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Catholic Charities of Oregon formally became a NAMC-OR partner earlier this year, but its housing development team has been familiar with the organization for years via past work.

Caritas Housing, the Catholic Charities鈥� housing arm, plans to construct 1,000 units of affordable housing across the Portland metro area over the next five years. It recognizes the opportunities this creates, not just for the future residents but also the jobs and training opportunities that can be supported by these developments.

鈥淪upporting minority- and women-owned businesses as well as training opportunities that support diversity in the field are both central to all of our developments,鈥� said Julia Metz, community development and housing manager. 鈥淲e know NAMC-OR shares these values and is able to be creative in how they support us on each project, which is key when every project has its own unique challenges and requirements.鈥�

When Catholic Charities is exploring opportunities for upcoming developments, it is always looking for project partners that share its values and appreciate the mission behind its projects. This includes connecting potential and selected partners with NAMC-OR. If they are not already members Catholic Charities encourages them to learn more, and if they are already members the organization works with them to engage other NAMC-OR members in the project.

鈥淲e also look forward to sharing upcoming projects with NAMC-OR and its members so that folks know what鈥檚 coming down our pipeline and engage with projects where appropriate, as we did recently with the Cathedral Village Apartments project with LMC Construction as general contractor. We鈥檝e also shared the work NAMC-OR does with industry partners and fellow affordable housing developers,鈥� Metz said.

She noted that Catholic Charities appreciates the opportunity to give its projects and organization some 鈥渇ace time鈥� with many NAMC-OR members at once, as many may not otherwise hear about its work for one reason or another. Feedback from NAMC-OR has also substantially impacted how it does procurement for its projects, both for professional services as well as for general contractors.

This has included changes to increase transparency, reduce barriers, streamline processes and reduce duplicate efforts, all with the goal of a more inclusive proposal and selection process while also increasing awareness around opportunities for diversity and inclusion in firms that are not minority- or woman-owned.

鈥淭hese are lessons that we are able to carry beyond just one project and continue to improve with each iteration, all thanks in large part to support and feedback from NAMC-OR,鈥� Metz said.

NAMC-OR members who have previously worked with Catholic Charities as an organization or as individuals within the organization often become partners it retains for future projects and recommends for other projects and to other developers and owners of housing, ideally creating a pipeline of opportunity for NAMC members.

鈥淭he trust we hold with NAMC extends to sincere, constructive feedback to members even when they aren鈥檛 the right fit for a project, ensuring there鈥檚 an honest feedback loop to members so they can target productive opportunities for growth and can put their best foot 鈥� or proposal 鈥� forward on future projects,鈥� Metz said.