April 12, 2012

One of the Portland Housing Bureau’s top priorities is helping Portlanders from communities of color buy a home or keep the home they already own.

For communities of color in Portland, the American Dream of homeownership can be difficult to attain. Recently, the Coalition for Communities of Color reported that 58 % of white mid-income Portlanders own a home, compared with only 47% in communities of color.

PHB funds several homeownership programs to address this disparity and is proud to partner with non-profit organizations in the community to serve the homebuying community. Our partners are able to provide culturally specific programs and services to meet the specific needs of our communities of color.

One of those partners is the Portland Housing Center (PHC.) PHC provides homebuyer education and counseling, savings and down payment programs, and affordable mortgages. This year, the Portland Housing Bureau provided $100,000 in federal grant dollars to support PHC’s mission.

At City Council yesterday, Dr. Lisa Bates, a board member from PHC, shared her concerns about the minority homeownership gap and expressed support for continued homeownership funding in the City’s budget for next year.  Her eloquent testimony explains why this work is so important. 

As Dr. Bates said, “the right time for the city’s investment in supporting new homebuyers and strengthening communities is now.”

Dr. Lisa Bates’ April 11 Council Testimony

Find out more about the Portland Housing Center

Learn more about the Portland Housing Bureau’s community partners