Under construction: Metro's affordable housing bond at work

New homes are on the way for over five thousand people who need them. And that’s just in a little over one year of work.

To say it’s been a hard year would be a significant understatement. Between the pandemic, the ongoing fight for racial justice, wildfires in fall and ice storms in winter, we could all use some good news. 

Did you know that Metro is ahead of its production goals for new affordable homes across the region? Homes are coming to neighborhoods near you — read on to view an interactive map. 

You can also read the  executive summary and Community Oversight Committee recommendations memo , and check out the  full report .

In 2018, the Metro Council sent voters a measure to support the creation of new, permanently affordable homes across greater Portland for seniors, families, veterans and others who need them. Voters resoundingly approved the $653 million bond measure, which included accountability requirements for advancing racial equity and annual reporting and review. 

A little over two years later, Metro and its seven implementation partners — Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties and the cities of Beaverton, Gresham, Hillsboro and Portland — are making good progress on our promise to the region.

Note: Use the bookmarks on the grey bar (above) to jump to different sections of the report.

In its first year, the Metro housing bond program is poised to deliver 20 housing developments. That’s a total of over 2,000 new affordable rental homes, enough to house up to 6,000 people in need.

It typically takes at least a year to construct a new building. All of the 20 developments shown above are underway (in active planning or construction) and are expected to be move-in ready before the end of 2023. The housing bond program invested in four shovel-ready developments to accelerate the process and open new housing as early as 2021.

Guided by several years of research and engagement, Metro, its seven partners, and community members set production goals for the homes that would be created with the bond funding.

Where you live affects your ability to access jobs, education, social networks, nature and quality of life. Decades of systemic inequity have kept Black, Indigenous and other people of color from finding affordable homes in neighborhoods that offer access to activities and amenities all people need to thrive. 

Increasing the stock of affordable housing, and ensuring these new homes are equitably available to those who need them most, is a crucial part of remedying historic and current harms to Black communities and other oppressed groups. 

Metro requires that cities and counties consider project locations strategically so each new development plays a role in advancing racial equity goals established by Metro Council. These goals were informed by research regarding emerging best practices for advancing racial equity in affordable housing as well as conversations with community stakeholders and practitioners. Partners consider geographic distribution, access to opportunity, strategies to address racial segregation and strategies to prevent displacement and stabilize communities. Each project site advances one or more of these goals.

As new housing is being developed, hearing from and collaborating with community members — both neighbors and people with similar experiences to those who will live in these homes — is a crucial part of setting up for success. 

Metro requires housing bond project developers to engage communities of color, people with low incomes, seniors, people with disabilities and others who have been left out of housing opportunities and the creation of housing policy. Input from these groups must meaningfully inform each project in support of future tenant success and community wellbeing.

What are some of the ways that feedback gets collected from community members? A dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer has shaped a community listening session project to hear from BIPOC community members and help shape Washington County’s seven 2020 projects. 

Meanwhile, Home Forward, the developer for the renovation of Dekum Court in Northeast Portland, has formed a community advisory committee to help ensure new housing meets the needs of residents and neighbors alike.

New affordable homes are needed in every community across the region — and Metro helps ensure this broad, equitable distribution of voter-supported investments. New homes built through the bond must be located with easy access to amenities for living well; Metro and its partners thoughtfully locate housing to benefit future residents, particularly BIPOC and those from other oppressed groups.

Our partnerships are strong, and have already resulted in a planned 20 new apartment complexes that will make over 2,000 homes available to people with low incomes around the region. These collaborations between public and private entities as well as service providers ensure locally-oriented yet regionally significant investments of voter-approved funds. Metro convenes and supports this work, ensuring regional consistency across the entire Portland area.

Read the executive summary including the Housing Bond Community Oversight Committee recommendations memo. 

View the full 2020 affordable housing bond annual report.

Acknowledgements

Staff: Ash Elverfeld, Lakeeyscia Griffin, Matthew Hampton, Pilar Karlin, Constantino Khalaf, Emily Lieb, Valeria McWilliams, Choya Renata, Michaela Skiles, Rebecca Small

Partners who contributed photos, stories and quotes for this report – thank you: Bienestar, City of Beaverton, City of Hillsboro, City of Portland, Home Forward, Housing Authority of Washington County, Somali Empowerment Circle