Culturally-Supportive Permanent Supportive Housing at Hayu Tilixam
Last quarter, we discussed the importance of increasing Permanent Supportive Housing, or PSH, in our communities. PSH is an effective housing solution for addressing chronic homelessness by combining deeply affordable housing with individualized services to support people who face complex challenges with living independently.
The need for PSH is especially pronounced for Black/African American and Native American communities, who make up 8% and 2% of the general population respectively, but account for 13% and 13.7% of our chronically homeless population [1].
Portland's Housing Bond advances racially equitable outcomes through the inclusion of culturally specific PSH in many Bond-funded projects. All Bond project teams include culturally specific partners who bring their expertise and experience in development and service delivery to serve Portland’s diverse BIPOC communities. Factoring cultural sensitivity decisions on the design and operation of housing is very important as it “can support or suppress the practices that define our cultural identities [2].” The benefits of culturally-appropriate housing include encouraging the continuation of cultural practices such as shared meals and social festivities, allowing comfortable accommodation for alternative and intergenerational family structures, and increased resident well-being, health, and sense of belonging.
One pivotal Bond project is already providing culturally-specific PSH in the Cully neighborhood: new residents have begun moving into Hayu Tilixam, meaning "Many Nations" in the Chinook language. The 50-unit housing project developed by Community Development Partners (CDP) and Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) also includes 9 PSH units offering culturally specific services for Native Americans and other Communities of Color from the Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA). These services include behavioral health and case management, as well as additional wrap-around supports from NAYA.
Freya, a resident of a NAYA community, spoke to the importance of culturally specific PSH at Hayu TIlixam’s groundbreaking: “When you’re able to go into a building and feel that cultural aspect and know that you’re home and that you’re welcome and that you’re moving forward, that’s an amazing feeling.”
