January 28, 2015
Page 5
Combating Displacement
continued
from page 3
nomic development projects
brought about profound neigh-
borhood transformations, leav-
ing many long-time residents with
fewer and fewer affordable
housing options.
Within the past decade, the
percentage of African Ameri-
cans in Portland’s historically
black neighborhoods had fallen
by more than half.
In March, Mayor Charlie
Hales, with the support of hous-
ing commissioner Dan Saltzman,
dedicated an additional $20 mil-
lion in Tax Increment Financing
dollars from the Interstate Cor-
ridor Urban Renewal Area to
affordable housing in an effort to
begin to address the on-going
threat of displacement and
gentrification.
The pledge followed a contro-
versial proposal to subsidize de-
velopment of a Trader Joe’s gro-
cery store for the corner of North-
east Martin Luther King Jr. Bou-
levard and Alberta Street.
The Portland Housing Bureau
determined that any plan to in-
crease the affordable housing
budget would need to be guided
by the community itself.
The result is a five-year plan
that proposes a set of new prac-
tices and policies to address the
specific barriers to housing ac-
cess, security, and economic
opportunity.
The $20 million budget has
been cut up strategically. Ac-
cordingly, $3.2 million dollars has
been allocated to providing
single-family home repair loans.
These zero-interest loans of up
to $40,000 per home are ex-
pected to provide critical repairs
for low-income homeowners.
Approximately 80 households
are expected to reap benefit and
be prevented from displacement
through these loans.
An additional $800,000 has
been budgeted as grant money,
of up $5,000 per home, also for
critical repairs with an emphasis
on seniors, people with disabili-
ties, and those that make less
than 50 percent of the median
family income. This support is
expected to help an additional
160 homes. Both of these grants
and loans are set to start imme-
diately if approved by the coun-
cil and to be annually allocated
over the course of the next five
years.
In terms of creating new
homeowners, $2.4 million has
been set aside to create a Down
Payment Assistance Loan Pro-
gram, assisting first time
homebuyers with incomes up to
80 percent of the median family
income. This also is set to start
immediately and to be fully de-
ployed in three years. The pro-
gram is expected to help ap-
proximately 40 households. In
addition, another $2.6 million is
being invested into creating new
affordable homes. The Housing
Bureau estimates this will help
create an additional 32 house-
holds.
The city plans to invest $4.5
million, plus land, into creating
permanently affordable rental
homes, especially for land al-
ready owned by the Portland
Housing Bureau, including a
plot on Northeast Martin
Luther King Jr. Boulevard,
between Northeast Cook and
Ivy Street.
The emphasis will be on cre-
ating family-sized rental units that
feature family-friendly features.
The city will be trying to identify
ground-floor commercial oppor-
tunities for local businesses to be
a part of these communities. This
budget is set to create 40 to 80
new housing units.
Another $3.5 million is set to
be invested in redeveloping one
or more additional properties ei-
ther owned by the Portland
Housing Bureau or other part-
ners. This would begin in 2017
and create an additional 30-60
units.
Lastly the city is set to spend
$3 million on acquiring additional
land to be used for permanent
affordable housing in the future.
The city plans to work with the
community and other institutions
to leverage additional funds for
this purpose.
For the entire budget and over-
all plan, a community-based
Oversight Committee is being
formed to make the city and
Housing Bureau accountable to
the community.
While any government as-
sistance cannot be based on
race, people from the neigh-
borhoods impacted by displace-
ment will have priority access
to the housing developed
through this initiative, officials
said. Although the city is still
working on the logistics of how
this will work, the emphasis of
the project is on helping com-
munities of color.
For more information on the
housing plan and to see if you
qualify for some of the help, visit
portlandoregon.gov/phb.
An arson fire in August 2013 engulfs a new apartment complex that was under
construction at Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Monroe Street. The
FBI is now offering a $5,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest in the case.
Monroe Street Arson Reward
Tips that lead to the identification, arrest and
conviction of the person or people responsible for
a five-alarm fire that consumed a northeast Port-
land apartment complex could result in a reward of
up to $5,000.
The FBI announced last week that it is offering
the reward in conjunction with the Aug. 8, 2013,
arson at the “Monroe Apartments” – a 46-unit
building that was under construction at 318 N.E.
Monroe St. Callers to 9-1-1 reported the fire at
4:14 a.m. Several nearby homes and vehicles also
suffered significant damage. Investigators put the
total damage estimate at over $6 million.
Anyone who wants to report tips about the
arson should call the FBI at 503-224-4181 or
Detective Joseph Luiz at 503 823-3408.