Halloween afternoon in Portland’s Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, Central City Concern, the Portland Housing Bureau, Metro and other partners gathered to celebrate the opening of Meridian Gardens. The complex’s 85 new homes are a mix of affordable studio and Single Room Occupancy* apartments.
Metro’s affordable housing bond paid for over $13 million in Meridian’s construction costs, and the building’s opening marks the milestone of over 2,000 apartments completed with the help of bond funding. Metro’s supportive housing services fund will contribute over $1 million for wrap-around services, and rent will be subsidized with federal Section 8 rent assistance vouchers.
Metro also contributed $500,000 through its transit-oriented development program, which supports the creation of affordable housing by public transportation. The apartment community is located on Division Street, where TriMet’s FX2-Division high-capacity bus line offers service to Downtown Portland every 12 minutes throughout most of the day.
Meridian Gardens will be owned and operated by Central City Concern, a Portland-based nonprofit that has been providing housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity for 45 years. Each year the organization serves over 15,000 people. Meridian Gardens is the third addition to its Division Street Campus, which offers several types of affordable housing.
Sixty-five apartments will provide permanent supportive housing for individuals and couples who are in substance use disorder recovery and are either exiting homelessness or are at risk of losing their housing. These apartments come with federal rent assistance vouchers. The remaining 20 homes are reserved for households with incomes between 31 and 50% of the area median income who are also seeking a recovery-oriented living environment.
Central City Concern’s Puentes recovery program will provide culturally responsive services to residents, delivered by peer support specialists. Puentes and River Haven – another Central City Concern recovery program – will also refer prospective tenants.
The Halloween-themed celebration featured a taco truck, live music from Conjunto Alegre, costumed attendees and remarks from project partners. Guests were able to tour the complex’s community rooms and kitchen, and two apartments. Meridian Gardens also includes shared computer workstations, recovery group rooms, energy-efficient infrastructure, trauma-informed design, and raised garden beds shared with a neighboring building. Each studio has a bike rack, while residents of the SRO apartments have access to communal bike rooms.
Josue, who was one of the first residents in the new building, shared his experience with the Puentes program: “I wasn’t seeing all the damage that I was doing,” he remembered of the time when he was using alcohol, “emotionally, [with my] family and physically.” When he started the program, he felt “welcome, respected — I felt important and that I was somebody that matters. The team at Puentes made me feel human again.”
*Single Room Occupancy apartments typically include shared bathrooms. At Meridian Gardens, SRO residents have toilets, sinks and kitchenettes in their apartments, with access to communal shower facilities.