About PHB

Due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency the Portland Housing Bureau is temporarily suspending person-to-person customer service. Please use phone, email, fax, or post mail for all customer service needs. View additional guidance.

Welcome to the Portland Housing Bureau

Who We Are

The mission of the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) is to solve the unmet housing needs of the people of Portland. PHB is responsible for leading housing policy for the City of Portland and administering programs to produce affordable rental housing, increase and stabilize homeowners, prevent and end homelessness, and regulate and assist landlords and tenants in the rental housing market. We are guided in our work by a vision that all Portlanders should have equitable access to affordable housing and to the opportunities that a safe, stable home can deliver.

Meet Housing Bureau Director Shannon Callahan and the PHB Management Team

Director's Bio, Quarterly Calendars, and Management Contacts

What We Do

To achieve the City’s housing goals, PHB implements programs and policies in four key areas:

• Production and Preservation: PHB finances the construction and preservation of affordable housing— through both direct financing as well as indirect subsidies, such as tax exemptions and fee waivers. PHB-funded housing is required to remain affordable at targeted incomes for up to 99 years. PHB currently regulates a portfolio of nearly 15,000 units of affordable housing throughout the city.
• Homeownership: PHB funds programs to increase homeownership for vulnerable and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, including down-payment assistance loans and homebuyer education.
• Preventing Displacement: PHB uses a variety of strategies to stabilize vulnerable renters and homeowners, especially in North/Northeast and East Portland. Strategies include supporting and implementing new tenant protections, funding legal services, and providing home repair grants and loans to help low and moderate-income homeowners retain their homes.
• Ending Homelessness: Through the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), PHB invests in services and programs that assist individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These include short-term rent assistance, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), transitional housing, and winter and emergency shelter. Together with our partners, PHB is working to achieve Portland City Council’s goal of creating 2,000 new supportive housing units by 2028.

Performance Measures

How many units? How many people served? See how PHB is measuring up to its quarterly performance targets in the PHB Data Window.

PHB Data Window

PHB Contacts and Public Records

For program information, view the program directory.

Media Inquiries

For all media inquiries, please contact the Public Information Manager:

Martha Calhoon
Martha.Calhoon@portlandoregon.gov  |  503-823-1132

Public Records Requests

Submit requests online through the City of Portland Public Records portal. Here are the steps to make a request.

Also see these additional resources:

• Public Records Q&A
• Portland Maps
• Maps, GIS & Open Data

PHB Staff

Employee login

PHB Advisory Groups and Commissions

Attend a meeting, submit public testimony, or view meeting minutes.

• Portland Housing Advisory Commission (PHAC)
  PHB's primary advisory body on housing policy, strategy, and resources.

• Portland's Housing Bond Oversight Committee (BOC)
  Oversees the expenditure and program implementation of Portland's Housing Bond.

• Rental Services Commission (RSC)
  Primary public forum for rental housing law, regulation, and renter-owner programs and services.

• Fair Housing Advocacy Committee (FHAC)
  Advocates, develops, and reviews strategies and best practices to advance Fair Housing.

• North/Northeast Oversight Committee (N/NE Oversight)
  Oversees the implementation of the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy.

Who We Work With

Jurisdictional Partners

• City of Beaverton
• City of Gresham
• City of Portland
• Clark County Public Health
• Metro
• Multnomah County
• Oregon Housing and Community Services (State of Oregon)
• US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)

Intergovernmental Partners

• Joint Office of Homeless Services
• Prosper Portland
• Home Forward