Establishes the emergency veterans housing program within the Housing and Community Services Department.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2654
Sponsored by Representative EVANS (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: This Act creates and funds an OHCS program for housing disabled veterans. (Flesch
Readability Score: 67.7).
Establishes the emergency veterans housing program within the Housing and Community Ser-
vices Department. Requires the department, in coordination with the Department of Veterans’ Af-
fairs and an advisory board, to award grants for the project costs of residential housing for persons
of lower income who are service-disabled veterans and their families.
Appropriates moneys from the General Fund for the program.
Sunsets January 2, 2030.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to the emergency veterans housing program.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
Sections 2 and 3 of this 2025 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 456.548
to 456.725.
SECTION 2. (1) The emergency veterans housing program is established within the
Housing and Community Services Department.
(2) Under the program, the department, in coordination with the Department of
Veterans’ Affairs and the advisory board described in section 3 of this 2025 Act, shall award
grants to a qualified housing sponsor to pay for the project costs of developing and operating
a residential housing development for persons of lower income, and their families, who:
(a) Are veterans;
(b) Have a United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability rating of at least zero
percent as a result of an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active
military service; and
(c) Received a discharge or release under other than dishonorable conditions.
(3) Grants awarded under this section:
(a) May be used to develop housing only within a city with a population of at least 5,000
and not more than 55,000.
(b) Must be in amounts of at least $2 million and not more than $10 million.
(c) Must be approved by the advisory board.
SECTION 3.
(1) In developing the grant application for the emergency veterans housing
program described in section 2 of this 2025 Act and in scoring and awarding grants, the
Housing and Community Services Department shall consult with an advisory board.
(2) The advisory board consists of five individuals, appointed as follows:
(a) The Director of Veterans’ Affairs shall appoint:
(A) One person to represent the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; and
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 3299
HB 2654
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(B) One person to represent the disabled veterans community.
(b) The Director of the Housing and Community Services Department shall appoint:
(A) One member to represent the Housing and Community Services Department;
(B) One member to represent the housing construction industry; and
(C) One person to represent the housing rental industry.
(3) The Housing and Community Services Department shall staff the meetings of the
advisory board. The advisory board shall meet at times established by the department.
(4) Members of the advisory board are not entitled to compensation for service as a
member.
(5) If there is a vacancy on the advisory board for any cause, the appointing authority
shall appoint a replacement.
(6) A majority of the members of the advisory board constitutes a quorum.
SECTION 4.
In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appropri-
ated to the Housing and Community Services Department, for the biennium beginning July
1, 2025, out of the General Fund, the amount of $75,000,000, for the purposes of carrying out
sections 2 and 3 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 5.
Sections 2 and 3 of this 2025 Act are repealed on January 2, 2030.
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