Field Reports
Dream Denied: Portland’s Housing Affordability Crisis, Recent Progress, and What Else Can Still Be Done
Nitan Shanas,
Emerson Fellow
Welcome Home Coalition,
Published 2021-2022
Portland, Oregon
In 2016, Portland voters passed a $258 million bond to build more affordable housing thanks in large part to the advocacy of the Welcome Home Coalition and other residents. Portland-metro voters followed suit with the passage of a $652.8 million bond in 2018. These bonds are a sliver of the many housing solutions implemented in the Portland Metropolitan region, which has taken bold and extensive steps to address its housing affordability crisis when compared to many other places throughout the country. Yet still, these steps, taken together, are not enough to ensure that every individual in the area has a safe place to call home. This website provides a brief history of housing in the U.S. to inform the reader about how we got to where we are at today; included within are the ways in which federal housing policies have led to racial inequalities in our housing market and influenced how state and municipal governments tackle their housing crises. The website also describes three important components to any municipal housing strategy. Finally, the website delves into the housing market in Portland, Oregon; including a timeline of recent policies passed by the Oregon state legislature and the city of Portland, an interactive map showcasing the effects of the two affordable housing bonds mentioned above, and my policy recommendations for further actions that the city can take to address its housing crisis.
View “Dream Denied: Portland’s Housing Affordability Crisis, Recent Progress, and What Else Can Still Be Done”
Publication tags: Field Reports - Housing, Income, Expenses, and Hunger
Born in Israel, Nitan moved at the age of 10 with his family to Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Nitan graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University - Camden with majors in Psychology, Urban Studies, and Economics and a minor in Ethics. As a Bonner Foundation scholar, he has worked at a local homeless shelter and advocated on behalf of the city of Camden’s homeless population through various awareness campaigns including Rutgers Camden’s annual Hunger and Homelessness Week as well as his most recent initiative - the Rutgers Sleepout for Homelessness Awareness - which raised funds for a local homeless shelter. In his senior year, Nitan served as the student body president for Rutgers Camden as well as an intern at the National Homelessness Law Center before becoming an Emerson fellow.
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The Welcome Home Coalition envisions a future where everyone has a safe, stable, affordable home and our community takes collective responsibility to eliminate affordable housing barriers. We believe in equal access to the opportunity of home and fair protection from losing home. Together, we’re building a future where home is a place we can all count on.
We use our collective voice and resources to build back our affordable housing infrastructure with at least 63,000 homes affordable in the Portland-metro region. We know that with adequate and dedicated public funding we can restore balance to housing opportunity so that all families can succeed with a safe, stable, accessible, and affordable home.
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