Portland City Council Unanimously Adopts Groundbreaking Social Housing Resolution

News Article

Council and community members are energized by this key milestone to bring social housing to Portland

Portland, OR - Today Portland City Council unanimously adopted a landmark resolution to explore social housing models as a solution to the city's ongoing housing affordability crisis and supply problem.

This resolution directs the City Administrator to study social housing models and deliver a comprehensive report by May 31, 2026, with Portland Housing Bureau providing frequent updates about their progress. The completed study and recommendations presented to Council next year would pave the way for the implementation of social housing in Portland.

Councilors Mitch Green (District 4) and Candace Avalos (District 1) were the chief sponsors with co-sponsors Tiffany Koyama Lane (District 3) and Sameer Kanal (District 2).

Councilor Green issued a statement: "This resolution finally puts Portland on a path to address the root causes of housing unaffordability and homelessness. Portland is in a housing crisis that demands bold solutions and systems change. We have been responding as a reaction to the scarcity of affordable housing in this city for a long time. The intention of this resolution is to empower the Portland Housing Bureau to unlock its expertise and have the explicit direction to go out and study new ways of doing housing production, in particular social housing."

Social housing, a model in which housing is owned and managed by the public or non-profit entities with a focus on affordability and community benefit, has gained traction as a proven solution to housing crises in cities worldwide. The resolution highlights the urgent need for such models in Portland, where skyrocketing rents and home prices have displaced long-time residents and exacerbated homelessness. Despite previous efforts to address affordability through market-based solutions, such as incentives for private developers, the city continues to face a severe shortage of affordable housing.

Councilor Avalos started the discussion today with this message: "As the Chair of the Homelessness and Housing Committee I'm more aware than most of the dire situation that our city is in when it comes to providing housing to meet everyone's needs. We have spent the majority of our time since the housing crisis was declared over 10 years ago responding haphazardly without a unified vision for how we solve homelessness. I'm excited to see the results of this study because I believe that social housing can be an important piece of the housing solutions that we are seeking."

Councilors Candace Avalos and Mitch Green after Council adopted their social housing resolution on April 2, 2025.

While the councilors acknowledged that this effort is only the first step toward implementing social housing in Portland, the process will ensure that any future policies are effective, equitable, and tailored to the city's unique needs. By studying social housing models in places like Seattle, Vienna, and Montgomery County, Maryland, Portland aims to learn from best practices and adapt them to local contexts.

Helmi Hisserich, director of the Portland Housing Bureau, will be tasked with heading up the study. Having spent almost two years in Vienna studying the social housing model in place there, it's a subject she is deeply familiar with. "To put it simply, it is housing that is non-market, and is permanently affordable," said Hisserich.

Social housing has long been championed by housing advocates, community organizations, and residents who see it as critical to combating Portland's housing crisis.

Molly Hogan, director of the Welcome Home Coalition, provided testimony today. "We are so excited to see new City leaders taking real action to move innovative housing solutions forward in our biggest city. Seeing what can happen when a city government declares housing as a human right is inspiring. Dream big, councilors, and lead. Be bold."

Generating public support for social resolution began even before it was first introduced in the Homelessness and Housing Committee in March. Councilor Green spent a large part of last year advocating for social housing before taking office in January. He's organized for renters' rights with the Portland Democratic Socialists of America.

"Half of all renters in Portland pay more than 30% of their income in rent. 25% of all renters here pay more than half of their income in rent. That's not a tenable situation," said TJ Noddings, a tenants rights advocate. "What we need desperately, more than anything else, is a real solution to our housing crisis, and that solution is social housing."

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Photos by Jordan Karr-Morse