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Label:
Press release
City Council directed the bureau to study social housing and alternative financing and ownership models; the resulting study proposes an array of recommendations to improve Portland's housing system.
Published
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 2, 2026
(PORTLAND, ORE.) – The Portland Housing Bureau is pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled Advancing Housing Stability in Portland: Applied Lessons from Social Housing and Other Innovative Housing Models. Responding to a persistent and deep housing crisis marked by a shortage of affordable homes, severe rent burden, and stark disparities, Portland City Council adopted Resolution 37703 in April 2025, directing the Housing Bureau to conduct a study exploring social housing and other alternative financing and ownership models and consider how they might be adapted to Portland.
"Housing stability is at the heart of the Portland Housing Bureau's work," writes Interim Housing Bureau Director Quisha Light. "This study has reinforced an important lesson: while there are many effective local, national, and international examples and models of innovation, Portland cannot simply import a single model wholesale. Successful and stable housing systems are built by developing and deploying the right tools at the right time, adapting in response to local conditions, and making sustained investments toward clear public goals. This report is not the end of the work. It gives us a foundation for strengthening what we do today while developing new tools to build housing stability for future generations."
The study included a review of programs and policies in the United States and abroad; on-site learning in three housing systems; and collaborative learning with local experts, residents, practitioners, advocates, developers, public agencies, and community organizations. Building on this extensive research, it concludes with an array of recommendations to advance the City of Portland's work to improve tenant stability, housing access, acquisitions, long-term affordability, shared-equity ownership, sustainable funding, and the public value created through our housing investments.
Read the Report and Appendices
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ABOUT THE PORTLAND HOUSING BUREAU: Guided by a vision that all Portlanders should have equitable access to affordable housing and to the opportunities that a safe, stable home can deliver, the Portland Housing Bureau leads housing policy for the City of Portland and administrates programs to produce affordable rental housing, expand homeownership and stabilize homeowners, and regulate and assist tenants and landlords in the rental housing market. The Portland Housing Bureau is one of several bureaus and programs in the Community and Economic Development service area. This service area aligns City programs focused on building prosperity for all Portlanders. We aim to create and deliver efficient, transparent, and equitable solutions for a resilient built environment – as well as services, resources, and experiences for our community.