Portland Housing Bureau

09/03/2026

Join the Portland Housing Bureau's Rental Services Office for Portland's 2nd annual Rental Education Week - October 5-9

FREE one-hour educational webinars led by partner agencies daily, on important topics in rental housing like fair housing, property maintenance, conflict management, and more.

Learn more and register by 9/30: portland.gov/phb/rental-ed-week-2026

09/02/2026

The Portland Housing Bureau is pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled "Advancing Housing Stability in Portland: Applied Lessons from Social Housing and Other Innovative Housing Models."

Responding to a persistent and deep housing crisis marked by a shortage of affordable homes, severe rent burden, and stark disparities, Portland City Council adopted Resolution 37703 in April 2025, directing the Housing Bureau to conduct a study exploring social housing and other alternative financing and ownership models and consider how they might be adapted to Portland.

Building on extensive research, this report concludes with an array of recommendations to advance the City of Portland's work to improve tenant stability, housing access, acquisitions, long-term affordability, shared-equity ownership, sustainable funding, and the public value created through our housing investments.

Read the report:

In April 2025, Portland City Council adopted a landmark resolution to explore social housing models as a solution to the city’s housing affordability crisis. Learn more about the timeline for this study.

09/01/2026

The Jade Apartments, developed by APANO and Gorman & Company, has now opened in Powellhurst-Gilbert. Of the 40 new affordable homes located here, 26 units are family-sized and 5 are reserved for extremely low-income households earning 30% AMI or less.

Located near the heart of the The Jade District, a major Asian-American business and cultural center, the project offers great access to high-capacity transit, amenities, schools, and shopping. APANO and Gorman & Co. were awarded Bureau of Planning and Sustainability Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) dollars, used to install a solar array, green building materials, 50-year roofs, and a high-efficiency HVAC system. The Jade includes two courtyards, a community garden, a play area, management and resident services offices, and 31 parking spaces. APANO provides resident services for all tenants. The project was designed by SERA Architects, and Gorman & Co. and GSI Builders were the general contractors.

This is the seventh and last Metro Housing Bond-funded project to open in Portland this year. The Metro Bond is on track to exceed all major goals, producing new affordable housing for well over 5,000 Portlanders in need. Thank you to the voters for supporting projects like the Jade Apartments.

Learn more about the Jade: www.portland.gov/phb/construction/the-jade-apartments

Learn more about the Metro Housing Bond: www.portland.gov/phb/metro-housing-bond

Learn more about PCEF in affordable housing: https://www.portland.gov/phb/portland-clean-energy-fund-pcef

08/27/2026

In case you missed it - 64 new affordable homes are now open in Mt. Scott-Arleta! 👇👇👇

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73Foster is now open, with 64 new affordable homes on SE Foster, including 22 units of Permanent Supportive Housing for those exiting homelessness and 29 units sized for families with kids. 10 units are ADA accessible, and the project includes several accessibility features.

Developed by REACH Community Development, 73Foster is located near schools, groceries, transit, and the Portland Parks & Recreation Mt. Scott Community Center. PHB awarded Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) dollars for energy-efficient HVAC and insulation, and a solar array, to improve comfort and mitigate utility costs. The project was designed by Holst and Walsh Construction Co. served as general contractor.

73Foster was funded in part by the Metro Housing Bond. The Bond will provide affordable homes for over 5,000 low-income Portlanders, with 1,456 units now open. Thank you to metro-area voters for supporting affordable housing!

Learn more: portland.gov/phb/construction/73foster

08/20/2026

Home sharing offers big benefits: cheaper rent for renters, extra income for homeowners, and more flexibility for everyone.

"Home sharing has been really positive for us, and I do encourage people to try it out," says homeowner Karen Wolfgang, who rents out part of her house to a tenant named Suzanna, who has a disability and lives on a fixed income.

On top of these benefits, home sharing is also one of the cheapest and easiest ways for Portland to dramatically increase its housing supply. Earlier this year, the Portland Housing Bureau launched a home sharing pilot program offering a $1,500 bonus for homeowners who successfully share a room under the program's requirements.

Visit the City's website to read the full story
Portland.gov/PHB/News

08/19/2026

73Foster is now open, with 64 new affordable homes on SE Foster, including 22 units of Permanent Supportive Housing for those exiting homelessness and 29 units sized for families with kids. 10 units are ADA accessible, and the project includes several accessibility features.

Developed by REACH Community Development, 73Foster is located near schools, groceries, transit, and the Portland Parks & Recreation Mt. Scott Community Center. PHB awarded Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) dollars for energy-efficient HVAC and insulation, and a solar array, to improve comfort and mitigate utility costs. The project was designed by Holst and Walsh Construction Co. served as general contractor.

