July 19, 2023

Dear Portlanders,

I'm not great at catchy emails.
I don't lure you in with provocative subject lines.
(Someone once told me that I think (and talk) in paragraphs. It's true.)
But I urge you to read this email that has to do with: HOUSING. And please forward it, or share the info as you see fit. (Thank you.)

Housing in and around Portland is very hard to come by - for so many people - including Asylum Seeking families who have been temporarily sheltered at the Portland Expo. 
Yesterday I was honored to be present at a press conference announcing the Quality Housing Coalition (QHC), GPCOG, and City of Portland partnership to expand Project HOME. 

Project HOME matches highly recommended tenants with landlord partners and homeshare providers, resulting in year-long housing support, guaranteed rent, and a financial guarantee.

The idea is this: 

• Homeowners with a "little extra house" (this was a term used yesterday!) or landlords with a vacant unit get paired with people who need a place to stay - temporarily: the agreement is one year - until a more permanent solution is found;
• And....tenants get support from QHC - and so do the homeowners and landlords;
• And...rent is paid: there's a financial guarantee for each unit.

Quality Housing Coalition's website - straight to the form to sign up for more info!

At the press conference, we learned more about how QHC is helping people, and is poised to help even more.
Victoria Morales, with the Quality Housing Coalition, says the goal is to pair some of those families with Portland area residents who have unused space in their homes. "They may have an extra room, they may have an extra two rooms in their house, they may have a granny flat or an accessory dwelling unit," she said. "And they may not have thought that they really could be a part of the solution to the housing crisis that we're seeking." (taken from the Maine Public coverage available here: Home Stay Program

Please check it out - please spread the word.

Sincerely,
Kate Snyder