Fair Housing Plan
Washington County’s Office of Community Development (OCD) administers both the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) which are funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A federal requirement attached to the receipt of all federal funds is the observance of the Fair Housing Act, 1968. The Act requires that Washington County update and adopt a Fair Housing Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice. This Plan serves Washington County and the partner jurisdictions, the City of Hillsboro and the City of Beaverton.
Washington County maintains its commitment to fair housing in the delivery of federally funded programs. Impediments to fair housing choice are include:
- Any actions, omissions, or decisions taken because of race, color, religion, sex,
disability, familial status, or national origin that restrict housing choices or the
availability of housing choice. - Any actions, omissions, or decisions that have the effect of restricting housing
choices or the availability of housing choices on the basis of race, color, religion,
sex, disability, familial status, or national origin.
OCD contracted with Fisher, Sheehan and Colton to update the August 1, 1996 Fair Housing Plan. Tasks included an update of background demographic data, re-examination of impediments, assessment of current public and private fair housing programs and actions, home lending data, and finally, conclusions and recommendations of strategies to address identified impediments to fair housing. A public process for obtaining input from citizens in the community, especially those for whom fair housing is a concern, was provided for via public meetings and a 30-day public comment period.
The Fair Housing Plan was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on August 17, 2004 and was forwarded to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity on August 20th.
The on-line version of the plan does not include the written testimony submitted during the 30-day comment period. For a copy of the full plan, call 503-846-8814.
Fair Housing Plan: An Analysis of Impediments and Strategies to Address Them
