APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR TISTILAL VILLAGE!
We are in the final phase of Tistilal Village’s redevelopment, one of the original Sawash properties that started NAYA on this housing journey. The redevelopment will create 58 affordable housing units, including 16 permanent supportive housing units by late December 2024. This project is significant because it is NAYA’s first project as lead developer. We believe this project will set up NAYA to be a premier Native developer focused on creating a continuum of culturally specific housing opportunities for the Native American community.
NAYA is partnering with Home Forward and Portland Community College in the redevelopment of the Northeast Opportunity Center in the Cully neighborhood. This transformational project will co-locate career/workforce development opportunities, affordable housing, and affordable early childhood education in one location.
See the pre-application form below and submit to tistilal@nwrecc.org.
NAYA’s Housing Journey
NAYA stepped into the affordable housing field in 2008 as it took ownership of the Sawash portfolio (44 units) from an organization formerly known as the Low-Income Housing for Native Americans in Portland Oregon, which closed due to lack financial support.
Between 2010 and 2012, NAYA developed its first affordable housing project, Kah San Chako Haws, a 9-unit, modular housing development in Portland’s Lents neighborhood. Immediately afterwards, NAYA took a big leap and co-developed Generations (2012-2016), a 40-unit affordable housing development in Lents, offering townhome-style, intergenerational housing options. We learned many lessons from our first projects that have allowed us to refine and improve our efforts.
Tribal Preference
NAYA co-developed three projects between 2017 and 2022 located in the Cully neighborhood and close to NAYA’s campus. Nesika Illahee was developed in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and Community Development Partners between 2016 and 2020. By contributing a portion of their Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) funds, the Siletz tribe established a legal preference to their members and members of any federally recognized tribe, as authorized by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). IHBG-funded projects can legally extend preference to tribal members outside a reservation because it is considered a political, not a racial, preference.
The lease up and housing results at Nesika Illahee were such a celebrated success that it led to replication of the model. Mamook Tokatee is a tribal and artist preference project, located one mile away from Nesika Illahee, developed between 2019 and 2022. Our third Cully project, Hayu Tilixam (Many Nations in Chinook), was developed between 2020 and 2022. While Hayu Tilixam does not have tribal preference, it provides valuable permanent supportive housing with on-site case management and wraparound services to nine households in this 50-unit project. These three properties added 165 affordable housing units, primarily serving Native and tribal communities and all located within .5 – 1.5 miles of NAYA’s campus where residents can access dozens of wraparound services and celebrated programs.