Catholic Charities opens affordable housing with services in Southeast Portland
In one of Portland’s most direct actions to help people leave homelessness to date, Catholic Charities of Oregon with its public and private partners opened a 61-unit apartment building in the Buckman neighborhood on Sept. 26.
Francis + Clare Place is for those who have experienced long-term homelessness and who have physical and behavioral health challenges.
Funded in part by voters through a city housing bond and Metro supportive housing dollars, the project stands on the grounds of St. Francis Catholic Parish, where church members have long cared for and befriended people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
A crowd listens during the grand opening of Francis+Clare Place Sept. 26. People experiencing homelessness were invited to eat after the ceremony.
“This is the next step in that care,” said Ed Langlois, spokesman for Catholic Charities.
Father George Kuforiji, pastor of St. Francis Parish, compared the work that will happen at the building to the ministry of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, the saint who provided homes and tender care for those experiencing extreme poverty and sickness. The priest called the building a symbol of God’s great love for the poor.
Fr. George Kuforiji and Kaleen Deatherage snip the ribbon to open Francis+Clare Place Sept. 26.
“This is a special building where many people who need a helping hand will receive the services they need to get back on their feet,” Father Kuforiji said, adding that the mission is to help those other people tend to avoid.
With the new building, Catholic Charities aims to go beyond giving people a room. Instead, Francis + Clare will have many associated services designed to keep people housed.
That includes ongoing housing stabilization and peer support services provided by Catholic Charities, Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA NW), and Cascadia Health. The three partner agencies will link residents to off-site health care, mental health and addiction services as needed.
A welcome sign is posted on a door at Francis+Clare Place.
In addition, Catholic Charites will provide resident services like game nights, cooking classes and an on-site food pantry. Catholic Charities also will oversee a contract with an overnight security company.
“In the midst of a multi-faceted crisis on our streets, spanning homelessness, mental illness, and addiction, permanent supportive housing with wraparound supportive services is a proven, necessary tool,” said Portland City Commissioner Carmen Rubio, who spoke at the opening ceremony in a plaza outside the building. “The thoughtful design at Francis + Clare Place, including culturally specific service delivery, is exactly what Portland needs at this critical time.”
Rubio thanked voters for passing the Portland Housing Bond in 2016. The plan was to commit $258.4 million to build 1,300 permanently affordable homes for Portlanders in need. Francis + Clare, which received $9.4 million from the Portland bond, has helped the city surpass its goal. To date, 1,551 units have been opened, with another 308 in progress.
The Metro Supportive Housing Services measure, passed by voters in 2020, provides $17,500 per room per year, or almost $1.1 million annually. That will pay for the case management and social services.
“It’s because of the measure that Catholic Charities, NARA NW and Cascadia Health will be able to provide wraparound services to all 61 households here,” said Joint Office of Homeless Services director Dan Field. “Permanent supportive housing is one of our most effective tools for ending homelessness, and it’s investments like these that drive our work of ending homelessness for thousands of people each year.”
Dan Field, director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services, speaks with Kaleen Deatherage, interim executive director of Catholic Charities of Oregon.
In addition, a state of Oregon grant provides $610,000 per year.
The project also has received a $250,000 Metro Transit Oriented Development grant, which aims to help people live in areas served by frequent public transportation.
“When people are struggling with behavioral health challenges and chronic homelessness, housing alone often isn’t enough – they need services,” Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang said. “At Francis + Clare Place, behavioral health programs will give residents the opportunity to cross a new bridge to their future; one that’s stabilized by hope, safety and community.”
The building features furnished apartments with space to hang bicycles. Catholic Charities, with more funding from the Joint Office of Homeless Services, outfitted each room with tableware, sheets, towels and cleaning supplies all by way of making it a home.
Francis + Clare includes a community space that doubles as a classroom, a pedestrian street with green space and a large plaza, environmentally efficient heat pump heating and cooling in every room.
“As you look around, you see more than bricks and mortar; you see a vibrant community taking shape,” said Kaleen Deatherage, interim executive director of Catholic Charities of Oregon. “Here, residents will experience the profound benefits of communal life, offering and receiving support in a nurturing environment.”
Deatherage acknowledged that the path ahead will not always be easy for the new residents but ended on a note of hope.
Kaleen Deatherage, interim executive director of Catholic Charities of Oregon, delivers comments during the grand opening of Francis+Clare Place.
“Many of our new neighbors will face the challenge of overcoming significant trauma,” Deatherage said. “We must approach this journey with patience, recognizing and celebrating the incremental progress that, though gradual, will undoubtedly unfold.”
There was a large spread of food at the grand opening, shared both by invited guests and the local homeless community.
Funders of Francis + Clare include Enterprise Community Partners, Heritage Bank, Portland Housing Bureau, Joint Office of Homeless Services, Oregon Housing & Community Services, Portland Clean Energy Fund and the Metro Transit Oriented Development Program.