November 20, 2009

Commissioner Fish was joined by Mayor Adams, County Chair Wheeler and Commissioners Shiprack and Kafoury, HAP Chair Jeff Bachrach, PDC Chair Scott Andrews, Portland Housing Bureau Director Margaret Van Vliet, and hundreds of supporters to break ground on the Resource Access Center (RAC) at NW Broadway and Hoyt this morning.

"This groundbreaking marks the culmination of a tremendous amount of work by many dedicated partners," the Commissioner said.

A cornerstone of the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, a joint program of the City and the County, the RAC will offer a day center with housing, employment, and addiction counseling, hot showers,storage, and voicemail boxes; a men's shelter with temporary housing for 90 men; and 130 units of permanent housing.

As quoted by Matt Davis on the Mercury's blog this afternoon, the Commissioner closed his remarks by noting that "this is our day. This is our time. And people throughout Portland are counting on us to seize this moment."