League of Women Voters to Host Discussion, Inside the Front Door: Portland's Remodeled Housing Bureau

League of Women Voters to Host Discussion, Inside the Front Door: Portland's Remodeled Housing Bureau
Public Invited at noon on December 9th

Margaret Van Vliet, Director of the Portland Housing Bureau, will discuss the newly organized bureau and the challenges it faces on December 9th at noon. The event will be held in the Board Room of the Multnomah County Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend and bring a brownbag lunch.

In January 2009 the Portland City Council charged City Commissioner Nick Fish with overseeing the creation of a new agency by uniting the Bureau of Housing and Community Development with the housing functions of the Portland Development Commission. The resulting agency, The Portland Housing Bureau, seeks to ensure that “every Portland resident has a safe, stable, affordable, and attractive place to live and communities are livable, attractive, safe, and maximize the use of community resources.”   In keeping with that goal, the Portland Housing Bureau expects to implement a ten-year plan to end homelessness. The Portland Housing Bureau also plans to expand affordable housing opportunities in the area. How will the agency achieve these goals? What kinds of challenges can it expect to face, especially in light of its restructuring?

Prior to becoming Director of the Portland Housing Bureau, Margaret Van Vliet worked for Oregon Solutions in the Hatfield School of Government at PSU. From 2002-2008 Ms. Van Vliet served as Deputy Executive Director at the Housing Authority of Portland.  She began her career with First Interstate Bank of Oregon's Corporate Banking Group, and later managed a non-profit banking consortium before first entering government as a member of Governor Kitzhaber's community development policy team.

The discussion is presented by the League of Women Voters of Portland.  The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.