quality of life.
What does this look like?
What we do
Provide a central location of resources and support to community members in Northeast Oregon so that they can work together to address workforce housing needs.
why we do it
Lack of workforce housing is a significant barrier to retaining and attracting workers. Private homes and rental units, including starter homes and multi-family units, are needed to house moderate wage workers. In order to address housing needs and remove barriers, the housing community (community leaders, state & local government, developers, business owners, brokers, etc,) need information on current activities in their communities, available resources & opportunities, connections to other partners.
How we do it
Northeast Oregon Economic Development District, the Rural Engagement and Vitality Center, Eastern Oregon Workforce Board, Oregon Department of Human Services, and University of Oregon Institute for Policy Research and Engagement hosted two events to inform and inspire folks to take action and resolve suitable workforce housing shortages in the region. The first event took place on September 28, 2021, where attendees learned about potential workforce housing solutions and models. Visit the Resources page for the recording.
At the event held on October 5, 2021, over 45+ people convened to take action and tackle the issue of the workforce housing shortage in Northeast Oregon. The event formed action teams for Baker, Union, Wallowa, and Morrow counties. Using the Strategic Doing framework, each team identified a priority project and developed a plan of action to reach proposed outcomes.
Team leaders from each action team meet bi-monthly, forming the Regional Workforce Housing Planning Team. The team continues to gather and share activities from their respective communities and host convenings for the region.
Strategic Doing Approach
Action teams are utilizing the Strategic Doing framework to ensure they are supporting action-oriented community collaboration.
Under this framework, every 30 days, each team member commits to completing at least one task. Monthly meetings provide a space for task updates and exploration of next steps. Action teams continue to complete tasks and meet until their team project is complete (about 6-12 months).
Collaboration
At the October 5, 2021 workshop, six teams spanned over four Eastern Oregon counties that addressed workforce housing problems in their respective area. The range and diversity in team members have opened doors to a variety of resources and ideas.
Action Teams by County