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Portland program reports 133 first-time homebuyer closings; bureau outlines wait-list outreach and supports
Summary
Portland Housing Bureau staff told the oversight committee the homeownership program has helped 133 families (121 with subsidy) become first-time buyers; staff reviewed demographic and income breakdowns, counseling and post-purchase support and plans to refine a targeted wait list and CRM to improve outreach.
Ira Bailey, housing program coordinator, told the North Northeast oversight committee the bureau's homeownership programs have helped 133 families become first-time buyers, with one pending closing expected to bring the total to 134. "we have helped a total of a 133 families become first time homebuyers," Bailey said, and clarified 121 purchases used bureau subsidy while 12 families purchased without funded dollars.
Bailey walked the committee through race and income data for subsidized purchases: 87% of subsidized families self-identified as Black or African American; smaller counts identified as Native American, multiracial, Asian and Hispanic. On household income, Bailey said the largest share of buyers fell in the 61—0% AMI range, about 46 families; roughly 29 families were in the 81—00% AMI band, about eight families in the 101—20% AMI band, and 32 families were under 60% AMI (the lowest reported household AMI near 15%).
On ongoing supports, Bailey described the down-payment assistance structure as a 30-year silent second mortgage with no monthly payments; "if you stay in the house for 15 years, half of it gets forgiven, and then about 3% every year after that," he said, and noted the program aims to keep monthly housing costs within roughly 30—3% of income. He also outlined home-repair grants and a 15-year silent home-repair loan program, foreclosure-prevention counseling partners and free legal trust-formation services for families at or below 80% AMI via the African American Alliance for Homeownership and Commons Law Center.
Daevisha (preference-policy outreach lead) described updates to the wait list: cohort counts were given (6-point: 366; 5-point: ~200; 4-point: 302; 3-point: 446; 2-point: 528; 1-point: 243; 0-point: 2,402), with nearly 5,000 applicants in total before removing nonresponsive households. The bureau reported direct contact with 1,537 families by phone or email as part of a project to confirm ongoing interest and collect preferred bedroom sizes; the current overall response rate to the update mailing was about 44%.
Committee members asked about the program's throughput from wait-list referral to move-in and about dropout rates at info sessions; staff said they lacked structured, real-time move-in tracking but plan to improve data with a CRM the bureau hopes to procure in spring procurement. Bailey and Goodlow recommended more targeted outreach and building-specific wait lists (using a new form created by manager Leslie Goodlow) to increase match rates when buildings request lists.
Next steps: staff said the bureau will continue outreach, schedule a 3-point info session in mid-February, explore CRM options in the spring to reduce manual processing, and return to the committee with a deeper report on wait-list analytics and response rates.
No votes were taken on program funding or eligibility changes during the meeting.
