Gorge Wide roundtable on affordable housing set for Oct. 6

From Washington Gorge Action Programs:

By Tammy Kaufman

Bingen, WA (September 17, 2021) - The second in a series of virtual discussions focused on building awareness of affordable housing and sharing strategies to address this growing challenge throughout the Gorge will be held from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

The bi-state event will be hosted by Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC), Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), and Mid-Columbia Housing Authority (MCHA).

WAGAP Exec. Dir. Leslie Naramore

"We want to continue the conversation started with our first roundtable held in July," said Leslie Naramore, WAGAP's executive director. "The feedback we received prompted us to continue the discussion with a similar format as we work to include more communities in the discussion." 

The group will be keeping these discussions targeted on how lack of affordable housing affects low-income residents, so the focus will remain on those that earn 80 percent or less of the Average Median Income (AMI). Encouraging underrepresented communities in the region to express their voice is also a continuing priority. 

The Oct. 6 event will start with an overview from Margaret Salazar, executive director of Oregon Housing and Community Services. Debra Whitefoot, the executive director with Nch'i Wana Housing, will share more impacts on Native families. Representing Comunidades, Ubaldo Hernández, senior organizer with Columbia Riverkeeper, will share more impacts on Latino families.

Panel interviews will include conversations with David Sauter, Klickitat County Commissioner, and Kathy Schwartz, Wasco County Commissioner. 

The previous roundtable held July 14, 2021, included presentations from Adria Buchanan, executive director of the Fair Housing Center for Washington, and interviews with Mayor Marla Keethler of the City of White Salmon, and council member Megan Saunders of the City of Hood River. A link to the recording of the first roundtable is available online at https://www.wagap.org/newsfeed/roundtable-recording.

Roundtable #2 will be held from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 6, 2021, using the Zoom virtual platform. To participate, go to the RSVP meeting link online at  https://forms.gle/mvWUnzJjUTApY1ZQ9. For any questions, please contact Kenny LaPoint at (541) 848-1667.

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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.