Program Director Madeline Adams and Director Katie Cox cut the ribbon at the Marie Equi Center on Coming Out Day. Credit: Photo by Ellen Clarke
October saw the launch of several new housing and service facilities in Portland. A day center for LGBTQIA2S+ people, a recovery center serving people of color, affordable housing for a displaced community and apartments for those in recovery all have a common thread: Metro funding.
Portland area voters approved the affordable housing bond in 2018 and the supportive housing services fund, or SHS, in 2020 for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These funds apply to Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.
In all three counties, as of June 2024, 6,297 households have been placed in housing, 15,073 evictions were prevented, and 1,890 shelter units were created or maintained, according to Metro. Progress continues to grow with affordable housing and services.
Marie Equi Center
As a crowd of over 100 cheered, Katie Cox, Marie Equi Center director, joined with Madeline Adams, program director, Oct. 11, on National Coming Out Day, to cut the ribbon on a new day shelter for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. With a mission to enrich the health of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, the center is the first in the greater Portland area to be designed specifically for the trans and queer community.
Following the example of Marie Equi, an openly lesbian physician who served disadvantaged patients at the turn of the 20th century, the center will reach those who have been discriminated against in health care systems.
The Marie Equi Center will provide drop-in peer support and help navigating healthcare and housing services. Guests can access harm reduction and recovery resources, along with gender-affirming referrals. Advocates will address healthcare barriers such as transphobia, racism and ableism that limit healthcare opportunities for many in need.
At the grand opening, Cox shared the plans for the center in an introductory speech. She spoke about the concerns that led to the founding of the Marie Equi Institute in 2014 with Angela Carter, a doctor committed to the queer community. Cox and Carter saw gaps in culturally responsive healthcare and consulted with LGBTQIA2S+ community partners about how to best address them.
“Collectively, we began advocating for more culturally specific housing and support services for our community,” Cox said. “We met with our elected officials, we shared our stories and outlined the needs we were seeing and a beautiful thing happened. They listened. They saw the urgency and understood what we were building. And today, we are standing in what that advocacy has made possible.”
Stacy Borke, Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson’s deputy chief of staff, spoke at the opening about the importance of this advocacy and the fact that some people have been left behind in the homeless services system.
“That’s begun to change, thanks to the voters who passed the Supportive Housing Services measure,” Borke said. “In alignment with Metro, Multnomah County and the Joint Office, we’re using SHS dollars to improve outcomes for BIPOC communities, people with disabilities and queer and trans folks, the people who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness and housing instability.”
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group whose mission aligns with that of the center, provided a blessing.
Woodstock Recovery House
Quest Center for Integrative Health opened the doors to the Woodstock Recovery House Oct. 22. In a newly painted 100-year-old house, the center offers people in recovery a calm and welcoming space with muted colors and natural light from the many windows.
The house has nine beds throughout, and residents will stay for six months to a year. With support services, the goal is to transition to permanent housing. When they move, people will maintain a connection with their caseworker and Woodstock Recovery House, empowering them to maintain housing.
Many people are coming from The Resilience Initiative, or TRI, an addiction treatment program in partnership with the Miracles Club, a recovery center for the Black community. TRI helps individuals from marginalized communities address historical traumas and treat substance use disorders. At the Woodstock Recovery House, Miracles Club graduates will continue sessions with their counselor for six months, along with treatment and participation in skills groups.
There are nine beds for residents at Woodstock Recovery House where residents will stay for six months to a year.
Quest Center for Integrative Health owns and operates the Woodstock Recovery Center. They will offer each resident the opportunity to work with a housing case manager to develop an action plan. This will entail graduating from a “rent well” class, meeting with a peer support specialist and regularly attending recovery meetings.
Quest Center is a nonprofit with a focus on mental health. They help with pain management and addiction through holistic health treatments like acupuncture, massage and counseling. HIV services include therapy and harm reduction education. More than 70% of clients are low-income and uninsured or underinsured.
Heather Mirasol, Multnomah County director of behavioral health, spoke at the grand opening.
“It’s my joy to be here,” Mirasol said. She described the importance of the program to residents at the Woodstock Recovery Center.
“People thrive when their physical, spiritual, emotional and physical needs are met,” Mirasol said. “We know that community and a sense of belonging are essential to recovery. Through the depths of work that treatment requires it will be a great relief to them to come home here to rest and restore.”
Other speakers included Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang, State Rep. Rob Nosse and Joresa Jefferson, certified recovery mentor. Jefferson shared her perspective on struggling with addiction and treatment.
“I really wish that The Resilience Initiative had been around when I needed it,” Jefferson said. “If there was a program like this my life would have been different. But I wouldn’t change anything because I love what I do.”
Alberta Alive, Humboldt Neighborhood
It was a day for storytelling and optimism at the Alberta Alive groundbreaking on the Strong family property on N. Alberta Street and N. Williams Avenue in Portland Oct. 22. Trent Aldridge, CEO of Self Enhancement Inc., introduced Tony Hopson Sr., the social service organization’s president and founder. City Commissioner Carmen Rubio and members of the Strong family also addressed the audience.
“It’s a beautiful day,” Hopson said. “I don’t care what the weather says. It’s a beautiful day. Folks like me grew up in this community.”
