Housing Voices
Housing Voices is a regional civic platform dedicated to advancing thoughtful, solutions-driven housing leadership across Oregon. We focus on the full spectrum of broad housing needs — workforce, seniors, attainable, disabled and affordable housing — and the broader systems that shape them, including land use, infrastructure, development economics, and public policy. Housing is not a single issue. It intersects with economic vitality, community stability, healthcare access, environmental resilience, and long-term regional growth. Housing Voices brings together builders, policymakers, nonprofit leaders, business owners, and engaged citizens to examine these intersections with clarity and purpose. Through structured conversations and systems-level thinking, we highlight the poli...
Ryan Vogt on Keeping People Housed — and Telling Your Story Only Once | HV22 P1
Ryan Vogt leads two regional agencies at once: the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments and the Community Services Consortium, serving Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties. In Part 1 he explains what a council of governments actually does, how CSC fights poverty through food, utility and rent help, and why the two agencies aligned instead of merging.
Marty Fulford, hosting solo while Bre Irish is out for a family emergency, digs into the four-year wait for Section 8 vouchers, a projected cut to shelter funding, and the new Medicaid-funded program that pays rent to keep people housed. Ryan's message...
Community Land Trusts, Infrastructure and Ending the Criminalization of Homelessness | HV21 P2
Mary Kyle McCurdy and Jacky Lee of 1000 Friends of Oregon return for part two. Jacky explains how community land trusts separate the price of a home from the land, with examples from Rooted Homes in Central Oregon and Square One Villages in Eugene, and Mary Kyle lays out why infrastructure, from $100,000 per unit in Washington County to a small eastern Oregon town down to three days of water, is a barrier to building housing anywhere in the state.
Marty Fulford and Bre Irish also dig into social housing, the cost of sweeps, how cities now have to...
70% of Oregon’s Housing Land Allows Only One Kind of Home | HV21 P1
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Marty Fulford and Bre Irish sit down with Mary Kyle McCurdy and Jacky Lee of 1000 Friends of Oregon to explore how land use planning, zoning reform, and community organizing are shaping the future of housing across the state. From rural infill to wildfire resilience, the conversation connects environmental priorities with the urgent need for more affordable, diverse housing options.
- How Oregon's land use planning program balances housing growth with protecting farm, forest, and coastal land
- How redlining and exclusionary zoning shaped the neighborhoods we have today, and...
Fewer Kids, Closed Schools: What Housing Costs Are Doing to Corvallis | HV20
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford sit down with Dr. Ryan Noss, Superintendent of the Corvallis School District and a former Superintendent of the Year, to explore the direct and often overlooked connection between housing affordability and the health of public schools. Dr. Noss shares what school consolidation, declining enrollment, and workforce housing pressures look like from the inside, and what it will take to reverse course.
- Why Corvallis schools have been forced to consolidate, and what that process cost the community emotionally and financially
- How the housing...
Building Oregon for Our Older Selves: Elevators, Plumbing and Age-Friendly Housing | HV19
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bri and Marty sit down with Michael Anderson, Director of Cities and Towns at
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Michael Andersen, Director, Cities + Towns at Sightline Institute, a nonprofit "think-and-do tank" focused on sustainable policy across the Pacific Northwest. Together they explore the structural, regulatory and economic barriers standing between Oregon and the housing it desperately needs.
Why zoning reforms take years to show results, and what cities should focus on in the meantime How sliding-scale SDC fees and deferred collection...What 40 Mayors Came to Albany to Learn About Housing | HV18 P2
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty continue their conversation with Albany, Oregon Mayor Alex Johnson, exploring the real challenges and bold strategies behind one of Oregon's most proactive approaches to city growth and housing development.
- Anti-growth resistance on city council and how Mayor Johnson navigates it to pass housing legislation
- Transportation bottlenecks in Albany and grassroots solutions from boots-on-the-ground expertise
- Infrastructure challenges including aging water systems and the need for a south Albany grocery store
- Innovative housing ideas including congregate housing for widowed...
How Albany Cut Permit Times From 18 Weeks to Two and Started Building | HV18 P1
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Albany, Oregon Mayor Alex Johnson II to explore how one mid-sized city is quietly becoming a model for housing development done right. From cutting permit times from 18 weeks to two, to building homes across every income level, Mayor Johnson shares the hands-on leadership and community-driven strategies that are transforming Albany.
- How Albany overhauled its System Development Charges to incentivize middle-income and small-home construction
- The Housing Affordability Task Force that brought 47 community voices together to drive real policy change
...
