Two New RFPs Support Homeownership in Portland - posted 7/16/10
Homeownership Programs and Services
Proposals Due: August 13, 2010
PHB will make up to $1.685 million in federal and local funding available to organizations and individuals which submit successful proposals to deliver home buyer education and counseling, down payment assistance, and/or foreclosure prevention services. Funding will support low-income households in accessing and maintaining stable homeownership, with a focus on increasing the number of minority homeowners and targeting resources to historically underserved communities.
Single Family Home Rehabilitation Project
Proposals Due: September 2, 2010
PHB is seeking proposals from qualified development teams to purchase, renovate and resell up to 20 single-family homes. Nine homes are located in the Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area and 11 are in the Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area. Learn more
MHAC Gets Grant for Homeowner Retention Project in North/Northeast Portland - posted 6/24/10
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MHAC is a broad coalition of communities of color groups serving North and Northeast Portland, including PCRI staff members Charles Funches and Deborah Turner.
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Focusing on helping homeowners in North and Northeast Portland who are at-risk for losing their homes to foreclosure, maintenance and legal issues, the Minority Homeownership Assistance Collaborative (MHAC) has received a $120,000 grant from the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) to ensure homeowners can keep their homes.
Leaders of the North and Northeast Portland community have witnessed and reported to PHB an ongoing trend of long-standing, low-income homeowners experiencing foreclosure, lost equity and displacement from the community due to a variety of factors that include legal complications like cloudy title and probate issues, preventable foreclosures related to property taxes and Medicaid recovery, predatory lending, and unaffordable home maintenance.
read more
Historic Renovation of the Martha Washington - posted 6/21/10
The need for safe, decent, and affordable housing in Portland is great - approximately 2,000 people here have no permanent place to call home. To address this, the Portland Housing Bureau regularly partners with local government agencies and community partners to increase the affordable housing supply in Portland. PHB staff joined community partners to celebrate the openings of Walnut Park and the Martha Washington, Portland's newest affordable housing projects.
Together, these projects will add almost 150 units of affordable housing to Portland's supply, and mark two successful collaborations between community partners and government agencies. The Martha Washington provides 50 Permanent Supportive Housing units for those who are mentally ill and experiencing chronic homelessness. Central City Concern will provide property management and social services for residents.
Top photo: Commissioner Nick Fish with Portland Housing Bureau Director Margaret Van Vliet
Bottom: With OHCS Director Victor Merced, Harriet Cormack of the Housing Authority of Portland, and Multnomah CountyChair Jeff Cogen at the Martha Washington opening in downtown Portland.
Veterans Housing in South Waterfront - posted 5/25/10
The Portland Housing Bureau is moving forward with the development of affordable housing for veterans and middle-income earners in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood.
The new housing development is a six-story wood frame building that will be constructed on the plot of land known as “Block 49.” The project will have 209 affordable apartments over ground-floor space that may be used for retail, office or community services. 42 of the units will be reserved for veterans experiencing homelessness.
Construction of the new building is expected to start in November. The project is “shovel-ready” and at the final
stage of construction permitting. PHB is issuing a request for qualifications to nonprofit partners to serve as owner/operator of the project. Click here for the RFQ
Local Projects Get $5.2 Million to Develop Affordable Rental Units - posted 5/18/10
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(Photo by Dan Carter/Daily Journal of Commerce)
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(news release) Seven projects aimed at increasing the city’s stock of affordable housing units will get $5.2 million in funding from the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB).
Priority was given to projects that make rental units affordable to households with incomes in the 0-30% Median Family Income (MFI) range. For a family of four, 30% MFI equates to $21,000 a year. In addition to working families, many of the projects also provide permanent housing and services for seniors living on fixed incomes, people with serious and long-term disabilities, chronically homeless individuals and families experiencing homelessness. read more
The modular building project by Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) and Guardian was profiled in the Daily Journal of Commerce. Rey España (pictured right), director of community development for NAYA, says that the Lents neighborhood project would be Portland’s first use of modular construction in multifamily affordable housing. read the article
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