The State of Oregon, acting by and through its Housing and Community Services Department, (“Agency”), is issuing this Request for Applications (“RFA”) to help address Oregon’s racial disparities in homeownership by increasing the visibility of and access to homeownership assistance programs by Communities of Color and other Underserved Populations, and by tailoring programs to deliver culturally and community-specific services. In 2018, the Joint Taskforce for Addressing Racial Disparities in Homeownership in Oregon (the “Joint Taskforce”) compiled data concerning levels of homeownership among Communities of Color in Oregon and identified several barriers affecting the ability of these communities to enter the house market. During the 2020 legislative session, the Joint Taskforce put forward a set of recommendations that included providing technical and financial assistance to nonprofits and Culturally Specific Organizations to help tailor programs to deliver community-specific homeownership services and to increase the visibility of and access to homeownership assistance programs by Communities of Color and other Underserved Populations in Oregon. Through this RFA, Agency will distribute funds to Eligible Organizations that, in working with households with income at or below 100% of the Area Median Income, attempt to increase visibility and access for Communities of Color and other Underserved Populations to programs and services that assist with homeownership. The objectives of this RFA are to: • Assist Eligible Organizations with the cost of facilitating language access to homeownership assistance programs and services; • Expand Community Outreach and engagement efforts to reach Oregon’s Communities of Color and other Underserved Populations with a shortage or obstacles to homeownership services; and • Tailor homeownership assistance programs to be more culturally and community responsive.
