{"id":18529,"date":"2019-10-02T12:12:35","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T16:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciples.org\/?p=18529"},"modified":"2019-10-02T12:12:35","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T16:12:35","slug":"oregon-congregation-works-to-build-affordable-housing-on-church-property","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciples.org\/congregations\/oregon-congregation-works-to-build-affordable-housing-on-church-property\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon congregation works to build affordable housing on church property"},"content":{"rendered":"
Five years ago, members of neighboring congregations in Portland, OR \u2013 St. Johns Community Church (Disciples of Christ) and University Park United Methodist Church \u2013 began looking for ways to better serve people in their community without affordable housing.<\/p>\n
They knew many people had been displaced from the neighborhood as rent prices skyrocketed. They knew this problem was expanding across Portland \u2013 the mayor declared a city housing emergency in 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n Amid leading this work, the two congregations \u201crealized they had a lot in common,\u201d remembers Co-Pastor Rev. Andy Goebel, including \u201ca real love and passion for houseless neighbors. So, the congregations decided to merge into Portsmouth Union Church<\/a> two years ago.<\/p>\n The two congregations had compatible identities, suggests Co-Pastor Rev. Julia Nielsen. \u201cSt. Johns had a great spirit of mercy work, developing relationships with houseless people. University Park had a background of advocacy work. The conversations around this project helped everyone grow in different ways, but together it\u2019s been beautiful to see these things become one and see how mercy and justice can\u2019t be separated.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the newly-formed congregation knew a long process to create affordable housing continued. They also knew they held a valuable piece of the solution: land. Over the last two years, the congregation has torn down one-third of their building, clearing a lot for eventually building a new structure to house 20 apartments.<\/p>\n As they waded through the bureaucratic side of the process \u2013 meeting with city officials and banks to work through construction permits, zoning laws, and funding options \u2013 the co-pastors knew they needed to enlist more help.<\/p>\n