The Portland Housing Bureau, Multnomah County‘s Mental Health and Addiction Services Division and Oregon Housing and Community Services are financially supporting a pair of projects that combine new housing with mental health services in an effort to fight chronic homelessness.

Together, the three agencies plan to invest more than $12 million to provide 98 new housing units and space for social services.

“The benefits of permanent supportive housing are well documented, and this is a proven strategy we will implement statewide,” Oregon Housing and Community Services Director Margaret Salazar stated in a press release.

The Division Street Apartments project is being developed by Central City Concern and Related Northwest, and designed by Ankrom Moisan Architects. The development will be built on a 1.08-acre parcel, currently vacant, at 11332 S.E. Division St., in the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood. Plans call for 40 Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) units averaging 204 square feet, including a bathroom, as well as 20 studio apartments. Rent will be $500 per month for all 60 units, 40 of which are intended for homeless individuals with identified mental health issues.

The Findley Commons project is being developed by Do Good Multnomah and HomeFirst Development to serve veterans. It will be built on part of an existing parking lot at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, at 5415 S.E. Powell Blvd. Plans call for 18 SRO units and 20 one-bedroom apartments. The SRO units will rent for $350 per month. Also, 20 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers will be leveraged to support the one-bedroom units, which are intended for veterans earning no more than 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).

The Portland Housing Bureau last summer issued a Notice of Funding Availability and called for cost-effective proposals to create new supportive housing for homeless individuals experiencing mental illness. These two projects, according to the bureau, are the first in which capital funding to build affordable housing has been bundled with funding to provide services for vulnerable residents.

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