Home Forward, established in 1941 as the Housing Authority of Portland, is a housing authority that serves Portland, Oregon, and nearby municipalities in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. Home Forward maintains properties in Portland, Gresham, and Fairview as of 2026[update].[1]
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | December 11, 1941 |
| Jurisdiction | Multnomah County, Oregon, United States |
| Headquarters | 135 SW Ash Street Portland, Oregon, U.S. 45°31′20″N 122°40′19″W / 45.5221°N 122.6720°W |
| Website | www |
Governance
editHome Forward is led by a nine-member board of commissioners. All board members are volunteers who serve staggered four-year terms. Four commissioners are recommended by the City of Portland, two are recommended by the City of Gresham, two are recommended by Multnomah County, and one is recommended by the residents of Home Forward developments. The recommended board members are appointed by the Mayor of Portland and confirmed by the Portland City Council.[2][3]
History
editThe Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) was created by the Portland City Council on December 11, 1941.[4][5] The city council created the agency in response to a massive influx of people who came to work at shipyards in the Portland area during World War II.[6] HAP developed several housing projects over the course of the war, including Guild's Lake Courts[7] and Columbia Villa.[8] Vanport, the largest wartime housing development, was constructed independently by the Kaiser Company, although management of the development was later taken over by HAP.[9][10] By 1942, HAP developments housed approximately 72,000 people, making it the largest housing authority in the United States.[7]: 11
HAP began using the name "Home Forward" in May 2011.[11]
In March 2026, Willamette Week reported that Home Forward officials reported "high vacancy rates, tenants' nonpayment of rent and cash flow woes" to their board, and that tenants complained of "drug dealing inside building walls and unfettered access".[12] Also in March, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) investigated Home Forward after it received a discrimination complaint alleging that agency refused to provide reasonable accommodation by refusing to provide an in-person meeting with a client. BOLI found "substantial evidence of an unlawful housing practice on the basis of disability" by Home Forward.[13]
Home Forward's CEO, Ivory Mathews, resigned in April 2026.[14] In April 2026, it was reported that from 2023 to 2025, Mathews spent more than $100,000 of public funds on travel to conferences and networking events.[15][16] On an October 2024 trip to Hawaii, she brought along several family members; Home Forward paid $7,269 for the trip.[16]
See also
edit- Louisa Flowers, the namesake of a housing development by Home Forward
References
edit- ↑ "Apartment Communities". Home Forward. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
- ↑ "Board of Commissioners". Home Forward. Retrieved August 15, 2025.
- ↑ "Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland or HAP)". The City of Portland, Oregon. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ↑ Sanders, Richard. "Housing Authority of Portland". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ↑ "22081 – Establishing Housing Authority of Portland" (December 11, 1941). City Auditor – City Recorder – Council Resolutions, ID: AD/11209. City of Portland Archives.
- ↑ Kramer, George (December 2006). "It Takes More Than Bullets: The WWII Homefront in Portland, Oregon" (PDF). Eugene, Oregon: Heritage Research Associates. OCLC 892120709.
- 1 2 March, Tanya Lyn (2010). Guild's Lake Courts: An Impermanent Housing Project (Ph.D. dissertation). Portland State University. doi:10.15760/etd.2806.
- ↑ Historic American Buildings Survey. "Columbia Villa (Columbia Villa Housing Project)" (PDF). National Park Service. HABS No. OR-188.
- ↑ Maben, Manly (1987). Vanport. Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87595-118-X.
- ↑ "Vanport Housing Project". VanportPlaces.org. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ↑ "New Name, Identity for Housing Authority of Portland". Home Forward. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 24, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Home Forward Officials Brief Board on Agency's Struggles". Willamette Week. March 26, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, Adrian (April 21, 2026). "State: Evidence of disability discrimination in Home Forward, Multnomah County programs". KPTV. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, KATU (May 7, 2026). "Willamette Week: What's next for Home Forward now that CEO has resigned?". KATU. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ↑ "While Home Forward Struggled, Its CEO Spent More Than $100,000 on Taxpayer-Funded Travel Over Three Years". Willamette Week. April 15, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
- 1 2 "Home Forward CEO Spent Six Days in Hawaii Because the Agency Created an Insurance Company There". Willamette Week. April 15, 2026. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
