January 13, 2016
M artin L uther K ing J r .
2016 special edition
Page 23
Builders Program Fights Displacement
Repairs help
12 longtime
residents
stay put
A Portland Housing Bureau
grant to a community devel-
opment non-profit is providing
some critical home repairs to
mitigate displacement of long-
time homeowners in north and
northeast Portland.
REACH Community Devel-
opment, Inc. is using a $110,
000 grant from the Housing
Bureau to help 12 longtime
homeowners retain their homes
and remain in their communi-
ties. The award is part of the
city’s North/Northeast Neigh-
borhood Housing Strategy — a
five-year plan addressing the
ongoing threat of displace-
ment and gentrification in the
neighborhoods that comprise
inner north and northeast Port-
land. The REACH Commu-
nity Builders Program is an
example of work being done Critical home repairs, including a wheel chair/accessibility ramp, give long-time resident Charles Adams the ability to stay in his inner
to address this issue with low northeast Portland home. Adams, 68, is pictured in front of the crew that recently performed some of the needed construction.
income residents.
Lack of funds to make re-
pairs to critical home systems
like roofs, plumbing and sid-
ing, often lead to someone
losing their home. Through
this grant, REACH is helping
households retain their homes
in an area of Portland that has
experienced significant dis-
placement of long-time com-
munity residents.
All homeowners current-
ly enrolled to receive critical
repairs under this grant have
lived in their homes for at least
25 years and 82 percent are
African American, officials
said. These homeowners will
receive up to $9,500 worth
of repairs to help them retain
homeownership.
For Charles Adams, a
68-year-old resident of inner
northeast Portland, the repairs
included the installation of a
wheel chair/accessibility ramp,
replacing a failing water heater
and replacing a broken storm
door. In order to maintain his
homeowner’s insurance, work
was also being done to repair
a chimney and install a chim-
ney cap, replace damaged and
missing siding, repair a fence,
demo a failing garage and re-
pair cracks on a front walkway
and driveway.