information
Portland is a Sanctuary City

The Kathleen Saadat Apartments

Rental
Open
Home Forward rehabilitated the existing Fairfield building to preserve 75 affordable units in Downtown Portland for individuals exiting homelessness.
The Fairfield Apartments, a rehabilitated four-story pale brick apartment building.
Summer 2024

The Portland Housing Bureau purchased the Fairfield, located in Downtown Portland at the corner of SW Harvey Milk Street and SW 11th Avenue, from the Portland Development Commission in 2010. The four-story brick building was constructed in 1911 and consisted of 82 single resident occupancy (SRO) units for individuals with very low incomes. PHB transferred the property to Home Forward to complete seismic upgrades, structural improvements, roof and window replacement, plumbing and electrical upgrades, elevator replacement, and additional improvements to modernize the building and increase safety and livability. Residents received full relocation benefits during construction and were offered the option to return to the Fairfield at reopening.

Now complete and renamed the Kathleen Saadat Apartments after the local civil rights leader who organized Portland's first Pride march in 1976, the rehabilitated Fairfield provides 75 units (66 SROs and 9 studios) of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) with HUD project-based rental assistance. All units will be targeted to serve people experiencing or at risk of homelessness who request culturally specific services for BIPOC residents, with the Urban League providing on-site services focused on peer support, mental health, housing retention and life skills. 

Home Forward has reconfigured the Kathleen Saadat Apartments’ ground floor to include community space, resident service offices, property management and maintenance rooms, and up to 3,100 square feet of commercial space. Prosper Portland is partnering with Home Forward to finance, own and operate the commercial portion. Funding sources for the residential project include City of Portland River District Tax Increment Financing, 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credit equity, and $2 million in Congressional Direct Spending.

For more information:

Developer Website

Building Profile

Project TypeRehabilitation
LocationDowntown
Council DistrictDistrict 4
Regulated Units75
PSH Units75
Total Units75
StatusOpen
Bedroom SizeUnits
Studio75
1-Bedroom-
2-Bedroom-
3-Bedroom-
AffordabilityUnits
30% AMI75
40% AMI-
50% AMI-
60% AMI-
80% AMI-

AMI = Area Median Income

Estimated Development Cost

Total$31,607,980
Portland Housing Bureau$8,500,000

Development Team

  • Home Forward, Sponsor / Developer
  • Urban League, Service Partner
  • Peter Meijer Architect, Architect
  • Walsh Construction, General Contractor
Back to top