Housing Land Advocates 2025 Annual Conference

Join us at the Housing Land Advocates 2025 Annual Conference to connect, learn, and advocate for affordable housing solutions! Housing Land Advocates returns to Portland State University for our 2025 Annual Conference! Join us for a wide-ranging discussion on how Oregon will meet its ambitious housing goals in a rapidly changing environment. We are so honored to welcome this year's keynote John D. Tovey III, Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a planner who focuses on sustainability and local responsiveness. Panels will cover critical topics such as resilient building practices, land use responses to climate disasters, how to lower insurance costs for affordable developments, Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), and how we plan for climate migration. Lunch will be provided. AICP and CLE credits are available. The conference will also be livestreamed, and tickets can be found here . CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 8:45 - 9:00 am - Opening 9:00 - 9:30 am - Keynote “Housing, Land, Everything: A Tribal Perspective” J.D. Tovey, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 9:35 - 10:50 am - Panel 1:  “The Changing Climate of State Land Use Planning” - Moderated by Angel Falconer Sean Edging, Oregon Dept. of Land Conservation and Development Laura Weigel, City of Milwaukie Rachael Baker, City of Bend Since 2017, the Oregon Legislature has adopted numerous legislative initiatives related to housing, urbanization, and transportation. These policies grapple with the statewide shortage of housing and its affordability. At this direction, DLCD has adopted various rules to increase housing production, affordability, and choice in the state. The biggest test for these policies will be at the local level: how implementation is carried out and outcomes are achieved. 11:00 am - 12:15 pm- Panel 2:  “Building Resiliency: Construction and Development Responds to Climate Change” - Moderated by Ben Schonberger Becky Steckler, ECONorthwest Rita Haberman, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Eric Foley, Earth Advantage Panelists will address the concrete ways that housing builders and owners have changed habits to increase resilience and respond to climate effects. One panelist will discuss a recent Portland study examining energy retrofits in existing housing. Another will discuss certification programs for new construction and how these change the final building. The third panelist will discuss “embodied carbon” in buildings and a lifecycle approach to achieving zero-emission buildings. 12:15 - 1:00 pm - Lunch 1:00 - 1:15 pm - Ed Sullivan Award Recipients: Matt Serres, Oregon Council on Disabilities Allen Hines, Community Vision Ben Gurewitz, Disability Rights Oregon 1:15 - 2:20 - Panel 3 “Insurance Challenges and Navigating Local Impacts from Climate Effects” - Moderated by Suhail Khan Glenn Rennemann, Sedgwick Michelle DePass, Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Julius Warmsley, USI Insurance Services This panel will explore the evolving landscape of insurance and local climate change impacts. One panelist will discuss the effects of climate change on local communities and city policy responses. Experts from the insurance industry will provide insights on how different construction materials can affect premiums, and an overview of the processes to handle catastrophe claims. Attendees will learn about strategies to mitigate environmental impacts and manage increasing insurance costs. 2:30 - 3:00 - 2nd Keynote “Funding After Fire: Helping Communities Rebuild After Tragedy” Mary Heberling-Creighton, Oregon Housing And Community Services In light of the recent tragedy in southern California, hear what the State of Oregon did to drive recovery in response to the 2020 wildfires. Additionally, learn about the current plan OHCS has in place to help households still in recovery and its plans for future disasters, utilizing state and federal funding.  3:10 - 4:25 - Panel 4 “School Is In: How Planning and Education Advocates Can Team Up for Resiliency” - Moderated by Jean Dahlquist Trell Anderson & Natalie Thompson, Northwest Housing Alternatives Marcus LeGrand, Central Oregon Community College Matt Edlen, Edlen and Company Krista Palmer, Sunstone Housing Collaborative  Schools can be the backbone of community resiliency, or they can increase gentrification and disparate outcomes for families. Traditionally, local schools and their advocates have not been included in housing policy discussions, nor has disparate school performance been factored into housing production strategies. Learn how Oregon developers and educators think about each other and how they can team to increase access. 4:25 - 4:30 - Closing

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