Work funded by SB 51 was paused on Nov. 7. Sign up for updates here.
What is Senate Bill 51?
Passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2025, Senate Bill 51 provided $3.3 million to strengthen property and asset management capacity at Oregon’s affordable housing properties. Oregon Housing and Community Services contracted with HDC to deploy these crucial property stabilization dollars. The funds were to be used to support the needs of nonprofits, Indian tribes, local governments, and housing authorities that own affordable housing. Specific portions of the funds were designated to support qualifying owners to access asset management training and technical assistance; and to support owners to address property management issues. (Read Traci Manning’s September 8 blog post to learn more.)
Why has work funded by SB 51 been paused?
In August, the State of Oregon announced that federal spending cuts are predicted to create a $373 million deficit in the current Oregon budget. After this announcement, Governor Kotek directed all state agencies to identify budget reductions of 5%. On November 7, OHCS informed HDC that the $3.3 million in SB 51 funding allocated by the legislature is likely to be cut to reduce state budget gaps. OHCS expressed their deep regrets about the proposed discontinuation of this important work. The full reduction list is available here.
What happens next? What can I do to help restore SB 51 funding?
OHCS will present its proposed reductions to the Oregon legislature's Ways and Means Committee in November 2025. The legislature will make final decisions to balance the state budget during the February 2026 short session. Meanwhile, there is opportunity for those impacted by the proposed cuts to urge the Oregon legislature to retain this vital program. Talking to legislators about the value of the SB 51 program is also an excellent opportunity to educate them about the housing infrastructure that underlays our communities across Oregon and about the professionals who support it.
If you work for an organization that operates affordable housing in Oregon, we encourage you take our survey. The survey was created to inform our work designing asset management training and grant opportunities funded by SB 51. Your input about your training and technical assistance needs continues to be valuable and will inform HDC’s advocacy efforts to restore SB 51 funding.
What is the best way to get updates from HDC related to SB 51?
Sign up below to get e-mail updates from HDC about important changes in the status of SB 51 funds. You can also reach out to our team with questions and suggestions at any time.