Bridge Meadows, New Avenues for Youth and the City of Portland have partnered to open the Dorothy Lemelson House & New Meadows Program (New Meadows), an innovative affordable housing community with trauma-informed care and life-skills programs for transition-age foster youth.

Located at 8710 N Dana Avenue, New Meadows will provide 10 studios and five one-bedroom apartments for residents ages 17-24 and an on-site counselor/program coordinator. Rents will be regulated at no more than 30% of area median income (individuals earning less than $16,000 a year). The development is made possible by the Portland Housing Bureau, who provided an Equity Gap Contribution to the project in the amount of $1,377,173.

“Young people leaving foster care without the support of a family or adults they can rely on are some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Shannon Callahan, Interim Director of the Portland Housing Bureau. “New Meadows will offer a safe, stable place to live with a community support network to help transitioning foster youth receive the training, skills, and education to overcome barriers and realize their potential.”

 In 2010, the City provided funding to create the first Bridge Meadows housing community in Portland, one block from New Meadows in the Portsmouth neighborhood. Bridge Meadows’ innovative model for bringing together elders, foster children, and adoptive families in an affordable housing community has become a nationally recognized success story for how vulnerable populations can thrive with a stable home, surrounded by the right support. New Meadows hopes to tap into the resource network at the nearby property. 

“As a City, seeking effective, humane, lasting solutions to homelessness is one of our top priorities. One of the best tools we have in that effort is to prevent homelessness where it can be prevented with the right support,” says Mayor Ted Wheeler. “This joint venture between Bridge Meadows and New Avenues for Youth represents the very type of innovation, dedication, and humanity we need as we work together toward that vision. New Meadows will be a crucial stepping stone for these youth in maintaining and achieving self-sufficiency.” 

Click here to see more images of The Dorothy Lemelson House & New Meadows Program.