From The Oregonian:
Charles Coleman was living out of his car and paying for a membership at an inexpensive gym to simply access a shower before he was approved for a place at the new Hattie Redmond Apartments in North Portland.
He was among the first residents who moved in when the new 60-unit supportive housing complex opened March 1. In all, 25 residents have begun living in the apartments, which serve people with disabilities exiting homelessness with a focus on helping members of the Black community.
“My first night, it was like I was having a dream but then woke up to find the dream was a reality,” said Coleman, 62. “I had my own space and it felt incredible.”
The $24.5 million apartment complex, located on North Interstate Avenue just north of North Lombard Street, was developed through a unique partnership between Home Forward, the city’s major affordable housing developer, and the Urban League of Portland to provide culturally responsive services to Black Portlanders experiencing homelessness. The building is located in a historically Black neighborhood where Black households were systematically pushed out beginning in the 1960s by racist housing policies and urban renewal efforts.
The Urban League worked with Home Forward to make sure the complex would provide not only programs and supports that served their clients but that the building itself was designed in a trauma-informed way. The nonprofit will provide residents on-site supportive services, connections to recovery and mental health services. Residents will be able to work with the building’s on-site team, which includes a resident services coordinator, case managers and peer support specialists.
...
Ivory Mathews, Home Forward chief executive officer, said the partnership taught her organization a lot, particularly what it means to truly engage with a community, to hear their voices and understand what their specific cultural needs are for a supportive housing program.
“This development is a model for what we will continue to build in this community,” Mathews said.
Read The Oregonian's article "Supportive housing complex with resources for Black, disabled Portlanders opens in North Portland," featuring Home Forward.