On May 10, Metro joined the City of Hillsboro, Bienestar and other partners to celebrate the opening of Nueva Esperanza in Hillsboro. This apartment community brings 150 affordable homes to western Washington County, with a mix of housing for households with income at or below 30% and 60% of the area median income. The $54 million development was built using $17 million of funds from Metro’s affordable housing bond on six acres of land donated by the City of Hillsboro.
Nueva Esperanza – which means “new hope” in Spanish – was co-developed by nonprofits Bienestar and the Housing Development Center, and designed by architecture firm Scott Edwards. The development’s name draws inspiration from the ongoing issue of a lack of quality housing for Oregon’s agricultural workers, many of whom are Latine. These new affordable homes bring the hope of a better life. The project team received Housing Oregon’s Golden Hammer award in 2022 for Best New Multifamily Project in the Portland metro area.
Nueva Esperanza evokes the garden apartment style that was a popular design for affordable housing built during the 1930s and 40s. This housing model prioritizes community and access to the outdoors, with green spaces between buildings for residents to enjoy time with their families, friends and neighbors. It provides an alternative to larger multifamily housing typical of urban areas and suburban single-family housing.
Engagement with farmworker, Latine and Somali communities helped shape many of Nueva Esperanza’s features. These include 55 two-bedroom, 46 three-bedroom, and four four-bedroom homes to accommodate multi-generational households, Spanish-speaking staff, and enclosed kitchens to reflect Somali cultural practices around food preparation.
Community is a core part of the vision at Nueva Esperanza and that value is reflected in the design of the apartment community’s grounds. The complex’s 12 buildings are arranged into three distinct neighborhoods, or ‘colonias,’ around outdoor plazas. The colonias are linked by the paseo; a tree-lined path that starts at the edge of the site and ends at the community building.
Other shared amenities include boot washing stations for agricultural workers, plenty of parking, pinata poles, a fenced dog park and barbecue/picnic tables. Nueva Esperanza is located across the street from Hidden Creek Park and is nearby hiking trails and other parks, including Metro’s Orenco Woods Nature Park.
Mariachi group Mariachi Mexico en La Piel De Portland.
Mariachi group Mariachi Mexico en La Piel De Portland kicked off the celebration with a song, capturing the festive atmosphere of the warm spring afternoon. In his opening remarks, Bienestar’s executive director, Nathan Teske, reflected on the organization’s mission to provide quality housing for farmworkers in the area, and how the new apartment community helps realize that vision. He hopes Nueva Esperanza will be a home and a “place to build a positive future” for all residents – whether they’re farmworkers, they’ve recently immigrated from countries like Iraq or Somalia, or are moving in from “just down the road.”
Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González with Bienestar executive director Nathan Teske in the background.
Metro Councilor Juan Carlos González grew up in the area and has been a longtime advocate for underrepresented communities. “I’m particularly proud of this project because it was designed with a deliberate focus on the unique experiences of diverse communities,” he said in his remarks. He also highlighted how Nueva Esperanza addresses the plight of local farmworkers, “who work tirelessly to feed our communities [and] struggle to secure safe and affordable housing for themselves and [their] families.”
Bienestar executive director Nathan Teske translating for resident Jorge Altamarino.
Jorge Altamarino and his family were one of the first households to move into Nueva Esperanza. Since immigrating from Mexico in 2006, they had been living in an apartment that was too small for their family. Now, his kids each have their own room, and he was able to get their daughter a cat, Benito. Living in an affordable home is a true relief for Jorge and his family.