By Daniel Perez-Crouse
After four years in place, Findley Commons, a veterans housing building in SE Portland, has served as a vital resource for its residents. Taylor Clark, Program Manager at Findley Commons, is deeply proud of the work done there. The Southeast Examiner also spoke to some of its residents with mostly positive feedback who asked to be off the record.
Findley Commons was built in 2021 as a partnership between Do Good Multnomah and Portland Housing Bureau to offer permanent supportive housing (PSH) for chronically homeless veterans. It was built behind St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. This is similar to the more recent Portmsouth Commons in N Portland, also a Do Good Multnomah veteran housing built behind a church.
The 35-unit building provides PSH services through Do Good Multnomah, including social work, case management, art therapy, wellness programs and substance abuse counseling. They’ve also been integrated into the community, hosting a South Tabor Neighborhood Association BBQ.
Clark says, “This a place of true Veteran community. Do Good staff provides daily, consistent support for all of the residents. Whether that be support with basic needs or help with documentation. Most importantly, it means advocacy on behalf of the residents, and a calm, non-judgmental presence for when they need a listening ear.”
One resident on a bottom unit near the back, who’s lived there for over three years, had mostly positive experiences and said the process to getting in was straightforward and was an improvement from a prior facility that was mostly small cabins. “They basically told me this is for military veterans. Which it pretty much it is. But on the third floor, they rent it out to people who don’t have a whole lot of money.”
Clark said that Findley Commons is a veteran-preference building and that all of the 20 one-bedroom units can only be rented to veterans, as they are federally subsidized through a program called HUD-VASH. 12 of the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) are rented to veterans, and the remaining three SROs have civilians, making it over 91 percent veteran-occupied.
Ultimately, the resident said that it’s a good community of veterans despite some people that occasionally bother him. “It’s overall a decent place. Maintenance can be slow, but it’s not too bad.” He also attends the nearby church and uses the food bank that is provided. Clark says the Lutheran Church has been a wonderful community partner. “Over the last three years, they have welcomed residents to partake in the weekly food pantry, as well as NA and AA meetings. They have also allowed us to utilize space in their building to expand our community programming. This has allowed us to offer residents additional space to congregate, relax and even exercise.”
Another resident who was enjoying the sun and recently chatted with his neighbor, told the story of how he came to Findley. “I got out of prison for possession of a firearm, because I was a felon for bank robberies. I was at the halfway house downtown, and I see these vets and I helped them move some stuff. They said go down to the Transition Projects Veterans Services place because they’ve got a VA rep there. I went there, talked to this dude. He signed me up and they sent me to a motel.”
He was at that budget motel for about eight months before eventually being placed at Findley. Despite wishing he had a tub to soak in, he said, “I’m thankful, I’m cool with it.”
He said that he’d seen a lot of changes over the course of three years and claimed eight property managers had cycled through. In response to this, Clark said, “With projects like these, it can take time to find a property management company that is the right fit. It is a best practice in a PSH like Findley to have support services and property management be distinct, so that a resident’s housing security is not related to their participation or experience with the support team.”
While this resident was frustrated with some of the previous managers, he says the current one “seems to have his stuff together.” One positive review on Google for Findley Commons from three months ago by a user called Thomas seems to feel similarly and said, “The units are modern, updated with solid oak cabinetry and brushed stainless features, fully furnished and very accommodating. Complex is under new management that is proactive, responsive, attentive, listens well and is a pleasure to work with.”
However, one resident had more mixed feelings. He initially said it’s not been bad, but was frustrated about being on the highest floor in a corner unit as a person who uses a wheelchair. “I’ve talked to five or six people about it, but they keep blowing smoke and I’m tired of it.”
Going forward for future housing projects, Clark said what they’ve learned with this property is the importance of relationships, and the need for building a strong rapport with residents, community partners and property management. “If these relationships are not fostered early on and done well, it will be exceedingly difficult to build a strong community within the housing program.”
Photo by Do Good Multnomah.
