What Is Homelessness? (Portland, Green, Burns: low income, section 8, real estate)

[Minervah]

The Portland "SE Examiner" has an interesting article about homelessness in Portland and some stats on rental vacancies in Portland as well. Since this seems to be a hot topic of recent threads, I thought I would post the link and share it with everyone.

SE Examiner

[freemkt]

Earlier this year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said that Portland rents were up 8 percent over the past year. One real estate broker specializing in marketing rental properties to investors (i.e. he's biased) was claiming apartment rents were up 10 percent over the previous year.

[turquoise1]

I can believe it. Also, there don't seem to be traditional tenant protections.

Just for the heck of it, I was reading reviews of one of the only affordable housing-type buildings in the Pearl, and they were awful - it's like the managers didn't even care.

[freemkt]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I can believe it. Also, there don't seem to be traditional tenant protections.

Just for the heck of it, I was reading reviews of one of the only affordable housing-type buildings in the Pearl, and they were awful - it's like the managers didn't even care.

In case anyone is wondering why Portland doesn't have rent control, the legislature banned it some years ago.

Cities have only the powers states allow them to have ("home rule") and it's common for landlords (with big money to spend at election time) to run to the legislature whenever there is serious local talk of rent control. For example, in 1988, Detroit voters qualified a rent control proposal for the November ballot, and the legislature quickly banned rent control.

Two years later, incumbent Democrat governor Jim Blanchard (who signed the bill) lost his office by a narrow margin (about 17,000 votes according to the first source I just found) with a lot of Detroit voters refusing to vote for him again.

And the managers don't care, what are the tenants gonna do, move out? That's probably exactly what the managers would like, the waiting lists are a mile long and it's not as if the managers are going to lose their jobs or income or anything. They have a captive market and their paychecks are secure.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I can believe it. Also, there don't seem to be traditional tenant protections.

Just for the heck of it, I was reading reviews of one of the only affordable housing-type buildings in the Pearl, and they were awful - it's like the managers didn't even care.

The Pearl started out with several affordable buildings. I am familiar with one because I used to know someone who lived there and it was very nice. Then she moved to a second building which was equally nice. She told me they all were when they were first built. I even applied to live in her building at one time. She since moved to be with her family in New Mexico quite some time ago. I am sorry to hear those buildings have deteriorated.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by freemkt

Earlier this year, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said that Portland rents were up 8 percent over the past year. One real estate broker specializing in marketing rental properties to investors (i.e. he's biased) was claiming apartment rents were up 10 percent over the previous year.

Town meetings have been held all over the city where these real estate investors are building "affordable housing" in neighborhoods where there is no room, some with little or no public transportation, no parking and no grocery store walking distance from the building. Old buildings are being torn down to make way for these. One I read will have 81 units.

A friend of mine attended a meeting for one going up around I think 57 and Fremont. Neighbors and buisness people tried to explain how this was going to hurt the neighborhood and not be good for the residents of the building being stacked in like sardines with little access to necessities. The realtor was there as was the city councilman who didn't say much. The neighborhood reps all consisted of concerned neighbors and business people who had businesses along Fremont. The realtor just laughed at them like they were nothing but dumb hicks knowing city hall was on his side.

I have heard of similar happenings in the neighborhood around 37 and Division where another one of these human warehouses is being built. There are two more. One on 20th and Morrison and another on Burnside not sure of the cross street. At least these areas have some bus service but not all have grocery stores nearby and if you are talking affordable housing (they are not allowed for some reason to call it "low income" chances are only some will have cars. In any case if the neighborhood cannot absorb that amount of people living there you will have overcrowding which leads to crime and other unpleasant things as you find in larger cities.

No one listens to the people who live in the neighborhoods. No one cares. To me it is reminiscent of the 80's when the "carpetbaggers" came in and hiked up rents in the neighborhoods being gentrified chasing people out. Politics as usual in Portland.

[hamellr]

Two of these eyesores are currently being built on Interstate too.

I wouldn't mind so much, but they are just ugly buildings in general!

[turquoise1]

Please inform me... Do you mean that Portland is getting classic New York Style "projects?" Section 8 or mixed-income is a better idea.

[Minervah]

In other cities they call them "projects" as Turquoise 1 points out. In Chicago they would probably refer to them as mini Cabrini Greens. Anyplace you stack in people like sardines with no outlets for open spaces especially when kids are involved you are just asking for trouble.

At the meeting attended by my friend in the Fremont area, the realtor was allowed only to call them "affordable housing." Not low income or anything else. So whether or not they will be section 8 or mixed-income is anyone's guess. The article I read in the SE Examiner didn't say either. It too called these monstrosities "affordable housing."

It all makes sense to me now though. Apparently the "affordable housing" is no longer wanted in the Pearl. It got its money to build as was originally required by the Feds in order to create what it is today by agreeing to have it there but the time period for keeping it there is up so now it's being thrown to the neighborhoods. At least in the Pearl, in the beginning there was room for these buildings. I just feel sorry for the people who will have to live in the new ones.

[turquoise1]

I'm kind of surprised. Projects are a profoundly regressive "solution." In Chicago, they are tearing them down, aren't they?