Construction began Monday, September 20, on 206 new units of affordable housing funded by Portland’s Housing Bond. Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Dan Ryan joined Home Forward, the Portland Housing Bureau, and local housing leaders to celebrate the groundbreaking for the project located at 3000 SE Powell on the former Safari Club site. It is the seventh new Housing Bond development to break ground.
Home Forward is developing the project, which willprovide a mix of units ranging from studios to three bedrooms, with a focus on serving families and communities of color in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood—an area where residents are increasingly at risk from rising rents. Since securing Portland Bond funds for the project in 2018, Home Forward was able to acquire an adjacent parcel of land, expanding the site by 1.3 acres and adding another 26 units to the original building plans.
“We’re pleased to be adding more affordable housing through Portland’s Housing Bond during a time of such great need and to have the broad community-based partnerships to meet the diverse housing needs of Portlanders,” said Portland Housing Bureau Director Shannon Callahan. “This new development will be a valuable community asset that will Portland families a home in one of our city’s most diverse and dynamic neighborhoods for generations to come.”
Sixty-eight of the units will offer deeply affordable rents for very low-income residents at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (no more than $26,100 annually for a family of three); and thanks to funding support from the Joint Office of Homeless Services, 30 of the units will provide Permanent Supportive Housing with wrap around services from El Programa Hispano Catolico to stabilize and support families exiting homelessness.
The Powell development is the latest Bond project to move forward. There are currently 12 Portland Housing Bond projects, totaling 1,490 units, either open or in development across the city—nearly 200 more than originally promised when the Bond measure was approved by voters in 2016. Of these, 691 have two or more bedrooms to serve families with children, 628 will service very low-income households, and 313 will provide Permanent Supportive Housing to meet the needs of households experiencing homelessness.
The inner SE Portland location—which is a short walk from parks, schools, grocery shopping, and provides easy access to the frequent-service bus line along Powell Boulevard—aligns with the strategic goals of the Bond to prevent displacement and provide access to opportunity.
For more information on this project and the progress of Portland’s Housing Bond, visit www.portlandhousingbond.com