Dear Fellow Portlanders,

We’ve made great progress together since you passed Portland’s Housing Bond just over a year ago – we established a strategic framework with the help of more than 1,000 community members, appointed a Bond Oversight Committee that is already reviewing new funding opportunities and, last month, we announced plans to build the first new development with Portland’s Housing Bond.  

In the meantime, the Bond is already making a difference for Portland families. Thanks to Bond investments, more than 200 units at the Ellington Apartments are now permanently affordable for low- and extremely low-income families. More than 100 Ellington households who were facing displacement last year are now stable in their homes and 28 families who were homeless a year ago are finding stability and community there, close to schools, and parks, and bus stops. I’m humbled to share one of the many stories from the Ellington with you in this newsletter. 

I believe Portland’s Housing Bond represents what’s best about our city: it’s Portlanders helping Portlanders so we all can have the chance to live in thriving, diverse neighborhoods and participate equally in what our community has to offer. I’m proud to look back on what we’ve achieved so far and to be starting 2018 with new, exciting work under way. We have more hard work ahead of us to reach our goals, but we have this historic opportunity to make a difference in our community because of you.

Click here for the full Portland Housing Bond January newsletter and then sign up to receive email updates.

Thank you and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Mayor Ted Wheeler