Nesika Illahee

Nesika Illahee
Point of Contact		Nesika Illahee in the Cully neighborhood in Portland OR
Participating Municipalities
City of Portland
Sectors		Team Organizations
Housing Community Development Health Services		Community Development Partners Native American Youth and Family Center Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Carleton Hart Architecture LMC Construction
Project Description
Brief Description	Nesika Illahee offers affordable housing, Native art, and on-site recovery support with comprehensive NARA services.
Problem Statement/Need	Nesika Illahee was developed to address the disproportionately high rate of homelessness among Native Americans in Portland. According to Delores Pigsley, chair of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Native Americans have the largest per capita homeless population in Portland. The project also aims to provide housing for tribal members and the wider urban Native population who have been pushed out of Portland due to skyrocketing housing costs.
Goals and Objectives	The primary goal is to provide affordable housing for Native Americans and tribal members in Portland. It seeks to create stable housing and economic opportunities for Priority Communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and tribal people, and all people of color, low-income people, and all residents, ensuring they can stay and benefit from growth rather than being displaced.
Detailed Description	Nesika Illahee is a 59-unit affordable housing complex spanning 53,000 square feet. It offers a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. Residents have access to laundry facilities on each floor and common spaces for gathering and hosting events. The interiors are adorned with murals and artwork by Native artists, including Toma Villa and Thomas Stream, celebrating Native culture. The complex also provides on-site support services for tenants in recovery, including a drug-free and alcohol-free lease policy, and assistance from a certified drug and alcohol counselor provided by the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA). NARA also offers comprehensive services like primary and specialty care, women’s health, a diabetes program, dental, and mental health services, differentiating this project from Mamook Tokatee in its on-site recovery support.
Location/Scope	Focused within the Cully Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, Northeast Portland. It is located on Northeast 42nd Street.
Estimated Costs	$17,700,000€ 15,576,000 <br />£ 13,098,000 <br />CA$ 22,479,000 <br />CNY 112,041,000 <br />KRW 21,690,465 <br />
Implementation Plan	The project began in 2016 when Community Development Partners (CDP) acquired the land. CDP partnered with the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) and the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) to develop the housing. The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians was a key player and partner, securing $1.7 million in Indian Housing Block Grant funds. Nesika Illahee is notable as the first housing complex to receive the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant to build housing in an urban environment; these funds are typically used on reservations. The complex opened on January 30, 2020. The inspiration for this partnership came from a report by Portland State University (PSU) and the Coalition for Communities of Color, which highlighted the overrepresentation of Native communities in poverty and homelessness.
Community Benefit	Nesika Illahee provides much-needed affordable housing to Native American individuals and families, addressing the high rates of homelessness in this community in Portland. It fosters cultural identity and community involvement through culturally specific programming and Native artwork within the building. The project aims to stabilize residents and prevent displacement due to rising housing costs, especially for Native Americans and artists. Its innovative funding model is seen as a "groundbreaking idea" that can serve as a model for other communities.
Budget & Funding
Participatory Budget Allocation	$1,700,000€ 1,496,000 <br />£ 1,258,000 <br />CA$ 2,159,000 <br />CNY 10,761,000 <br />KRW 2,083,265 <br />	The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians secured $1.7 million of the total $17.7 million community cost from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Housing Block Grant. This was the first time these funds were used to build housing in an urban environment rather than on reservations.
Feasibility	High	The project was described by Eric Paine, CEO of Community Development Partners, as an "innovative project that has never been done before" and a "groundbreaking idea" due to its pioneering use of Indian Block Grant funds in an off-reservation urban setting to establish Native American preference. Its successful completion and opening on schedule indicate high feasibility despite the innovative funding challenges.
Funding Alignment	High	The project directly aligns with the stated goals of addressing the disproportionately high rate of homelessness among Native Americans in Portland. It also aligns with the broader shift in focus by entities like Prosper Portland and the Portland Housing Bureau to emphasize housing security and equitable outcomes for vulnerable and culturally specific communities. The use of Indian Housing Block Grant funds specifically to serve Native communities in an urban setting demonstrates a strong alignment with targeted community needs.
Community Engagement
Proposed Engagement Activities	The project's development was inspired by a report from Portland State University and the Coalition for Communities of Color, which highlighted the overrepresentation of Native communities in poverty and homelessness, prompting the partnership with Native-focused organizations like NAYA and NARA. While specific engagement activities for Nesika Illahee are not detailed, the broader Cully TIF District planning process, in which this project resides, involved extensive community engagement through focus groups, online surveys, and workshops with various community groups, including Indigenous and tribal communities.
Targeted Outreach	Nesika Illahee has a specific tribal preference policy for 20 of its units. First preference is given to applicants whose head of household or a minor/dependent child is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. Second preference is for households with at least one member enrolled in a federally recognized tribe, Alaska Natives, or state-recognized tribes covered by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act.
Inclusivity Measures	Key inclusivity measures include the tribal preference policy for 20 units to prioritize Native American families. The building's design incorporates murals and artwork by Native artists, such as Toma Villa and Thomas Stream, celebrating Native culture within the living spaces. Furthermore, on-site support services are provided in partnership with the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) to assist tenants in recovery, with a focus on a drug-free and alcohol-free environment. NARA's services include primary and specialty care, women's health, a diabetes program, dental, and mental health services, offering holistic support to residents.
Evaluation & Monitoring
Success Measurement	Nesika Illahee successfully opened on January 30, 2020, providing 59 units of affordable housing. Its innovative use of the Indian Housing Block Grant in an urban setting has been recognized as a "groundbreaking idea". Portland State University has since received funding to create a report demonstrating how this type of block grant funding can be leveraged to serve communities, indicating its success as a replicable model. The project contributes directly to addressing the stated problem of Native American homelessness in Portland.
Follow-up with Participants	Portland State University (PSU) received funding to write a report that will teach others how to utilize Indian Housing Block Grant funding to serve the community in similar ways.
Geospatial Data
Project Location	Loading map...
Voter Turnout Data
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Milestones
Land acquired (2016) Opened (January 30 2020)