Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 2015)
Page 4 April 29, 2015 2015 H ousing Tiny House for Dignity Village Student build nears completion In memory of Joyce Washington and her son, Charles Washington, for their tireless work in the Portland Community. Come join us on May 16, 2015 at SEI, 3920 N. Kerby, Portland, OR 97217 Featuring many top athletic talents from Portland high schools, in match-up basketball games girls. Excellent ad rates are available for our ad sponsors. Ad deadline is May 5th, 2015. Contact us TODAY for the best ad rates and placement. For more info: Mark Washington -- email: markw@portlandobserver.com or Phone: (503) 288-9443 Talunaka Washington -- email: talunaka@yahoo.com SPONSORS: Ted Morissette will pursue his passion for film production when he begins college next fall. But before he graduates from Ore- gon Episcopal School in June, he’s satisfying his curiosity about home building by leading a group of fellow volunteer students in construction of a “tiny house” to be donated to Dignity Village in northeast Portland. Morissette, 19, along with Kris- ten Dallum, a staff advisor from the school, has been leading the group for the last several months in organizing volunteers, sched- uling work parties and generating donations of building materials, food and other items to help the project come together. The group has been working since mid-Feb- ruary — sawing lumber, beams, flooring, trim and siding and piec- ing and pounding it in place. Now nearing completion, the tiny home will be moved from its building site on a dock at Pacific Lumber in Beaverton to Dignity Village on Wednesday, May 13. When the students visited the village at the beginning of their project they found the camp, cre- ated as a refuge for the homeless, was always in need of more and safer structures for their popula- tion. In recent years, tiny houses have been seen as a way to combat homelessness with many popping up around the country in neigh- borhoods designed for low- and no-income housing similar to Dig- Oregon Episcopal School senior Ted Morissette leads fellow stu- nity Village. dents in building a ‘tiny house’ benefitting Dignity Village. Leveraging Affordable Housing Rent vouchers committed to South Waterfront There has been little to cheer about concerning affordable housing in the new South Water- front neighborhood, but now at least 200 affordable homes are coming to the district thanks to a partnership between the Portland Development Commission, Port- land Housing Bureau and Home Forward. PDC, which owns the land, has made a site near OHSU available for a joint mixed-use mixed-income development. As many as 90 of the housing units will be affordable to households earning less than 30 percent of the median family income ($24,250 or below for a fami- ly of four) thanks to a commit- ment from Home Forward, the housing authority for Portland, to dedicate 80 rent assistance vouchers to the project, includ- ing 10 for homeless veterans. Home Forward’s contribution will also leverage other resourc- es to support deeply affordable housing within the project, offi- cials said. “South Waterfront offers many amenities and opportuni- ties that should be available to Portlanders of all income lev- els,” said City Commissioner Dan Saltzman. The vouchers from Home Forward are part of the agency’s new initiative dedicating 500 rent assistance vouchers over the next several years to projects that provide housing opportunity for low-income families in neigh- borhoods with good schools and amenities. Advertise with diversity in The Portland Observer Call 503-288-0033 or email ads@portlandobserver.com