Does Home Forward understand 'quiet enjoyment'?

The Housing Authority serving Multnomah County is failing its residents

As the county and city struggle with affordable housing capacity, two issues are often overlooked: the number of units that are not rented and the difficulties residents face with affordable housing operators. According to a recent Willamette Week article, 1,900 affordable housing units sit vacant in the county, including 955 Home Forward units (14% vacancy rate), at a time so many are unsheltered in Portland. And Johnathan Bach of The Oregonian reports The Yards, a Home Forward affordable housing building near Union Station, has a mind-boggling 57% vacancy rate. This is happening while Home Forward is spending $600,000 per unit for a project on the old Post Office site, an unheard of cost.

As a member of both the Pearl District Livability and Safety Committee and the Homeless Solutions Coalition (HSC), I have spoken with residents and met with property management and Home Forward representatives at Pearl Court and Lovejoy Station on Northwest 10th Avenue in the Pearl District. It’s time to get back to basics in supporting these residents.

The term “quiet enjoyment” that governs rental properties is very clear. It includes:

1.) Freedom from harassment

2.) Providing essential services

3.) Habitability

In regard to these two Home Forward properties, it’s not clear that Home Forward and its property manager (Pinehurst Management Co.) understand this implied promise for tenant use or the tenants’ right to take legal action.

Speaking with tenants and observing activities in and around the two properties has shown:

1.) Unauthorized access by nonresidents

2.) Lack of adequate overall security

3.) Poor response to concerns by the management company and Home Forward

4.) Maintenance issues rendering properties unusable

5.) Poor screening and coordination of mental health and substance abuse services need by renters, which is now required under federal law for government funded housing.

When questioned, Home Forward and Pinehurst Management head Terry Wilson continue with excuses on why things can’t be done, or they move slowly to the detriment of the residents.

Failure to address these issues creates higher vacancies, unsustainable site economics, higher security, maintenance and insurance costs, and more sites being closed, reducing affordable housing capacity.

Recently, Dr. Andy Mendenhall and his research partner discussed with the HSC the challenges of housing persons without mental health and substance abuse supports, and that 10%-20% of residents can create real quiet enjoyment issues for all the other residents. We have seen this with drug dealing, prostitution, personal attacks, and health and trash issues impacting residents at the two aforementioned Home Forward sites.

So what’s the solution? Take these issues of quiet enjoyment seriously, and consider these active measures:
1.) Screen housing applicants for mental health and substance abuse issues and require wrap-around services to deal with these issues.
2). The county needs an intake center (HSC recommendation) with a personal improvement plan to deal with behavioral health issues before housing is considered. Home First has not worked because we have failed those needing these services.
3.) Home Forward and their property managers must act quickly on maintenance, security and controlled access issues to create a safe and livable environment for residents. Having responsible on-site managers to help residents is critical.
4.) Create an accountability system that reports issues by building. You can’t fix what you don’t measure, and because public funding is involved in many of these projects, they need to be transparent with the public.

Residents of Pearl Court and Lovejoy Station are good people who deserve quiet enjoyment, just like other condo and apartment residents do.