(from L to R): Attending the Build Housing with Care event on June 28 were Rep. Hoa Nguyen, Sen. Kate Lieber, Oregon
Housing and Community Services Executive Director Andrea Bell, Neighborhood House Executive Director Chris
Chiacchierini, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Home Forward CEO Ivory Mathews, and Rep. Lisa Reynolds.
By FOX 12 Staff
Two Oregon lawmakers announced a bill on Wednesday that that would encourage affordable housing facilities to have on-site childcare.
Published: Jun. 28, 2023 at 8:05 PM PDT
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Two Oregon lawmakers announced a bill on Wednesday that that would encourage affordable housing facilities to have on-site childcare.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Senator Ron Wyden toured a facility in southwest Portland called Neighborhood House that models what this could look like.
This affordable housing complex, along with another in northwest Portland, offers an early childhood education program on-site. These ‘co-located facilities’ give parents the opportunity to work and provide for their families.
Olivia Ponce, a parent of two who has lived at the southwest facility for eight years, said this program has been a blessing.
“Having this housing has been so invaluable. Whether or not I have a job or not, I have housing and that’s the difference between me and people on the streets.”
The Build Housing with Care Act would invest $500 million to add childcare centers to affordable housing spaces and cover the cost for families living there.
That funding is estimated to build more than 120 co-located facilities.
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“Do you know how hard it is to find childcare when you don’t make a lot of money? Having Head Start
Olivia ponce, Stephens creek crossing resident
as an option has meant the world to me and my family.”
and head start parent of two
“Stephens Creek Crossing is perfect example of what can happen when we prioritize children and families by removing barriers to service. For years, families we serve have told us how important it is to have services available where they live.”
Neighborhood House Executive Director Chris Chiacchierini
