The City of Bend established the HOME Committee (Housing Options Made for Everyone) in 2025 to tackle the ongoing housing shortage and its effects on workforce and economic growth, according to an April 24 announcement. The committee is composed of members with expertise in housing, finance, construction, and development. Its goal is to identify ways to increase housing production across different income levels and types.
The committee is chaired by Sara Odendahl, CEO of the Bend Chamber of Commerce, with Carly Colgan, CEO of Bend Redmond Habitat for Humanity, serving as vice-chair. Together they bring a range of perspectives focused on finding solutions for the city’s specific needs.
In fall 2025, the committee held three meetings to review financial tools aimed at improving project feasibility and reducing barriers for both market-rate and income-restricted housing projects. These included property tax exemptions for middle-income housing and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), site-specific tax increment financing for infrastructure support, state-sponsored revolving loan funds targeting workforce housing, credit enhancement tools to improve access to private financing, and pre-development loan funds.
In early 2026, attention shifted toward identifying sustainable revenue sources that could support these initiatives. Staff and legal experts presented options such as affordable housing fees tied to new development projects; residential construction excise taxes; commercial construction taxes; rental registration fees; vacancy taxes; incentivized deed restriction programs modeled after Vail’s InDEED program; general obligation bonds; nonprofit bonds under section 501(c)(3); and land value tax concepts intended to encourage use of underutilized land.
Throughout its work so far, the HOME Committee has emphasized that no single solution will close the city’s housing gap. Instead it advocates layering funding mechanisms with financial tools in a coordinated approach designed to have a broad impact across various segments of the local market.
The committee plans two more meetings before presenting final recommendations outlining revenue strategies and financial tools that can be used individually or together by City Council. More information about the HOME Committee is available on the City’s website.
