HBA Members Shape Metro Homeless Services Funding Proposal

HBA Members Shape Metro Homeless Services Funding Proposal HBA has been working among a group of business and advocacy groups to help shape negotiations that could re-appropriate how and where Metro’s homeless services funding is spent. While conversations are still early, Metro and a taskforce of two dozen organizations have convened to evaluate whether to appropriate surplus taxing revenues towards housing production given that the 2018 Affordable Housing Bond is nearing its conclusion. At the core of the issue is a near $1 billion surplus that the SHS tax is expected to generate over the next decade, on top of the projected collection of $250 million per year for approved county-directed services. While there are strong differences of opinion on the matter, there has been clear evidence of counties struggling to deploy the resources they’ve received.

HBA will continue to engage in these conversations and will work hard to ensure that we see relief from excessive regional and local tax rates while also encouraging precious public resources are leveraged in a way that incentivizes housing production across the region. We will continue to keep our members informed about any further discussions.