What Nobody Tells You About How a Housing Project Actually Gets Built | HV17
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Ryan McAlister, president of Gerding Builders and the first non-family member to lead the employee-owned construction firm, for a candid conversation about what it actually takes to build housing in Oregon. Ryan breaks down the development process from raw land to ribbon cutting, the real barriers slowing projects down, and why the housing crisis runs deeper than most people realize.
- The difference between market rate, affordable, and middle income housing, and how each is funded
- Why the condo liability problem...
Oregon Is Spending Lottery Money to Solve a Housing Crisis. Here Is Why That Should Worry You | HV16
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and her co-host sit down with Oregon State Representative David Gomberg, who represents House District 10 along the Oregon coast, to discuss the tangled relationship between housing, infrastructure funding, and state policy. Representative Gomberg brings his perspective from the powerful Ways and Means Committee to break down how Oregon is attempting to address a housing and infrastructure crisis with shrinking resources and growing demand.
- Why small coastal towns face disproportionate infrastructure burdens, including a $150 million dam replacement and a $12 million sewer crisis in a town of just 1,100 people
<...The One Fix That Could Unlock Housing Across All 241 Oregon Cities | HV15
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Alexandra Ring, housing and land use lobbyist for the League of Oregon Cities, an organization representing all 241 cities across Oregon. Alexandra breaks down the complex realities of advocating for housing policy across vastly different communities, from large urban centers to small frontier towns, and explains why there is no single fix to Oregon's housing crisis.
- How the League of Oregon Cities represents 241 cities and sets its legislative priorities through a member-driven voting process
- Why infrastructure, particularly water and sewer systems...
Housing, Jobs, Wildfire, and Broadband: The Gorge Has It All Wrong | HV14
Housing Voices hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford sit down with Dan Spatz, a longtime Columbia Gorge journalist, former development director at Columbia Gorge Community College, and former economic development officer for the City of The Dalles. Dan brings decades of on-the-ground experience to a candid conversation about why the Columbia Gorge is one of the most uniquely constrained housing markets in the Pacific Northwest and what it will take to move the needle.
- How the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area boundary creates a near-permanent cap on developable land, putting Oregon communities in direct conflict...
Housing Voices x Demobrats - Podcasters Galore! | HV13
In this special crossover audio only episode, Housing Voices co-hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford join Virginia Stapleton and Chris Hoy of the Demobrats Podcast for a live conversation about Oregon’s housing crisis — and why housing touches nearly every part of our communities.
The discussion moves across the entire housing ecosystem, from homelessness and renter protections to homeownership, accessibility, transportation, infrastructure, development costs and the challenges communities face in simply building enough housing.
Bre and Marty bring both lived and professional perspectives to the conversation, exploring how housing affordability affects young people trying to buy...
Why Housing Comes First: The Truth About Homelessness | HV12
In this episode of Housing Voices: Practical Solutions, hosts Marty and Bre sit down with Dan Easdale, Program Director of Corvallis Housing First, to pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to move someone from the street into stable, supported housing. Dan brings seven years of frontline experience to a candid, compassionate conversation about the Housing First model, the people it serves, and why the solutions are harder and more urgent than most people realize.
- What the Housing First model is, where it came from, and why low-barrier housing outperforms clean-and-sober requirements
...
What 50 Expert Interviews Taught Them About Oregon's Housing Crisis | HV11
Housing Voices is a podcast hosted by Bre Irish and Marty Fulford that tackles the full spectrum of housing challenges facing Oregonians, from homelessness and disability access to wildfire recovery and senior care. In this milestone 10th episode roundtable, Bri and Marty are joined by the show's executive producers, Ed Fulford and Liz Irish, to reflect on the conversations, guests, and hard truths uncovered across their first season.
- The origins of Housing Voices, born out of a regional housing subcommittee that interviewed over 50 community leaders across Oregon
- The hidden complexity of housing policy...
How Housing Instability Is Quietly Dismantling Oregon's Classrooms | HV10 P2
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford continue their conversation with veteran educator Eric McGuire, exploring the devastating intersection of housing instability, poverty, and public education in Oregon. Eric draws on nearly three decades in the classroom across multiple districts to paint a candid picture of what teachers and students are actually experiencing on the ground.
