Because of the generous support of our community, we are able to continue building stable homes in three Portland neighborhoods: Portsmouth, Kenton, and Cully.
On the corner of North Lombard and Olin Avenue, 12 homes are nearing completion. Lights, water, and power are currently being installed while our crew works with the City to make street frontage improvements. We will pave a new sidewalk with an ADA-accessible ramp. From there, it comes down to the finishing touches before these homes are move-in ready later this year. All of the homes will be sold to people who have generational ties to North and Northeast Portland, as part of our work with the N/NE Preference Policy—a tool that helps address the harmful impacts of racist housing policies, marginalization and displacement.
Just East on North Interstate Avenue and North Kilpatrick St, we are entering the finishing stages of Phase I, which will comprise 12 of the 30 homes in Kenton as part of our work with the City’s North/Northeast Preference Policy. With drywall done, we’re starting to install cabinets, countertops, floors, doors, trim and base.
The 18 homes in Phase II are in the foundation stage, where we have poured footings and stemwalls, and are installing underslab insulation to prepare for pouring the concrete slab.. This will prepare us for a major milestone: framing.
Ten more homes are underway in the Cully neighborhood, one of Portland’s most diverse communities. What will soon be a concrete foundation will become new duplexes and triplexes for new homeowners seeking to build a new life through affordable homeownership.
Despite having to navigate the ever-changing landscape of uncertainty during this pandemic, our construction crews continue to build resilient communities that will soon become home to over 200 people.
“We’ve had some hurdles and obstacles,” says Construction Site Superintendent John Keenan-Mudrick. “We’ve had to be innovative. Right now, we’re finding out our real capabilities in having to weather through these times. This is the test.”
We look forward to the day when we welcome back our dedicated volunteers and get back to more community involvement. For now, we put hammer to nail and continue building.
