Affordable Housing
Working to help community members of all incomes have a place to call home.
Affordable housing is a vital component of economic development. The availability of homes at all income levels means businesses have access to employees with fewer absences. Workers are more stable and invested in their community, children have the opportunity to thrive in school, residents can make healthy choices, and we create less overall environmental burden. Research has shown that stable, affordable housing is critical to enabling families to attend to other needs, and productive members of the community.
I’m Looking for Housing
The City of Bend partners with developers of housing to help meet the housing needs of our community. The City of Bend does not own, construct, or manage affordable housing, and it does not manage the Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8).
I Want Information on Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8)
The City of Bend does not manage HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program. Housing Works is the sole administrator of the program, and the City of Bend does not provide guidance, or advise on the program. For more information contact Housing Works at 541-923-1018.
I Need Help Renting a Home
- Housing Works
- Courtesy Apartment List
- 211.org or dial 2-1-1
If you need emergency shelter tonight, for a list of resources:
Do I qualify for Affordable Housing?
Affordable housing in Bend is typically restricted to 80% of Area Median Income for homeownership, and 60% of Area Median Income for rentals. There are properties that may serve higher incomes. For a comprehensive list of properties, view the Courtesy Apartment list maintained by Housing Works.
I Want to Build Affordable Housing
The City of Bend works to support the development of deed restricted affordable housing units in a variety of types. We support acquisition and development of single family, multi-family, land trusts, mixed income, rehabilitation projects, and shelters. We have implemented a variety of tools to help create and retain units.
Funding resources may include Affordable Housing Fee (AHF) funding, Commercial and Industrial Construction Tax (CICT) funding, or Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program funding. All City system development charges (SDCs) are exempted for qualified affordable housing developments. In addition, development code incentives have been instituted.
For more information on specifics of development code incentives, funding sources, RFPs, FAQs and other information:
I Want to Learn More
Housing Affordability: Salary by occupation versus housing affordability.
Housing Need
In 2024, Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis within the Department of Administrative Services estimated the City of Bend’s housing need for the next five years in an Oregon Housing Needs Assessment (OHNA) Methodology Report. Below is the number of dwelling units that will need to be produced at each range of Area Median Income (AMI).
Frequently Asked Questions
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines “affordable housing” as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. Keeping housing costs below 30 percent of income means households have enough money to pay for other needs, such as food or medical bills.
- Federal funds via Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) can go toward housing acquisition, rehab, or down payments.
- The City’s Affordable Housing Fee (AHF) has been in place since 2006, collecting one-third of one percent of the total valuation on all residential building permits submitted to the City of Bend.
- Visit the Affordable Housing tab on the Bend Housing Hub to track the number of units produced and amount of AHF and CDBG funds disbursed since 2007.
There is affordable housing in all areas of the city. Discovery Park Lodge on the West side, Putnam Pointe Apartments Downtown, Ariel Glen in Southeast Bend, and Summit Park Apartments in Northeast Bend are a few examples. Visit the Affordable Housing Production Dashboard for a map of new affordable housing units constructed in Bend since 2007.
Most affordable housing policies are first heard by the City’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. The Committee normally meets each month, on the second Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Public comment time is scheduled at each meeting. The committee is comprised of members representing a variety of interests surrounding housing. View Committee vacancies.