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On any given day there are more than 8,000 kids in Oregon’s foster care system. Last year, Renee Scott knitted sweaters for 25 of them.

鈥淭here’s always somebody here that’s willing to help, and that’s what (is) really nice,鈥� said Scott, a 75-year-old resident of Bridge Meadows 鈥� a North Portland affordable housing development in which elderly residents are paired with families adopting children from foster care. 鈥淚 think there’s a lot of talent here, whether cooking, baking, babysitting 鈥� cutting up pieces of paper.鈥�

Scott sat at a table painting watercolors with friend and fellow resident Louise Fuller. Ordinarily they have several kids around them, but on this day Fuller was babysitting just one toddler. Scott and Fuller regularly hem pants, cook casseroles and host painting and sewing classes.

鈥淲e’re grandmas 鈥� extended grandma family,鈥� Fuller chuckled.

The $11.4 million Bridge Meadows development opened in the Portsmouth neighborhood more than two years ago. It has helped facilitate the adoption of more than 20 children, and its unique composition (27 affordable senior housing units coupled with nine family homes) is contributing to better health for seniors as well as crucial support for families.

Project leaders say the development, which required complex financing, has already saved the state an estimated $1 million. The state would have had to pay that much during the childhoods of the adopted children if they had stayed in the foster care system. Plans are in the works to replicate the model in other parts of the city.

鈥淲e see the project as an enormous success,鈥� said Thomas Brenneke, president of Portland-based Guardian Real Estate Services LLC, which worked with the Bridge Meadows nonprofit to develop the complex. 鈥淲e’re talking about number two, and we hope there’s going to be a number three 鈥� and why not?鈥�

Guardian is partnering with the Native American Youth and Family Center to develop an intergenerational adoptive community at the site of the former Foster Elementary School in the Lents neighborhood. The 40-unit NAYA Generations complex will be similar to Bridge Meadows, but with a focus on Native American culture.

The development will include an early preschool through kindergarten learning center, via a partnership with Portland Public Schools. Ross Cornelius, vice president of development for Guardian, said his team has found that affordable housing by itself is not enough to enact change. Guardian’s philosophy is to build housing that contributes to desired social outcomes.

鈥淚t does require a novel way of going about it,鈥� Cornelius said. 鈥淲e try to look for projects that have multiple benefits to them 鈥� not just straight-up family housing, but one that crosses other lines.鈥�

In the case of Bridge Meadows, the desired outcome is adoption 鈥� each family is required to adopt two to three children. With that obligation, however, comes support in the way of social services, recreational activities and a built-in community willing to lend a hand when the going gets tough.

Derenda Schubert, executive director of the Bridge Meadows operational nonprofit, said the concept comes from an Illinois neighborhood called Hope Meadows.

鈥淭he idea is if you created a nurturing community, the healing would happen more quickly and be more sustained,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat’s exactly what we’re seeing.鈥�

For instance, while most foster children move an average of three times while in the system, those who have come to Bridge Meadows haven’t relocated once. Also, for every child that is adopted, the state saves an average of $700 per month.

Meanwhile, Schubert is hearing anecdotally from doctors that her elderly residents are outliving their cohorts, which she attributes to a higher level of community involvement 鈥� all elders are required to volunteer 100 hours each quarter.

Bridge Meadows’ design helps facilitates that interaction. Housing units wrap around a central courtyard with gardens, patches of grass and walking paths. Mailboxes are located to encourage chance meetings, and community picnics are frequent. Carleton Hart Architecture was the project’s designer and Walsh Construction was the general contractor. Carleton Hart also is working on NAYA Generations, and LMC Construction will be the GC.

Guardian helped finance construction of Bridge Meadows’ 27 affordable housing units via a plethora of obscure state and federal sources 鈥� approximately $5.32 million came from the sale of low-income housing tax credits. The Bridge Meadows nonprofit added money from private donations and grants, including approximately $1.75 million in tax increment financing from the Portland Development Commission.

Rental income helps pay for the property, but the nonprofit is engaged in ongoing fundraising to pay for its services. Partnerships are critical.

鈥淚n order to make the resources go farther you have to do a lot of (partnering),鈥� Cornelius said. 鈥淭hat’s something we’ve been able to distinguish ourselves on. We don’t go out there and try to do these (developments) on our own 鈥� It’s a great marriage because we bring the ability to bring capital and do the real estate, and they do the services 鈥� and when you put those together, it’s a real powerful combination.鈥�

For NAYA Generations, Cornelius said he will seek low-income housing tax credits in the spring, as well as numerous sources of public and private dollars. The project team failed to land tax credits via its first application; however, if it were to secure funding next year, construction could start nine to 12 months later. The city of Portland has already committed $500,000 to help NAYA secure the property.

Brenneke said pulling so many sources together can be a bear that not many developers are willing to wrestle. His team does it for the social impact, but it doesn’t hurt that it’s profitable.

鈥淲e make money on it too,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’m not ashamed to say that.鈥�

Scott, meanwhile, is enjoying the result. She grew up two blocks away from Bridge Meadows and was one of the first people to sign up when she saw construction start.

鈥淭his is a good place for us old people because it does keep you active and keep you involved with young people,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t keeps people like me young.鈥