In a part of Portland deeply shaped by a history of displacement, a significant investment in affordable homeownership is taking place. On September 23, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region joined Metro, the City of Portland, and other community leaders and project partners to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter: the development of True North, one of Habitat’s largest affordable homeownership communities in North Portland’s University Park neighborhood.
The 50-home development will give priority to homebuyers with low to moderate incomes who qualify through the City of Portland’s N/NE Preference Policy, which prioritizes people with historic ties to the area who have been displaced or are at risk of displacement. The site celebration honored the many partners that were involved in making True North a reality, and centered the struggle, connection, and resiliency of Black Portlanders who called on the City to invest in a housing strategy that affirmatively addressed the displacement of thousands of residents. Several community leaders who spoke at the True North celebration had generational ties and family history deeply rooted in North and Northeast Portland.
“What we’re really talking about is the loss of place, loss of community, loss of ownership, loss of wealth, loss of opportunity. And it wasn’t accidental,” shares Dr. Steven Holt, Chair of the N/NE Oversight Committee. He explains, “This is a passion project. My parents were in Vanport. They experienced all of this displacement: the building of I-5, the building of the Emmanuel …what we’re doing today is significant, and I trust we’ll find other ways to continue.”
Dana Shepherd Fuller, Executive Director of Arrive, described her family’s journey from the hardship of the Vanport flood to homeownership in North Portland and a thriving dry-cleaning business. Affordability challenges, however, pushed her family East – for twenty years they lived East of 110th but returned almost daily to connect with places of deep personal significance – the church, the community center, the apartment complex where her sister lived. “There are still people that want to stay, remain connected to this community and want to return to this community. They want to return home.”
The nationally recognized N/NE Preference Policy offers opportunities for people with generational ties to return to the communities they once called home, to plant roots, and build stability for their families.
“For years, current and former residents of North and Northeast Portland have stressed to us the paramount importance of affordable homeownership opportunities in the neighborhoods their families have been pushed out of,” says Portland Housing Bureau Equity & Business Operations Manager Leslie Goodlow, who manages the North/Northeast Neighborhood Housing Strategy. “As a brand-new community of permanently affordable homes for purchase by N/NE Preference Policy households, True North represents a meaningful investment in the vision that these families deserve a permanent place in these neighborhoods, where they can grow and thrive for generations without fear of displacement.”
That vision of creating a lasting sense of place is something everyone deserves. Homeownership is about more than having a place to call home. It’s about the surrounding community and access to opportunities that can build a stronger future for generations to come. At a moment when many Portlanders cannot afford market-rate homes, creating opportunities to plant roots in affordable homes is crucial to building a thriving community.
“This moment is not going to be just about all of the strife and all of the things that are challenging, but what this community chose to do in spite of it,” shares Andrea Bell, Executive Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services. “And in many ways, housing is so connected to freedom. That freedom doesn’t belong to one group or another.”
Funding for True North includes support from the voter-approved Metro Affordable Housing Bond allocated by the Portland Housing Bureau, Interstate Corridor Tax Increment Financing, LIFT for Homeownership, and Congressional Community Project Funding. The property moved from the Portland Water Bureau to the Portland Housing Bureau to Habitat for Humanity and will now become affordable homes.
“Today is a step toward housing justice in North Portland,” Metro Council President Juan Carlos González says. “Solving our region’s housing crisis requires a variety of investments. Thanks to voters who passed the Metro Affordable Housing Bond, we’ve been able to build a wide range of affordable homes, from housing for residents with the very lowest of incomes to affordable homeownership opportunities like True North, where families can achieve the dream of owning a home.”
Habitat for Humanity Portland Region will lead construction with support from donors, volunteers and community partners. True North is expected to receive Platinum certification from Earth Advantage, a regional green building certifier that goes beyond energy performance to prioritize residents’ health, responsible land use, and efficient material and water use.
The development is being built in partnership with Proud Ground Community Land Trust, which will help ensure the homes remain affordable for future generations of homebuyers. Prospective True North homebuyers will also work with Arrive (formerly Portland Housing Center), a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, to receive individualized financial counseling and support as they prepare for mortgage readiness and homeownership.
For Habitat for Humanity, the project is part of its longstanding commitment to creating affordable pathways to homeownership throughout the Portland region.
“Habitat was really honored when the City of Portland selected us to be a partner on this project,” shared Steve Messinetti, President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Portland Region. “True North really embodies what Habitat for Humanity was founded on 50 years ago: providing homeownership opportunities to those who have been left out and systemically excluded.”
True North site development is now underway. Phase one of vertical construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2027, with the first homes completed in 2028. For the families who will eventually call True North home, the neighborhood will offer access to green spaces, including Willamette Cove, where Metro is currently working to design and build a nature park. They will also be a part of a connected community with nearby trails, schools, and opportunities to gather, grow, and build lasting connections with their neighbors. The work that we as a collective community are doing today will build a legacy for generations of Portlanders who will grow and thrive in these homes.
