"Housing authorities provide children a safe place to call home and give working families opportunities to build better lives. They strengthen our state by building communities that meet the needs of the entire family."
–Joseph and Lisabeth Marziello
CEOs, Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area
Helping those most in need
Oregon housing authorities deliver rental assistance to 33,600 low-income Oregon households. Of those who receive rental assistance,
In most cases, the people with disabilities and seniors we help cannot make it on their own. They may need our assistance for the rest of their lives. Housing authorities are often their only option to afford decent and safe homes.
We own and manage more than 5,500 units of public housing for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities. Of these, 72 percent are extremely low-income – for example, a senior citizen living on less than $10,700 a year.
Giving children stability for success
We give more than 36,000 children a place to call home. Stable homes are essential to children’s ability to succeed in school and in life.
Breaking the cycles of poverty
Housing authorities work directly with families who receive rental assistance or live in affordable homes to help them build assets and move toward self sufficiency. We provide one-on-one training to help individuals set goals and achieve their dreams of independence from public assistance. The family self sufficiency program has proven to be a promising vehicle for change, resulting in more than 2,000 individuals and families moving off public assistance, achieving home ownership or finding more stable employment.
Bringing federal dollars to Oregon
Every year, housing authorities distribute more than $176 million in rental assistance payments to 12,800 private landlords throughout Oregon. We accomplish this through a program that allows participants to rent from private market landlords creating a public-private partnership.
Building sustainably to meet the need
To date, we have built and acquired more than 10,400 units of affordable housing throughout the state and have more than 1,300 new units in the development pipeline.
Whenever possible, we upgrade our homes for energy efficiency. Housing authorities support common sense, sustainable approaches to construction and maintenance. By carefully considering the environmental impact and long-term financial cost of our decisions, our occupants benefit from reduced utility bills and improved livability. Likewise, Oregon housing authorities benefit from lower utility, maintenance and operational costs.
We work with public and private partners to finance and build affordable housing that fits communities and boosts local economies. We believe the dream of quality, sustainably-built affordable housing can be best achieved by partnership and the successful leveraging of local, state and federal funding resources.