Ex-army center to house Portland's homeless

Portland City Council today will adopt a resolution to turn a former army reserve center located at 2730 S.W. Multnomah Blvd. in Portland, into a mixed-income development with supportive housing for homeless adults and families.

The city worked with Community Partners for Affordable Housing to develop the Sgt. Jerome Sears United States Army Reserve Center Reuse Master Plan. The site will include rental and ownership housing as well as permanent supportive housing for homeless single adults and families with special needs. The rental housing will be for families earning up to 60 percent of the median family income and for-sale housing for families earning 80 percent of the MFI. Green spaces and a community building will be incorporated into the development.

The city council plans to work in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the project and recommends that CPAH act as developer of the project.

Currently, 27 percent of Portland residents can't afford to rent a market-rate, two-bedroom apartment and a minimum-wage worker would have to work 76 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

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