Portland’s Housing Bond Brings 144 Affordable Units to Northwest
NW Housing Alternatives produced this video to honor Susan Emmons for the Emmons Place groundbreaking.
Earlier this month, 144 new units of affordable housing broke ground in NW Portland, made possible by Portland’s Housing Bond. Emmons Place, a NW Housing Alternatives development, is named for fierce housing advocate Susan Emmons. Northwest Pilot Project, which Emmons led for 30 years in their mission to provide affordable housing for seniors on fixed incomes, will partner with NAYA Family Center as a service partner on the project.
Emmons Place is the eighth new Housing Bond development to break ground, and will provide 66 studio apartments affordable at 60% AMI (no more than $52,200 annually for a family of three) and 78 studio apartments affordable at 30% AMI (no more than $26,100 annually for a family of three). 48 of these will be Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) including wrap-around services for people impacted by homeless. The project will primarily serve seniors, veterans, communities of color, and people with disabilities, providing them with housing in the central city, with excellent access to transit, parks, groceries, and other amenities in alignment with the strategic goals of the Bond to prevent displacement and provide access to opportunity.
In a video celebrating the groundbreaking, Portland Housing Bureau Director Shannon Callahan thanked the project partners, saying, “Your thoughtful and intentional work will ensure that Emmons Place will provide a safe, welcoming home for 144 Portland families.”
“I never would have wanted a building named after me, but this building...” said Susan Emmons, marveling at the quality of the project. “And to think that older people and people who have been homeless and people who have been disabled will get to live in this great neighborhood, with all of our parks, and our transit – and it will be a beautiful building – that means a lot to me.”
Emmons Place is the most recent Bond development to break ground. Currently, there are 12 Portland Housing Bond projects, totaling 1,490 units, either open or in development across the city – representing almost 200 more units than originally promised when voters approved the bond measure in 2016. Of these, 691 have two or more bedrooms to serve families with children, 628 will service very low-income households, and 313 will provide Permanent Supportive Housing to meet the needs of households experiencing homelessness.