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The neighborhood near the intersection of Killingsworth Street and Cully Boulevard in Northeast Portland is not as dangerous as it once was, according to Luz Maria Gast茅lum, who has lived in the area for 16 years.

Drug use, violence, crime and prostitution are not nearly as prevalent as they were just a few years ago, she said. But Gast茅lum, 46, who lives with two young sons, and other families in the largely Latino neighborhood are still concerned about the safety of their children. The lack of outdoor play areas nearby, where approximately 400 children live, creates a different sort of danger.

鈥淲e are worried because they play in the parking lot and in the streets, and the kids are focusing on the (soccer) ball and the game, so they’re not paying attention to the cars coming and going,鈥� Gast茅lum said via translation.

But the group that owns the three housing complexes near the busy intersection, nonprofit , is planning to build a small, semi-enclosed futsal court on the vacant lot near the site. Futsal is an indoor variation of soccer in which five-player teams compete with a smaller, heavier, low-bounce ball on a hard surface about the size of a basketball court.

鈥淚’m scared to death one of the kids playing in the neighborhood will kick a ball into the street and get hurt on Killingsworth,鈥� said Victor Merced, executive director of Hacienda CDC. 鈥淲e’re serious about building this.鈥�

More than 700 people live in the nonprofit’s low-income and affordable housing at the Villa de Clara Vista and Villa de Sue帽os apartment complexes and Clara Vista Townhomes.

Villa de Clara Vista, purchased and redeveloped in 1995, is the nonprofit’s oldest property. Plans for the futsal court emerged during early discussions about expanding the property’s existing community center, which hosts a county health clinic and provides space for community programs including 鈥淰amos Kids,鈥� an after-school activity for elementary students, and a gang prevention program called 鈥淓n Control.鈥�

鈥�(The court) would be a good solution and a better place for our kids to play,鈥� Gast茅lum said.

The plan is to construct a court measuring 50 feet by 80 feet. It will not have walls, but rather 8-foot-high screens.

designed the heavy timber-framed structure, which is planned to support an eco-roof to reduce stormwater runoff. So far, the firm has contributed its work pro bono, according to principal Sid Scott.

鈥淩ight now the balls end up in the parking lot and the street, but this will be a great space that is really designated to kick a ball around,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淎nd the structure itself will be visible and inviting to the community.鈥�

Hacienda CDC in December raised nearly $6,000 through the Willamette Week’s Give!Guide, which the alternative weekly publishes annually to encourage donations to Portland-area nonprofits.

The nonprofit also applied for a $60,000 grant through the U.S. Soccer Federation, and other sponsorships may be sought. The entire project is expected to cost a total of $150,000, according to Merced.

鈥淚t’s not an expensive project, and it’s not really complex,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it is a really important need in the community.鈥�

Hacienda CDC plans to submit a request for proposals for the construction project in the coming weeks, and Merced is hoping that ground will be broken in April.