Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives Inc. · Homeownership - Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives Inc.
PCRI invites the community to join us, Albina Construction, Brett Schulz Architect and other partners on February 27 to break ground on the first homes for purchase by first-time homebuyers as part of our Pathway 1000 Initiative.
Four new townhomes will be built in a prime location of North Portland, the first of many homeownership developments in PCRI's Pathway 1000 Initiative. These new homes, for sale to low- and moderate-income first-time buyers will be prioritized for families displaced from North and Northeast Portland and families at risk of displacement.
For more information about the groundbreaking event or to RSVP for the event, email us HERE.
"PCRI was formed as, and continues to be, a solution to involuntary displacement. This project will help ensure everyone can experience the stability, safety and dignity that a home provides," said Maxine Fitzpatrick, Executive Director.
Four new 2- and 3-bedroom townhomes, certified to meet Earth Advantage green building standards, will be developed on the site. The homes will be two and three stories (for 2- and 3-bedroom sizes, respectively) and have been designed to fit with existing neighborhood scale. Front, rear and side yards and walkways help ensure reasonable separation from neighboring homes and maintain the scale and feel of the neighborhood. A condo association for the completed homes will maintain the building's exterior and landscaping.
Construction will begin in February 2018, and is anticipated to be complete in late summer or early fall 2018. Other developments planned to begin construction in summer 2018 will provide additional opportunities for families to build intergenerational assets through homeownership.
"To be owning a home, to be investing in our own personal asset and someday pass it on to our daughter, it's a great feeling," said Genté Shaw, a PCRI client and first-generation homeowner.
Down payment assistance for the future homeowners will be provided by the City of Portland Housing Bureau as part of its N/NE Neighborhood Housing Strategy.
The development team is being led by PCRI. In conjunction with the National Association of Minority Contractors – Oregon and Minority Contractor Improvement Partnership (MCIP), PCRI selected Albina Construction to build the new homes due to their deep roots in N/NE Portland and their commitment to opportunity for local and minority subcontractors and workforce. Albina Construction owners Dennis Harris and Caitlin MacKenzie are pictured above. Additional project partners include Brett Schulz Architect, Beneficial State Bank, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, and Meyer Memorial Trust.
PCRI will host a informational event on March 3, 2018 for its Pathway 1000 Initiative. At the event, families and individuals can learn about homeownership and other opportunities available as part of the initiative, as well as more information about the initiative and its goal of ending involuntary displacement.
The event will be held at Portland Community College's Workforce Training Center at 5600 NE 42nd Avenue (at Killingsworth) on March 3, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided; RSVPs are requested, but not required. Questions can be sent to PCRI via email.
Pathway 1000 is a displacement mitigation initiative created by PCRI and informed through community outreach and feedback. In addition to mitigating displacement, the initiative aims to reclaim the historic heart and soul of Portland's African American community, building prosperity for African Americans and others displaced from North and Northeast Portland through the development of 1,000 new affordable homes during the next decade. This development will create hundreds of living-wage jobs, business growth and additional development opportunity throughout the duration of the 10-year initiative.
In addition to individuals and families interested in learning about homeownership opportunity, industry professionals are encouraged to attend to learn more about how their organization or business can participate in the initiative. Attorneys, architects, finance professionals, contractors and others are invited to join in the Pathway 1000 initiative.
On January 4, 2018, The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors (PMAR) presented an Oregon Home Foundation grant for PCRI's homeownership education program. The grant will help support increased attendance in PCRI program as well as continued development of post-purchase support programs. Homeownership Program Specialist Linda Tellis-Kennedy (pictured below, third from left) attended the grant presentation on PCRI's behalf.
PCRI, whose vision is to help low-income families achieve stability and build wealth, shares the Oregon Association of Realtors HOME Foundation's belief in the incredible value of homeownership to break generational cycles of poverty. PCRI also understands that education and support prior to purchase are key to the long-term success of first-time buyers, especially for PCRI's target population of African Americans who have been historically and disproportionately excluded from homeownership.
d with the Pathway 1000 initiative, attendance is expected to continue to increase. The Oregon Home Foundation grant will help PCRI meet increased service needs as well as develop new programs.
The Homeownership Opportunities Website Northwest (HOW NW) sponsored by PMAR provides additional resources for buyers without charge or obligation. In addition to PCRI's education services, buyers are encouraged to visit the HOW NW website to learn more about buying, owning and retaining a home.
Thanks to a grant from the Wells Fargo Housing Foundation announced May 15, Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives will have additional resources to meet the needs of a rapidly-growing homeownership education program. The grant will help support increased attendance in PCRI's program as well as new program orientation sessions and post-purchase support.
PCRI has experienced a sharp increase in participation in its homeownership program in the last year and anticipates further increases in participation due to a recent Portland Housing Bureau initiative prioritizing first-time home buyer assistance for families with roots in North and Northeast Portland. Many prospective homeowners introduced to PCRI's program through the PHB initiative have already begun working toward homeownership with PCRI's support.
PCRI offers comprehensive and culturally specific resident services, including the homeownership education program, to residents and the larger community. PCRI also partners with industry professionals to deliver workshops and individual support focused on every aspect of home buying and ownership. After purchasing a home, PCRI remains connected to buyers, providing post-purchase support. In addition, PCRI provides homeownership retention and referral programs to help senior homeowners age in place and retain homes they currently own.
The homebuyer education program is a component of a larger PCRI initiative aimed to mitigate displacement and bridge minority homeownership gaps: Pathway 1000. The initiative aims to develop 1,000 new homes during the next 10 years, prioritized for residents involuntarily displaced or at risk of displacement from North and inner Northeast Portland. In addition to current rental projects under development, PCRI is developing more than 20 homes for purchase by first time buyers in the next two years. Wells Fargo Housing Foundation previously committed $100,000 in support for the homeownership initiative through its Priority Markets Program (grant presentation pictured above). In addition, down payment assistance totaling over $1.7 million is committed for these buyers by the City of Portland Housing Bureau.
Since 2004, PCRI has successfully provided culturally-specific homeownership education, counseling services, and financial assistance to low- and moderate-income residents living in PCRI housing and in the larger community. Interest in PCRI's homeownership program has nearly doubled in the last year and, with increased development of homes for purchase associated with the Pathway 1000 initiative, attendance is expected to continue to increase. The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation grant will help PCRI meet increased service needs as well as develop new programs.