Street Roots • June 17-23, 2016
Commentary
Page 11
The time is now for
the city to act on
affordable housing
Deborah Kafoury is
chair o f the
M ultnomah County
Board o f
Commissioners. Dan
Saltzman is the
Portland City
Commissioner in
charge o f housing.
Join the official
launch of the Yes
for Affordable
Homes campaign
on June 30 at 5
pm at Buckman
Coffee Factory
(1105 SE Main)
and learn how you
can help make
Portland a place
everyone can
afford to call
home.
BY DEBORAH KAFOURY
AND DAN SALTZMAN
C O N T R IB U T IN G W RITERS
ortland is experiencing an
unprecedented housing crisis. Rents
are up nearly 15 percent over last
year, and low vacancy rates are making it
harder to find a place to live.
These forces are being driven by a strong
local economy that is producing many new
job opportunities for people who live here
and for those who are moving to our city
seeking out our reputation for a high quality
of life.
But for too many Portlanders, wages
aren’t keeping up with the cost of housing.
And thousands of Portlanders struggle to
find a safe place to sleep at night.
On any given night, about 4,000 people —
including women, children and seniors —
will sleep on our streets, in a car or in a
temporary shelter.
Locally, we have responded to this
housing emergency by investing in
supportive services that help people get
into housing. But every day our service
providers run into the same obstacles that
anyone looking for a safe, affordable home
in Portland faces: they are very hard to find.
Nearly half of families with low incomes
(less than $37,000 a year for a family of
four) can’t find a home they can afford
because we lack 25,000 affordable homes in
Portland. We need to act now to create
affordable housing for people who live and
work in our communities.
We want Portland to be a place where
everyone can afford a home. And with
thousands of residents living without access
P
I
■
to a safe, affordable home, we must do
more.
We believe that the majority of
Portlanders agree. And later this month, the
Portland City Council will consider sending
an affordable housing bond measure to the
November ballot, giving voters an
opportunity to invest in urgently needed
housing for those who need it most.
A $250 million investment in affordable
housing would put thousands of families into
stable, safe housing over the life of the
bond. And it would enable our community to
help those who made this place what it is
today afford to live here during retirement.
The need is real and now is the time for
us to act.
We hope that you’ll join us in this effort
And we hope you’ll join the Welcome Home
Coalition — over 140 organizations strong —
I ilk
becoming
homeless?
Transition
Projects
Please call 855.425.5544
or visit 650 NW Irving Street
Asian Family
Center, Im m igrant
and Refugee
Community
Organization,
REACH, JO IN and
APANO presented
the postcards to
Commissioner D an
Saltzm an and
Chair Deborah
Kafoury.
FARMERS’ MARKET
FOOD CO-OP
Armed Forces
■M att
or at risk of
members from
Sign up fo r updates at
yesforaffordablehomes.com, and L IK E the
campaign a t facebook.com/
yesforaffordablehomes
\»z
Did you serve in the
Above: The
Welcome Home
Coalition collected
hundreds o f
postcards from the
community calling
fo r action on
affordable housing
solutions. Recently,
which has done the research and outreach
to develop community support for new
affordable housing funding.
There is no single cause for this crisis —
and there isn’t a silver bullet solution. But
for too many people, a home they can afford
to live in simply doesn’t exist And in order
to turn that around, we need to act now to
dose the gap before we become like San
Francisco - overcrowded and overpriced.
Together, we can make Portland different.
The Portland City Council will consider
referral of the affordable housing bond at 2
pm on Thursday, June 30, at Portland City
Hall (1221 SW4th).
WEDNESDAYS 2-7PM
■
n
|
■
■
W
■
DP TO $5 MATCH WITH EBT CARD
We’re passionate about helping our community
access healthy food that they can trust. By shopping
our market, you’ll get extra food dollars while
supporting local farmers and community.
3029 SE 21st Ave. btwn Powell & Division