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Volunteering benefits hearts and homes

In March, The National Institutes of Health awarded Texas State University a 4-year, million-dollar grant to study the cardiovascular benefits of volunteering. It’s the latest attempt to quantify the impact volunteering has on the heart and wellbeing.  Unscientifically, however, anyone who has volunteered to make their community a better place knows exactly the effect it […]

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A Decade Later: Portland’s N/NE Preference Policy sees progress, challenges ahead 

North and Northeast Portland — the heart of Portland’s Black community for over 60 years — lost two-thirds of its Black residents due to urban renewal and gentrification. Galvanized by a proposed below-market sale of a city-owned lot to a national retail chain, community leaders pushed to prioritize affordable housing to allow Black households to […]

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Oregon’s new racial, implicit bias education intended to curb disparities in home valuations

Creative Commons Home appraisers seeking certification in Oregon will now receive training on implicit and racial bias, a move state lawmakers and housing advocates hope will help curb racial disparities in home appraisals.   The new requirement, passed by the Oregon Legislature this session, is intended to address the tide of research showing considerable gaps between […]

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Staring Down the Homeownership Gap

Just steps beyond Jackie Jones’ front window are the homes she always longed for. A place of her own, that she could take care of properly, in the Northeast Portland neighborhood she was raised in. She can see them from her rental home’s window, but they might as well be a hundred miles away.  It’s […]

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Cully’s Revolutionary Urban Renewal Plan Cleared For Action 

For more than a decade, the city has recognized the fragile diversity and affordability of Portland’s Cully Neighborhood. With a unanimous vote on Wednesday, city officials took a major step forward in preserving that diversity with a plan one commissioner called a “legacy project.”  The Portland City Council’s decision this week created a new Cully […]

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Preservation, Not Displacement, The Focus of a New Kind of Urban Renewal 

Portland City Council is poised to make a groundbreaking decision that could help one neighborhood fortify itself against the forces of gentrification.   On Wednesday, Nov. 9, the City Council will hear a proposal to create a Tax Increment Finance, or TIF District in the Cully Neighborhood, one of the city’s most culturally and ethnically diverse […]

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Advocacy Update: The Future (Need) of Housing in Portland 

Written by Preston Korst, Director of Government Relations.  As the number of new homes on the market decreases and the cost to build or purchase a home increases, the outlook for first-time homeownership in Portland appears murky at best. Add to the looking glass a mixture of rising interest rates, constricting supply chains, and a […]

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Advocacy Update: Big Wins for Affordable Housing this Legislative Session

Written by Preston Korst, Advocacy & Government Relations Manager Habitat for Humanity Portland Region has had a busy couple months as federal stimulus dollars hit local municipal bank accounts and the 2021 legislative session in Salem drew to a close. With a busy session behind Oregon lawmakers, Habitat now looks to advocate for strong implementation of newly drafted legislation. We’re also working with cities and counties across the region to […]

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