NWPP’s Advocacy Goals
Increase Housing Supply
- Publish an inventory every few years of all affordable housing in downtown Portland to draw attention to the loss of affordable units over time.
- Urge preservation of all existing affordable buildings.
- Urge development of new affordable buildings.
Increase Housing Affordability
- Urge 100% utilization of all existing Section 8 and public housing rental subsidies.
- Urge increasing the federal HUD budget to increase the amount of rental subsidies available.
- Urge building owners/property managers to keep rents as low as financially possible.
Increase Housing Accessibility
- Urge building owners/property managers to utilize flexible applicant admission criteria.
- Facilitate regular meetings of property managers and social service providers to create new partnerships and remove barriers to low income people obtaining apartments.
- Urge increase in financial assistance to low income applicants with application fees, security deposits, first month’s rent and other move-in costs.
NWPP helps low-income seniors in Multnomah County navigate the course to permanent housing they can afford. Your support helps us provide housing search assistance, case management, short-term assistance, and moving costs. Click here to donate.
NWPP Housing Forum
Our Invisible Neighbors: Understanding and Addressing Elder Homelessness
On Oct 8, 2024, NWPP and PSU Institute on Aging hosted a first-ever Housing Forum – Our Invisible Neighbors: Understanding and Addressing Elder Homelessness. It was a great success and a great opporuntiy for the community to learn more about the intersection of aging and housing stablity. A big thank you to our keynote speaker, Marisa Espinoza (Policy Analyst – UCSF Benioff Homeless and Housing Initiative), and our Panelists: Dr. Paula Carder (PSU’s Institute on Aging ), Dr. Marisa Zapata (Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative) , Dr. Walt Dawson, (Oregon’s Center of Excellence in Behavioral Health & Aging housed at OHSU/PSU), Yoni Kahn – Advocacy Director at NWPP, and Marisa Espinoza (UCSF).
What You Can Do To Help
Each of us can make a difference when we raise our voice. You can advocate for low-income seniors to have decent housing they can afford.
Get Informed
Learn about the current housing crisis by checking out the following resources:
- The Joint Office of Homeless Services
- A Home for Everyone
- The Portland Housing Bureau
- A new report by ECONorthwest on Homelessness in Oregon
Get Involved
- Attend local government meetings – city council, county commissions – to learn what elected leaders in your community are doing about housing and homelessness.
- Contact your elected officials and let them know what you think. To find your U.S. and State Legislators go to www.house.gov
- Contact us if you have questions.