People with disabilities should be able to choose where they live. Portland’s housing shortage, however, makes this hard to do. Most people with disabilities who want to rent an apartment face long waiting lists. If they have mobility needs, the wait is even longer.

The solution: we need a lot more affordable and accessible housing.  

In response to this need, Community Vision embarked on an ambitious project. Three years ago, we started to develop affordable Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) for people with disabilities in the Portland area.  

We are proud to share that four units have been developed! 

Why ADUs? 

An ADU is a separate living space that is part of a house, such as a basement apartment, or it is a detached structure built on an existing house’s property. An ADU has its own entrance, kitchen, bath, and sleeping area.  

There are many advantages to building ADUs: 

• They are added to existing residential neighborhoods. The tenant has their own private space and is also part of a local community.  
• Land is available for these projects because they go on already established lots. And there is no need to purchase land.  
• Their building cost per unit is comparable to multi-family housing.  
• They can increase the property value for middle-income homeowners and also be rented, which can create income. 
• With a detached ADU, there are no shared walls. This is beneficial when noise is a concern. 
• Since they are built one unit at a time, a person can customize an ADU for accessibility and individual needs. 

Because of these advantages, Community Vision believes ADUs are a meaningful step toward creating more housing independence for the people we serve.

Community Vision’s Project 

We developed four ADUs to demonstrate a new housing alternative for people with disabilities.  

The Kuni Foundation supported our project with a multi-year grant. This funding allowed us to work through the challenges of learning how to navigate the city’s policies and processes for building ADUs. A huge thank you to the Kuni Foundation for their generous support! We are so grateful to have them as partners in the pursuit of more affordable housing options for people with disabilities.

In addition to the Kuni Foundation funds, Hacienda CDC, Community Vision, and the individual homeowners all contributed financially to these projects.  

Together, we were able to ensure that the new tenants will be renting at 30% of Area Median Income. This is a rent level that is accessible to people with extremely low incomes.

Our new ADUs are located in four different neighborhoods:

1. NE Portland—This ADU is located on a property owned by Community Vision. It is a detached ADU, converted from an old garage. The ADU is fully accessible and around 600 square feet. The tenant moved into the unit in May 2022. 
2. Gresham—Community Vision worked with a family who has two sons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). We helped the family build a two-bedroom ADU. The new unit is attached to the original house due to the size of the lot, but it has a separate entrance. The first tenant moved into the unit in May 2023. 
3. SE Portland—This ADU is located on a property owned by Community Vision. The ADU is part of a pilot project by Hacienda CDC to make modular homes out of mass timber. The ADU is 426 square feet. It was built at the Port of Portland and moved to the SE Portland site by truck. It is almost ready to be lived in. In December 2023, the new tenant will move in. 
4. Cully Neighborhood—In partnership with the homeowner, Community Vision found a builder to develop a tiny home that includes a full bathroom, kitchen, and washer/dryer. The home is still being built. The expected move-in date is January 2024.

These new ADUs are already making a difference. 

The mother of a new ADU tenants said, “There is no way I could have done this alone. My family is so grateful for this new space. My boys can now have the independence they crave while also being close to the support they need. This level of independence would never have been possible without this project.” 

Building ADUs is one thing we can do right now to create more affordable housing options. But it’s not the only thing we’re working on. Advocating for policy changes and increased government investment are also important. We will share updates on our work in these areas in future newsletters. 

If you are interested in learning more about how ADUs can be an affordable solution that creates new living opportunities for people with disabilities, please contact Jennifer Knapp at jknapp@cvision.org.