- How declining teacher benefits, stagnant wages, and rising housing costs are driving educators out of the profession before year five
- Why teachers of color are leaving Oregon classrooms at disproportionate rates
<...How the Housing Shortage Is Quietly Defunding Your Child's Education | HV10 P1
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford sit down with Eric McGuire, a 33-year veteran teacher, school board candidate, and union advocate, to unpack the deeply tangled relationship between the housing crisis and the state of public education in Oregon. The conversation connects property tax shortfalls, outdated school funding models, and housing insecurity to real outcomes for students, teachers, and communities.
- How Oregon's Measure 5 and Measure 50 locked school funding in place since 1991 and what that means today
- Why Oregon is the only state that uses census data to...
Homelessness Isn’t Laziness: The Hidden Work of Surviving Without a Home | HV09 P2
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford continue their conversation with Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter in Corvallis, Oregon, diving deep into the realities of homelessness prevention, shelter operations, transitional housing, and what it truly takes to help someone rebuild their life.
- Why prevention is the holy grail of solving homelessness and how Adverse Childhood Experiences directly predict adult housing instability
- The real cost of homelessness across healthcare, law enforcement, and community systems
- How Unity Shelter operates as a low-barrier shelter and what...
What Homelessness Actually Costs Per Person Per Month Will Surprise You | HV09 P1
In this episode of Housing Voices, hosts Bre and Marty sit down with Shawn Collins, Executive Director of Unity Shelter in Corvallis, Oregon, to explore what emergency shelter and transitional housing truly look like on the ground, and why the gap between need and resources keeps growing.
- How Shawn went from corporate librarian and HP research manager to leading one of Benton County's most critical homeless services organizations
- What Unity Shelter actually operates, including two 50-bed emergency shelters, a hotel shelter program, and 34 micro-shelter transitional housing units
- How the post-pandemic...
Wildfire Didn’t Just Burn Homes. It Exposed Oregon’s Housing Crisis | HV08
Housing Voices hosts Marty Fulford and Bre Irish sit down with Jamie McLeod-Skinner, a civil engineer, city planner, and attorney who served as interim city manager of Talent, Oregon following the devastating 2020 Alameda Fire. Drawing on experience ranging from post-war reconstruction in Bosnia to statewide emergency resilience work in Oregon, Jamie shares the hard-won lessons of wildfire recovery and what communities must do now to prepare for the fires ahead.
- What the aftermath of the Alameda Fire actually looked like on the ground, and why the most vulnerable residents were hit hardest
- Why...
The Senior Care Crisis Is Worse Than We Think | HV07 P2
Housing Voices hosts Bri and Marty continue their conversation with Jenn Bustamante, a senior care advocate with 33 years of experience in the aging industry. Jenn runs Embrace Age Prepared, a wraparound company that helps families navigate the complex world of senior care and housing options. This episode reveals the harsh realities of long-term care costs, systemic failures, and the challenges facing our aging population.
Key topics discussed:
Adult foster care costs range from $7,000-$16,000 monthly vs. assisted living at $4,800-$6,500In-home 24-hour care can cost $25,000+ per month, making it unaffordable for most familiesThe dirty secrets of...When Medicaid Isn’t the Safety Net You Think It Is | HV07 P1
This episode of Housing Voices features Jennifer Bustamante, CEO of Embrace Age Prepared, who has 33 years of experience helping seniors navigate housing transitions and aging complexities. The discussion covers the urgent reality many families face when aging loved ones can no longer safely live independently, often triggered by medical emergencies, falls, or cognitive decline.
Key topics discussed:
The "Silver Tsunami" - 71 million Americans will be 65+ by 2030, creating massive strain on housing and healthcare systemsFinancial realities: Independent living starts at $4,800/month, assisted living at $6,500+, with many facilities requiring 2-3 years of cash upfrontMedicaid's five-year lookback period that...Why This Eugene Factory Is Breaking Every Rule About Affordable Housing | HV06
Housing Voices hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford interview Jake from Hope Community Homes in Eugene, Oregon, discussing their innovative approach to affordable manufactured housing. Hope Homes builds energy-efficient, fire-resistant manufactured homes specifically designed for long-term affordability and durability, while also providing workforce training programs for high school students and employing second-chance workers.
