Page IO____________________________
^ 'P o rtla n d O b s e rv e r B la c k H is t o r y M o n t h
____________________ February 29. 2012
Burdened by Rent
c o n t i n u e d f r o m front
unem ploym ent rates, falling w ages,
and low rental vacancy rates, has
catalyzed housing stability to re
m ain even m ore out o f reach for low-
incom e fam ilies throughout Port
land and the country.
T he latest unem ploym ent rate for
the state o f O regon rem ains high at
8.9 percent.
“T he econom y has hit people
really hard, so people are suffering
from low incom es and the ongoing
effects o f the recession and eco
nom ic dow nturn,” Byrd said.
T h e n u m b e rs sh o w an e s ti
m ated su p p ly o f 42 a ffo rd a b le
re n ta l u n its fo r e v e ry 100 e x
trem ely low incom e renting h o u se
h o ld s. H o w ev e r, m any o f th o se
u n its are not a v a ila b le b e ca u se
they are a lre a d y o c c u p ie d by in d i
v id u a ls w ith h ig h e r in co m es.
T his m onth, the Portland H ous
ing B ureau announced new funds
for three affordable housing d ev el
opm ent projects, totaling o v er $9
million.
L ifew orks N orthw est plans to
develop a unique building co m b in
ing L ifew orks’ drug and alcohol
treatm ent program w ith affordable
apartm ents serving w om en in re
covery and their children located at
N o rth e a st G a rfie ld A v en u e and
B eech Street.
R O SE C om m unity D evelopm ent
C orporation plans to acquire and
A partm ents will be renovated in Old
Tow n C hinatow n. T he M edford will
provide 60 apartm ents for people
transitioning from the corrections
system w ho are at risk o f becom ing
state, but som e o f those are actually
in d a n g e r o f lo s in g th e ir
affordability.”
B uilding and developing m ore
affordable com plexes is therefore
L ast year, the L egislature allo
cated $5 m illion in Lottery B acked
B onds to fund preservation efforts
to keep existing subsidized housing
in all areas o f O regon, in an effort to
ensure that som e o f the thousands
residents w ith very low incom es
living in apartm ents w ith federal rent
subsidy could continue to live in
those hom es.
But the need is still great. “W e
d o n ’t hav e en o u g h reso u rces to
Slot«,.
Qasfc
Ctoito
11
'"■«Ml J
Construction is bringing some new housing to the Portland market, but the city still lacks a sufficenty inventory o f afordable housing
where costs don't push residents into spending more than half their household income on rent.
rehabilitate G reenview Terrace, a 31 -
unit b u ild in g in o u te r southeast
Portland that includes a m ix o f one-
and tw o-bedroom apartm ents lo
cated at 148th A venue and Stark.
D ow ntow n at N orthw est Fifth
an d G lisan , the M ed fo rd H otel
hom eless.
B ut even w ith new affordable
housing units com ing on line, Byrd
said the dem and for affordable hous
ing is o utrunning the supply.
“W e know that affordable h o u s
ing com plexes do exist across the
only one part o f a solution, she said.
"W e also need to save w hat already
exists and provide residents w ith
flexible resources like the em ergency
housing account, w hich w ill help
people w hile they try to get back on
their feet.”
serve various low incom e residents
th ro u g h o u t the c o m m u n ity ,” she
said.
F o r m ore inform ation about the
H ousing A lliance and the state o f
h o u s in g
in
O re g o n ,
v is it
o re g o n h o u sin g allian c e .o rg .
S O U L 'D O U T M U S I C F E S T I V A L
beuerLu
ticketmaster
APRIL 12TH • 7:30PM SHOW • ALL AGES
KELLER AUDITORIUM ALL AGES
T i a n s ALSO IT F U I METO. SOILNUTFESTIVILMM. K N I N
IF F IC E IIC IU .1 IH -7 4 5 -3 IM