On Tuesday, June 24th, the North/Northeast Oversight Committee and the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) presented the 2024 North/Northeast Neighborhood Strategy Report to the Portland City Council’s Homelessness & Housing Committee.
A PHB initiative to address a legacy of displacement in North and Northeast Portland that disproportionately impacts Portland’s Black households, the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy began in 2014 as a community-led effort which resulted in a $20 million housing plan. Today, the investment has grown to $135 million.
This year’s report highlights the significant achievements of the Strategy, including:
563 affordable rental units completed
42 affordable homeownership units completed
231 affordable rental units in development
78 affordable homeownership units in development
127 new homeowners
1,109 home repair grants and 180 home repair loans
“When we talk about today’s work,” writes N/NE Oversight Committee Chair Dr. Steven Holt in the report, “we are not simply talking about building structures. We are talking about repairing harm. We are talking about resorting a rightful place in a city where Black Portlanders have always contributed, even while being denied full inclusion.”
Through investments in new affordable rental housing, opportunities for first-time homebuyers, and home retention programs for longtime residents, the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy serves as a beacon of hope and a great example for other cities and municipalities to replicate as they also seek to remedy past injustices, including discriminatory in housing policies.
A central feature of the Strategy is the N/NE Preference Policy, which prioritizes applications from current and former residents of the N/NE Portland community for affordable housing opportunities in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area.
"The N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy is a real-time correcting influence of past policy neglect and abuses of power that harmed Black people in our community for decades,” said Avel Gordly, former Oregon State Representative, as quoted in the report.
“Portland should take pride in the N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy,” said PHB Director Helmi A. Hisserich at the presentation. “It is a real example of the accomplishments that happen when People of Color lead, and when leadership begins with love of Portland, love of community, and an unwavering belief that we can change the course of history.”
“This progress is not symbolic,” writes Dr. Holt. “It is substantial. And it is only the beginning.”
More N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy highlights from 2024:
The Dr. Darrell Millner Building opened with 63 affordable units subject to the N/NE Preference Policy, and was fully leased by the end of the year.
The Strong Family Apartments broke ground on land sold by a longtime neighborhood family; 75 affordable homes subject to the N/NE Preference Policy are expected to open in early 2026.
PHB launched a Security Deposit Pilot Program as an intentional response to the financial barriers many families face when transitioning into new housing. Low-barrier and needs-based, the program provides funds for families to support their move into new homes.