Hope Homes has produced 50 manufactured homes since getting HUD certification in November 2024 Two-bedroom units cost $80,000, one-bedroom units cost $68,000-$73,000 (factory price) All homes built to wildland urban interface standards with fire-resistant materials and maximum energy efficiency Partnership with St. Vincent de Paul provides initial customer...The Missing Middle Nobody Talks About: Why Teachers Can't Afford to Live Where They Work | HV05
This episode Marty Fulford and Bre Irish interview guest Nathan Wildfire, CEO of Missing Middle Housing Fund, discussing his innovative approach to solving Oregon's housing crisis. Nathan shares his personal journey from growing up in Pittsburgh to leading workforce training and housing innovation efforts. The conversation explores how missing middle housing fills the gap between subsidized affordable housing and market-rate housing for workers earning 80-120% of area median income.
Key topics discussed:
The four quadrants of housing innovation: red tape/policy, workforce/labor, financing, and materials/assembly Why middle income housing is rarely built and how...Why Housing Doesn’t “Pencil” Anymore — And What’s Really Blocking Supply | HV04 P2
Building housing today isn’t just difficult—it often doesn’t make financial sense anymore.
In Part 2 of our conversation Marty Fulford and Bre Irish interview with Ryan McAlister from Gerding Builders, we dig into the real reasons housing projects are stalling across Oregon and beyond. From skyrocketing construction costs to regulatory bottlenecks, this episode breaks down why even well-intentioned projects struggle to move forward.
We explore:
Why projects that worked 5–10 years ago no longer “pencil out” How construction costs have doubled or tripled in a decade The hidden impact of land constraints, wetlands, and infrastr...How to Build 100+ Homes in 3 Years: Inside Oregon's Housing Development Process | HV04 P1
Host Marty Fulford and Bre Irish interview Ryan McAlister, the first non-Gerding family member to lead Gerding Builders, an employee-owned construction company in Oregon's mid-Willamette Valley. Ryan shares insights on the development process, housing challenges, and solutions from a builder's perspective, discussing everything from market-rate to affordable housing construction.
The complex 3-year development timeline from concept to completion for housing projects Major infrastructure constraints limiting housing development, especially electrical grid capacity Differences between market-rate, affordable, and middle-income housing development Cottage cluster housing as a promising solution for first-time homeownership Condo liability issues preventing ownership opportunities for buyers State...Only 6% of Housing Is Accessible—And 26% of People Need It | HV03
Housing Voices podcast hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford speak with Cassie Wilson, Legislative Manager at 1000 Friends of Oregon, about the critical shortage of accessible housing in Oregon. Wilson, who lives with a disability, shares her personal experiences navigating inaccessible apartments and her recent move to a fully accessible unit, highlighting the vast gap between housing supply and need for disabled residents.
Only 6% of US housing is accessible while 26% of people have disabilities Oregon has just one accessible unit for every 66 residents who need one Current federal requirements mandate only 2% of units in large buildings be accessible - a...When Housing Isn’t an Option: Life with Disabilities in Oregon | HV02
Housing Voices hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford interview Misha Marie and Abby Guzman, Director and Assistant Director of programs at the ARC of Benton County, who support and advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The conversation explores the complex housing challenges faced by people with IDD and the limited options available to them in today's expensive housing market.
Key topics discussed:
Definition of intellectual and developmental disabilities and the gap between those who need services versus those who qualify Housing options for people with IDD: family homes, group homes, foster homes, and s...Housing vs. Infrastructure: Oregon’s Impossible Budget Choices | HV01
Housing Voices podcast hosts Bre Irish and Marty Fulford interview Oregon Representative David Gomberg about the intersection of housing, infrastructure, and legislative budget challenges. Rep. Gomberg, who serves on the powerful Ways and Means Committee and represents coastal Oregon's House District 10, discusses the complex decisions facing lawmakers as they balance housing needs with infrastructure investments amid significant budget shortfalls.
Oregon faces a $700 million budget shortfall due to federal tax changes and reduced federal funding Small coastal towns struggle with infrastructure needs - Siletz (1,100 people) has a $12 million sewer problem One-third of coastal housing stock consists of vacation homes a...Why Oregon’s Housing Crisis Keeps Getting Worse | HV Intro
Housing Voices is a new podcast hosted by Bre Irish (former legislative aide with Senator Wyden) and Marty Fulford (experienced real estate broker and housing advocate) that tackles Oregon's housing crisis through structured conversation and practical solutions. With Oregon ranking 45th nationally in housing production and falling short of the state's 36,000 units per year target, the hosts aim to move beyond fragmented arguments to create a comprehensive framework for understanding housing as an interconnected ecosystem.
Eight-bucket framework covering legislative/finance, climate/environment, workforce, development/infrastructure, mental health/homelessness, and seniors/disabilities Real stories like a retired teacher surviving o...