BLACK
HISTORY
Page 4
MONTH
February 1, 2017
Portland Rent Hikes Bring Displacement
Two recent
cases are vivid
example
C hrista M C i ntyre
t he P ortland o bserver
Recent massive rent increas-
es and no cause evictions at two
separate apartment complexes
in north and northeast Portland
is putting a vivid picture on dis-
placement and the potential to
move low income people out of
by
their neighborhoods and local
schools.
According to published re-
ports, residents of the Normandy
Apartments, an 18-unit complex
at Northeast 46th and Killing-
sworth, started the New Year with
a 100 percent rent increase, while
residents of the 72-unit Titan
Manor in St. Johns, have received
no cause evictions. The children
in these complexes make up a
significant part of their schools’
population and their displace-
ment will impact future educa-
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Photo by C hrista M C i ntyre /t he P ortland o bserver
The Bollinger family, (from left to right) Bella, Jennifer and Gabri-
ella have lived at the Normandy Apartments on Northeast Killing-
sworth Street for almost 7 years, but now face displacement after
new owners of their complex served notice of a 100 percent rent
increase.
tional funding.
a disparity to your present rent
Starting April 1, each of the that an increase has become nec-
18 Normandy Apartment units essary.”
will double in rent. One bed-
Jennifer Bollinger, a renter at
room apartments which cost $750 the complex and mother of three
for 650 square feet will jump to told the Portland Observer: “It’s
$1,550 a month. A notice taped not the fact that they’re raising
to front doors explained the hike: the rent, it’s the fact that they’re
“Sorry for the news but the rent- doubling it.”
al market has created enough of
TJ Fuller, principal of Rigler
Elementary School, told the Wil-
lamette Week that the 40 students
who live at the Normandy rep-
resent 5 percent of the student
body. 15 students have already
been forced to move this school
year, he said. Rigler Elementary
has a dual English and Spanish
language program and most of
their students are Latino. The
school could face budget cuts and
lose teachers, because funding is
based upon the number of stu-
dents enrolled.
In a similar story, the children
who live at Titan Manor make up
6 percent of the James John El-
ementary School student body.
This past October, those apart-
ments were also sold and in Jan-
uary renters began receiving “no
cause” evictions.
On Thursday, new Portland
City councilwoman Chloe Euda-
ly will propose a temporary ordi-
nance that requires landlords pay
for renter’s moving costs if they
issue a “no cause” eviction. May-
or Ted Wheeler says he’ll support
the ordinance. Last year the City
Council declared a one year rent-
er’s state of emergency and the
new ordinance would only be in
effect until that expires this Octo-
ber or if the council votes to ex-
tend the time limit.