What’s happening to affordable housing in our region, and what it means for us

You may have seen the news about Innovative Housing this week and we want to make sure you understand what it means.

The Portland metro region is short roughly 24,000 affordable homes. Fewer than 30 affordable homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renters here — one of the worst ratios in the country. The families in those buildings are working hard to stay stable. The organizations serving them are working hard too.

This isn't the story of one organization that hit a rough patch. It's a warning signal from a sector under serious structural pressure — rising insurance and security costs, residents arriving with unmet mental health and economic needs, and operating budgets that were never built to carry this level of need.

Transition Projects joined 34 other organizations across the region today to call on our leaders to respond. We know budgets are tight, but waiting for more providers to fail is not a fiscally responsible answer.