The Strong family has held onto their property on N. Williams Street in Portland for generations, surviving the many challenges of gentrification. By selling the property to the Portland Housing Bureau, they are providing an opportunity for community members to access affordable housing. Colas Construction, Inc. will build 75 apartments here.
Applicants must earn 0-60% of the area median income, or AMI, depending on unit type. Some units will rent at 0-30% of the AMI and some at 30-60%. The N/NE Preference Policy gives preference to those with a historical connection to the neighborhood and those who have been displaced. Self Enhancement Inc. will provide culturally specific services for residents.
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro AMI for a household of one is $81,830, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. 30% AMI is calculated as $24,780, 50% as $41,300 and 60% as $49,560. This area includes Clackamas, Washington, Columbia, and Yamhill counties, as well as Clark and Skamania counties in Washington.
The maximum monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment at 100% AMI, including utilities, is $2,045, according to HUD. Maximum monthly rent for 30% AMI is set at $619 and 60% AMI is set at $1,239. The new Alberta Alive property will follow these guidelines, although the numbers may change by the time apartments are ready. The building is expected to be finished by Spring 2026.
This building will be one of four Alberta Alive projects to supply housing. Like other Alberta Alive sites, this property will be co-owned and developed by Community Development Partners and Self Enhancement, Inc.
Dr. Jackie Strong remembers when he and his brothers purchased this property nearly 40 years ago. Discrimination came from banks and zoning laws, but they persevered as urban renewal drove up property prices around them.
“I realize that the joy outweighs the trauma,” Strong said. “For the city to get it right now makes me feel that it was worth it.”
Commissioner Rubio spoke of the significance of this project for the community.
“N/NE Preference Policy is a nationally recognized program that helps address historic injustices and provides a pathway back to this neighborhood for displaced Black families,” Rubio said.
Since 72% of the apartments have two or three bedrooms, there will be room for families.
“We know that larger families are often most in need of rent relief and long-term and affordable housing options,” Rubio said. “Children benefit enormously from stable housing and culturally specific programming and supportive communities.”
Meridian Gardens
The Halloween celebration and opening of Meridian Gardens housing complex included a ribbon cutting, costumes, tacos from Mi Pueblo Taqueria and live music from Conjunto Alegre. Hwang, Vega Pederson and Rubio gave speeches to honor the event. Central City Concern, or CCC, president and CEO Andy Mendenhall led the festivities.
“Our region continues to face an affordable housing crisis combined with a lack of psychiatric and substance use treatment services,” Mendenhall said. “Folks are struggling clinically more than ever before. For individuals who are committed to their recovery and benefit from living in a community of neighbors free from alcohol and drug use, this programming is an oasis of long-term recovery and support. Alcohol and drug-free communities like Meridian Gardens are more important than ever to help close the affordable housing gap while providing the healthiest and safest possible community for low-income individuals in recovery.”
Meridian Gardens is CCC’s latest development at the Cedar Commons Development in Southeast Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood.
This is housing for those struggling with substance abuse. All 85 units are for those earning 50% or less of the AMI. For a fair market single room occupancy rate, it’s $464. A studio is $932. The other units are being subsidized through Home Forward who will charge 30% of someone’s income.
Wraparound services will include case management, employment support, addiction treatment and recovery-focused programming, according to CCC. Referrals come from CCC programs, including Puentes, River Haven and outside partners.
The community will be “100% electric with no natural gas on-site, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting CCC’s mission to address the ecological hazards of climate change,” according to CCC.
In addition to this, Energy Trust of Oregon is providing Meridian Gardens with a large solar array through grant funding. The PGE Drive Change Fund has installed electric vehicle charging on site. Meridian Gardens will be a leading sustainable community.
Metro funding
Metro’s affordable housing bond and SHS funds made all four of these buildings and resources possible.
The Metro SHS measure funded the renovation of the Marie Equi Center’s building, and Metro funds are providing $857,390 for operating costs at the center in the current fiscal year.
Multnomah County Behavioral Health Division, in partnership with Metro SHS, provided 80% of the funding to purchase the Woodstock Recovery House dwelling and Quest Center provided the remaining 20% for renovations.
Through the Metro affordable housing bond, the city is allocating $3.15 million to the Alberta Alive project on the Strong property.
The affordable housing bond is providing $13.3 million for construction of Meridian Gardens. SHS dollars are supporting wraparound services for residents at this housing complex.
SHS funding comes from a 1% income tax on taxable income over $125,000 for individuals and $200,000 for joint filers. The 1% tax also applies to businesses with over $5 million in gross receipts.
The affordable housing bond has generated $652.8 million to build homes for people making 60% of the AMI or less. This is $47,400 for a one-person household and $67,680 for a four-person household, according to Metro.
“As of December 2023, there were 52 bond-funded projects underway that will provide 4,361 new affordable homes,” according to the 2023 Housing Bond Annual Report.
Looking to the future, Metro is considering ways to increase affordable housing as the need exceeds availability. The National Low Income Housing Coalition states that the state of Oregon has a shortage of 102,760 rental homes that are affordable and available for extremely low-income renters.
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