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From Sacred Land to Future Housing
In a rare and forward-looking act of land return, the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has transferred the property that was once Bethany Lutheran Church in NE Portland to the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), marking a significant evolution in the national Land Back movement, one that moves beyond symbolism into permanent, community-focused development.
The site, located in Northeast Portland, sits on land once stewarded for thousands of years by Chinookan-speaking Peoples, including the Clackamas, Kathlamet, and Multnomah, near the historic village of Neerchokikoo. Today, that same land is poised to become permanently affordable housing for Native Elders, an ambitious vision that connects past, present, and future in a single place.
“This is an incredible and significant opportunity for NAYA and the Native community,” said NAYA’s CEO Oscar Arana (Chichimeca). “This will positively change the future of our work and organization. We believe this moment can help define what meaningful land return looks like in an urban city, not just acknowledgment, but action that creates long-term stability, healing, and opportunity.”
The NAYA Board of Directors unanimously authorized moving forward with accepting the property, signaling strong alignment around a development vision centered on permanence, dignity, and intergenerational care. Early plans include the creation of permanently affordable housing, with a focus on Elder housing, potentially in the form of condominium-style homes that remain accessible across generations.
The Oregon Synod’s decision emerges from years of discernment, theological reflection, and engagement with Indigenous leaders. The church’s history, like many institutions in the United States, is intertwined with displacement, colonization, and systemic inequities, including settlement patterns shaped by land dispossession and racial exclusion.
“This project expands the definition of Land Back,” the NAYA CEO added. “It recognizes that Native communities are not only on tribal reservations, but also in cities, and that land return in urban contexts can directly address urgent needs like affordable housing.”
NAYA’s initial vision for the site is intentionally ambitious. Beyond creating permanently affordable, culturally grounded community space, the project represents another major step in the growing Indigenous Cultural Corridor emerging along Northeast 42nd Avenue in Portland’s Cully neighborhood. Led by Native community advocates and organizations including NAYA, the corridor envisions a connected network of Native housing, public art, cultural spaces, and BIPOC-owned businesses that honor the region’s original inhabitants while creating long-term community stability. Developments like the nearby Mamook Tokatee apartments and this land return initiative demonstrate how land justice, affordable housing, Native art, and cultural visibility can work together as part of a broader community development strategy. This project could serve as a framework for faith-based institutions, municipalities, and community organizations exploring land return and Indigenous cultural investment as pathways toward justice.
Further details, including development plans and opportunities for community engagement, will be announced in the coming months.
Check out the article from OPB covering this historic event!
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Native Community Voices Matter This Election