73Foster was funded in part by the Metro Housing Bond. The Bond will provide affordable homes for over 5,000 low-income Portlanders, with 1,456 units now open. Thank you to metro-area voters for supporting affordable housing!

Learn more: portland.gov/phb/construction/73foster

08/18/2026

We celebrated another wonderful grand opening last week at M Carter Commons, a new affordable housing community from Urban League of Portland and Northwest Housing Alternatives. These 62 studios and 1-bedrooms are designed with older adults in mind, and include numerous accessibility features.

Named for former State Senator Margaret Carter, the first Black woman to serve in the Oregon legislature, this building is subject to the N/NE Preference Policy, prioritizing applicants with historic ties to the area. PHB recently awarded additional funds to lower rents in 2/3 of the units from the 60% AMI level to the 45% AMI level, making them more affordable to low-income elders in the community.

In his remarks, City Administrator Raymond C. Lee III noted the critical Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) investments in high-efficiency HVAC and insulation, helping low-income tenants save on utilities and improving their comfort. M Carter Commons is optimally located next to Overlook Park and Kaiser Permanente's Overlook campus.

PHB funded this project via the voter-backed Metro Affordable Housing Bond, which has opened 1,400 affordable homes in Portland so far. This progress is real, but we'll need to keep investing in order to meet the need.

Learn more about M Carter Commons: portland.gov/phb/construction/m-carter-commons

Learn more about the N/NE Preference Policy: portland.gov/phb/nnehousing/preference-policy

Learn more about the Metro Housing Bond: portland.gov/phb/metro-housing-bond

08/13/2026

"The scariest part about living on such a tightrope of a budget is how easily one can fall off, according to interviews with many homeless Portland residents."

Thank you to The Oregonian for so clearly connecting the dots between rising costs and homelessness. As this article makes abundantly clear, far too many Oregonians are one emergency away from losing their housing, with 44% of homeless Portlanders in one study citing lost or reduced income as the cause of their homelessness.

Ensuring that affordable housing is available for those who need it is a critically important approach to preventing homelessness, and our recent voter-approved investments are already helping thousands remain stably housed. We need continued funding in proven solutions - closing the affordability gap will require investments that match the scale of the problem.

The scariest part about living on such a tightrope of a budget is how easily one can fall off, according to interviews with many homeless Portland residents.

08/11/2026

Last week, we joined Innovative Housing, Inc. and funding partners Metro, Oregon Housing and Community Services, and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) to celebrate the grand opening of Garden Park Estates, a project in Powellhurst-Gilbert with 54 new and 62 re-developed affordable 2-story townhomes and ADA-accessible units.

25 units at Garden Park are designated as Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) for those exiting homelessness, and come with wrap-around supportive services and deep rent subsidies. PCEF funding was used for energy-efficient HVAC, heat-pump water heaters, and a solar array.

As Councilor Avalos noted in her remarks, 40% of Portland's children live in District 1, and Garden Park Estates is designed to serve them, with 103 2-3 bedroom units, large open spaces, and youth programs from IHI. The project is near transit, parks, schools, and groceries.

This project was funded via the voter-backed Metro Affordable Housing Bond, which is bringing over 2100 affordable homes to Portland. These homes will house thousands of low-income families in the coming decades.

Learn more about Garden Park Estates: www.portland.gov/phb/construction/garden-park-estates

Learn more about the Metro Housing Bond: www.portland.gov/phb/metro-housing-bond

Learn more about PCEF in affordable housing: www.portland.gov/phb/portland-clean-energy-fund-pcef

08/05/2026

In case you missed it - new affordable homes for purchase coming to N Portland! 👇👇👇

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True North is now under construction! This 50-unit project from Habitat for Humanity Portland Region will bring affordable homeownership opportunities to University Park for households earning up to 60% or 80% AMI. All units have 2+ bedrooms for families, and will remain permanently affordable.

These townhomes will be subject to the N/NE Preference Policy, prioritizing applicants with historic ties to the area. All homes will be built with energy efficiency features, and the site will include five outdoor community areas with playgrounds and community gardens. True North was designed by MWA Architects.

PHB is proud to support True North with Metro Housing Bond funds. The Metro Bond is on track to produce 2154 affordable homes, with additional units TBA. Thank you to the voters for supporting affordable housing!

Learn more about True North: https://www.portland.gov/phb/construction/true-north

Learn more about the N/NE Preference Policy: https://www.portland.gov/phb/nnehousing/preference-policy

Learn more about the Metro Housing Bond: https://www.portland.gov/phb/metro-housing-bond