Newsletter: Social housing is coming to Portland, a major win for density on the Eastside, budget reminder

News article

This week, two pieces of legislation I helped co-sponsor delivered major affordability victories for working-class Portlanders.

Published

April 17, 2026 5:00 pm

Weekly Updates

Inner Eastside for All rally outside of city hall in April 2026 — Councilors Green, Avalos, and Morillo join Portland:Neighbors Welcome for a rally before the passage of the Inner Eastside for All Resolution (April 15, 2026).

Keep Portland Housed Package

Dear neighbors,

I'm writing this with a level of joy that I have only known since taking this job. This week, two pieces of legislation I helped co-sponsor delivered major affordability victories for working-class Portlanders.

The first was the passage of the "Keep Portland Housed" package, finally allocating those unspent millions in found housing dollars. This package, that I co-sponsored along with Councilors Morillo, Avalos, and Dunphy, delivers tens of millions in emergency rent assistance, eviction prevention, and debt buy-downs to keep people in their homes today. These are critical interventions that will help keep hundreds of families in their homes and off the streets. We also invested in long-term solutions to our affordable housing crisis.

You elected me on a promise to build long-term affordability into Portland's housing model, and on Wednesday we took a big step in that direction. The "Keep Portland Housed" package includes a historic first-time $17.5 million investment in Social Housing. The City will now begin buying existing commercial properties and converting them into permanently affordable housing with pricing that's not determined by the market - for all wages, ages, and stages of life. We also created a revolving loan fund where borrowers repay the City for housing development rather than grants or loans that don't get repaid. The revolving loan fund can help us make social housing possible.

Portland is now on track to develop high quality, permanently affordable housing built for people, not portfolios, for generations to come.

Keep Portland Housed package

Inner Eastside for All Resolution Passes Full City Council

The second win this week on April 15, was the (unanimous) passage of the Inner Eastside for All (IE4A) resolution, which I co-sponsored along with Councilors Morillo and Avalos.

After years of "no" from City Hall, we just said a loud, clear yes to building dense, livable, walkable neighborhoods. This resolution fast-tracks planning for more homes—the kind of "four floors and a corner store" housing that lets working people, families, and seniors actually stay in the communities they love.

None of this happened overnight. These wins are the product of relentless organizing, late nights, coalition-building, and constituents who refused to accept "too hard" as an answer. Thank you for every door knock, every call, every time you showed up. This week, all of that work paid off big.

Inner Eastside for All on KGW

City Budget Conversation with Councilor Green on April 27, 2026.

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You're Invited: Constituent Budget Conversation on April 27

With the arrival of the Mayor's proposed budget this coming Monday, April 20^th, budget season is officially kicking into high gear. The next few months will include opportunities for our council offices and community members to shape what the final budget looks like before it's officially adopted in June.

I hope you'll join me at Sellwood Community House on April 27^th, at 6:30 pm for a chance to learn more about the budget process, connect with other community members, and ask any questions you may have.

I'm excited to be back at Sellwood Community House, a community space where young families are present, children are at play and adults of all ages take classes and volunteer.

The event is open to all ages, the space is wheelchair accessible on the first floor, and we will provide light refreshments. Contact us for accommodations.

RSVP to Budget Conversation

Budget Survey Due April 20th

We're thankful that over 630 community members have already taken the time to fill out our budget survey to share their perspective.

Whether you live, work, play, pray, or study in District 4, we want to hear about your priorities for our city and our district. No knowledge about the City's budget is needed to take this survey.

With the Mayor's budget being released on Monday, April 20^th, it's critical that I hear from community members, like yourself, about what currently impacts your household, your budget priorities for District 4, and areas that you would make cuts to.

Take Budget Survey

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Celebrating Fair Housing Month

From Rose City Connection, Portland's weekly newsletter, "Amoi, an eighth grader from Beaverton, recently won an annual poster contest sponsored by the Fair Housing Council of Oregon. The theme this year was "Community Includes All of Us." The Fair Housing Act, enacted on April 11, 1968, was adopted to prohibit discriminatory housing practices, undo racial segregation patterns, and provide equal access to housing opportunity for all.

The City of Portland not only continues to invest in affordable housing for impacted communities, and to push for fair housing enforcement, education and testing, but commits to strategies that prevent unfair displacement.

Fair Housing Month is an opportunity to reflect on our progress towards equal access and to acknowledge the many challenges we have yet to overcome.

Learn more about the City's efforts at the Portland Housing Bureau to create opportunities for affordable housing in Portland. Read Mayor Keith Wilson's Fair Housing Month proclamation."

Council and Committee Meetings with Councilor Green

City Council Meeting

City Council holds regular meetings at 9:30 a.m. on the first, second, fourth and fifth Wednesday and 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. If there is sufficient business, additional meetings are held the following Thursday at 2:00 p.m.