08/20/2025
Oregon's housing funding progams, and how they pertain to Tribes.
Oregon has a homeownership development funding program called LIFT.
LIFT can provide gap funding (typically around $200,000 per unit) for homes built for households earning less than 80% AMI
Tribal entities are considered eligible for award. However, because this program is funded through capital bonds, they cannot be used on sovereign/tribal lands.
Also, the bonds require the state to have a level of operational control of the development, which often doesn't sit well.
In 2023 Oregon had a Tribal Development Subsidies grant that could be used for homeownership development on sovereign lands, but unfortunately that program hasn’t received funding since.
That being said, the legislature did approve a more general funding/application for funding Tribal housing initiatives (HB 2139) that is currently in development.
Let's do better. Its 2025 in Oregon.
