In 2015, Portland created a groundbreaking policy to give preference for affordable housing and housing loans in historically Black neighborhoods to those who have been displaced from the area. In 2018, a report found that just 4 households had been able to purchase homes using city loans. After a major overhaul, part of the contract for the city’s housing preference policy was handed to the Portland Housing Center. This week, the nonprofit celebrated 5 years and 110 homes that have been successfully purchased through the program. We check in on the policy with Dana Shepherd, executive director of Portland Housing Center, and Leslie Goodlow, equity business operations manager for the Portland Housing Bureau.
Think Out Loud