2014 National Convening Skills Presenations Portland Plan | Page 68

THE PORTLAND PLAN
Economic Prosperity and Affordability

Element 6

Access to Housing
Meet Portland’s need for quality, affordable homes for its growing
and socio-economically diverse population, and ensure equitable
access to housing.

Guiding Policies
Provide for a supply of quality
housing that meets expected
P-29 growth, is diverse in terms of unit
types and price, and is located to
take advantage of the long-term
affordability benefits of the Healthy
Connected City strategy’s network
of hubs and connections.
Maintain the health, safety and
viability of existing housing stock.

P-30
Produce and preserve housing to
meet the needs that remain unmet
P-31 by the private market.

Housing and transportation costs consume a significant portion of most
household budgets. If those costs continue to rise (a long-term West Coast
trend related to population growth), households will be left with less
disposable income for other necessities. Greater housing and transportation
costs and less average income mean the housing cost burden is being felt not
just by the homeless, low-income households and seniors on fixed-incomes,
but also by moderate and middle-income households. Neither the private
market nor public subsidy is sufficient alone to meet this demand. Raising
income levels is also essential to improving equitable access to housing.
Increasing affordability and equitable access at the neighborhood level will
require attention to meet the needs of low-income populations, communities
of color, aging populations, populations with disabilities and fast-growing
populations such as Hispanic residents. Neighborhood affordability also
depends on access to essential services and lower-cost transportation options
(walking, biking and transit). In east Portland, for example, where racial and
ethnic diversity and poverty are increasing, frequent transit and some other
essential services are not as uniformly available as in close-in neighborhoods.

Provide for long-term housing
affordability by considering the
P-32 combined cost to residents of
housing, utilities and transportation
when making housing investment
decisions.
Remove discriminatory barriers to
Portlanders trying to secure housing.

P-33
Keep families in their homes by
preventing avoidable, involuntary
P-34 evictions and foreclosures.
Move people quickly from
homelessness, into housing in a
P-35 way that lasts, and maintain the
safety nets that keep households
from falling into homelessness and
address emergency needs.
Increase the ability of low-income
households to access home
P-36 ownership opportunities.

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April 2012 | www.pdxplan.com