The Strong Building, a 75-unit affordable apartment project rising on land owned by the Strong family, is expected to start leasing this spring in Portland’s Humboldt neighborhood, bringing a rare batch of deeply discounted homes to a part of the city where longtime residents have watched prices shoot up. Eleven of the apartments are reserved as deeply affordable for households earning at or below 30% of the area median income, and 54 of the homes are family-sized with two or more bedrooms. City housing officials are urging anyone with historic ties to North and Northeast Portland to get on the N/NE Preference Policy waitlist now so they can be referred to the building as openings come up.
What the Strong Building will offer
According to the Portland Housing Bureau, the Luther Strong Jr. & Dr. Jackie Strong Empowerment Village will include 75 rental apartments in total, with 11 of those homes regulated at 30% AMI and 54 designed as family-sized units with two or more bedrooms. Planned amenities include a large outdoor courtyard, a private playground, laundry facilities on every floor and an indoor community room, along with energy-efficiency upgrades and a solar array intended to help keep utility costs down for residents.
Community Development Partners and Self Enhancement Inc. are co-developing the project, with SEI set to lead culturally specific resident services focused on supporting long-time Black families, according to Community Development Partners. The development team has also acquired an adjacent parcel known as the "Abbey Lot," where they plan to add eight homeownership units as part of the broader Alberta Alive neighborhood plan, tying rental and ownership opportunities together on the same block.
Who gets priority and how to join
The Strong Building’s apartments will be filled through Portland’s N/NE Preference Policy, which prioritizes applicants who have historic or generational ties to North and Northeast Portland. Referrals to the property come from the Portland Housing Bureau’s centralized waitlist, and the building’s management team will handle leasing and income certification for the households that are referred, per the Portland Housing Bureau.
For help figuring out eligibility, documentation or how to get on the list, PHB operates a waitlist helpline at [email protected] and by phone at (503) 823-4147.
Timing, rents and next steps
In a Feb. 14 social post, the Portland Housing Bureau told residents, "If you have historic ties to N/NE Portland, we encourage you to join the waitlist for upcoming affordable homes through the N/NE Preference Policy," underscoring that the Strong Building is one of the next big chances for displaced or long-rooted families to return to the area.
Some public notices list an April 2026 completion timeline for the Strong Building and include preliminary rent estimates, such as a 30% AMI one-bedroom at about $656 and a 30% AMI two-bedroom at about $784. Those listings and sample rents have been republished on county housing information pages alongside PHB’s referral notice; see Multnomah County for details.
The Strong Building is part of a larger wave of North and Northeast Portland projects backed by the Metro housing bond. The site broke ground last August, and PHB’s recent referral notice is the step that moves the development toward actual move-ins. As leasing ramps up, community groups and residents who qualify under the N/NE Preference Policy will be contacted through the PHB waitlist and matched with available Strong Building units.
