Reclaiming Home: Lessons from a Decade of Portland’s N/NE Housing Strategy

For ten years, Portland’s N/NE Housing Strategy has stood as one of the most significant anti-displacement efforts in the state. Created in 2014 in response to long-standing community concerns, the strategy works to address generational harm from gentrification in North and Northeast Portland—especially among Black families pushed out over decades of discriminatory planning and lending.

In this Housing Oregon 2025 conference session, panelists reflect on a decade of the strategy’s impact across its four core pillars: Homeowner Retention, Creating New Homeowners, Creating New Rental Homes, and Land Banking. Speakers discuss the history that motivated the policy, how the program functions today, and why preserving it matters for racial and economic justice.

The panel also digs into the implementation challenges of the N/NE Preference Policy, including the realities of increased vacancies in larger rental buildings, the financial pressures on developers, and the need to sustain the program for the next generation of families seeking to return to or remain in their historic community.

This session offers practical insight for policymakers, affordable housing developers, community leaders, and advocates working to repair harm and strengthen long-term stability for displaced communities.

📌 Recorded as part of Housing Oregon’s 2025 Annual Conference.
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