New affordable housing complex Las Adelitas opens in NE Portland's Cully Neighborhood
Author
Emily Girsch
Date published
March 9, 2023
View Original Article
PORTLAND, Ore. — The site of a former strip club in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood is now home to 140 units of new affordable housing.
What used to be Sugar Shack, located at the corner of Northeast Cully Boulevard and Killingsworth Street, was transformed into an apartment complex aimed at helping take the homeless of the streets.
The Las Adelitas building took more than six years to complete.
The property is the former site of the 'Sugar Shack,' which was a strip club that was raided and shut down in 2010. The group Living Cully purchased the property in 2015, and then sold it to housing developer Hacienda Community Development Corporation.
Hacienda CDC transformed the complex into a four-story development with 142 units ranging from studios to three bedrooms. Las Adelitas opened in December.
A third of the apartments are reserved for homeless individuals, working families, and people of color in the Cully neighborhood who earn below 30% of the area's median income.
At a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Governor Tina Kotek and the state’s Housing and Community Services executive director, Andrea Bell, said they’re committed to building similar places to live around the state, and hopefully they won’t take as long to complete.
“As governor, my job is to make sure we do more of this around the state, and not wait six years to do it,” said Kotek. “To build homes and communities across our state that we desperately need – 36,000 units per year over the next decade.”
Photo by Emily Girsch
Bell said the details of affordable housing projects can be a slow process but it’s something the state is working to improve.
“As we think about the scale of resources, I think that’s one piece of it,” said Bell. “I think it’s also – how do you make those financing tools work together? There’s a lot of wonky details in affordable housing and I think what we know is that progress is possible, and change has to be a part of that progress."
Hacienda CDC said tenants exiting homelessness will have access to supportive services from Cascadia Healthcare.
Previous rental history is not required when people submit an application. You can find more information on Hacienda's website.
