While evictions for non-payment of rent in Portland have been put on hold by Governor Brown and Mayor Wheeler’s executive actions, the threat of displacement from homes and commercial spaces faced by residents, businesses and cultural organizations has increased. And the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown has hit Portland’s most vulnerable communities the hardest.
To accommodate this new reality, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has adjusted the workplan for the Anti-Displacement Action Plan, accelerating the establishment of a citywide Anti-Displacement Task Force. The group will now be convened in July to begin work as soon as possible.
The ADAP Task Force will comprise community members and cross-bureau City leadership. It will identify and recommend the next set of actions needed from City Council to mitigate displacement beyond the currently available housing and commercial stabilization programs. The task force will focus on implementing the City’s stated racial equity principles when considering infrastructure investments to maximize benefits to affected communities, reduce displacement and increase access to opportunity, and community resiliency.
Over time, the ADAP Task Force will transition to establish collaborative cross-bureau practices to address the systemic and structural root causes of community vulnerability and disparity in outcomes. The task force will identify institutional and policy barriers and make recommendations to City Council on how to move toward a model of equitable development. The Task Force will also develop an advocacy agenda for State and Federal support and action, as well as recommend a permanent source of funding for continuing anti-displacement work.
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