"Kayse Jama knows first-hand the disenfranchisement and lack of civic engagement opportunities our communities experience and he understands deeply the issues that are important to our neighborhoods." - East County Rising
Housing and Homelessness
Too many Oregonians are facing housing instability, and that is especially true for the residents of Senate District 24. In his role as Chair of the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, Senator Jama has led state investments in affordable housing, tenant stabilization, and services for people experiencing houselessness with direct benefits to people living in East Portland and Clackamas County.
Supporting Renters: Provided 24,235 households in Multnomah County and 3,389 households in Clackamas County with emergency rent and utility assistance through the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Building Affordable Housing: Funded the development of affordable family-sized housing units for both rental and homeownership opportunities in district through the Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Housing Program
Funding Homeless Shelters and Services: Expanded Oregon's homeless shelter capacity to get more of our neighbors off the streets and into safe spaces to receive needed services and support.
Local Community Investment
Senator Jama puts the community's needs front and center, directing funding into the district, uplifting small businesses, and supporting the initiatives and organizations serving our most vulnerable. He recently invested $4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars into local district projects.
- African Youth and Community Organization’s Dream Center:The AYCO Dream Center is a hub for immigrants and refugees of the Pan-African Diaspora and communities of color to feel at home. The Dream Center spurs economic development without displacement, provides youth programming, and serves families in need.
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon’s Property Acquisition Fund: APANO is working to stabilize Asian American and Pacific Islander communities by developing mixed-use affordable housing combined community spaces, health care centers, childcare facilities, and affordable commercial spaces.
- Clackamas County’s Business Recovery Center: The North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce used funds to expand the Business Recovery Center's offerings to small businesses in District 24, including COVID-19 business recovery, rent and utility assistance, tuition assistance for both business owners and employees, and outreach expansion to the Black, Indigenous and communities of color through the use of translation services and the hiring of bilingual outreach coordinators to ensure that our minority-owned businesses are being well served throughout the region.
- Clackamas Service Center’s Food Hub: Helped fund a new 10,000 square foot warehouse serving as a central logistics hub for food aid receiving, storage, packaging, and distribution to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity in east Multnomah and Clackamas counties.
- Coalition of Communities of Color’s Gun Violence Prevention Infrastructure: Built regional community safety infrastructure with culturally-specific service providers to address gun violence.
- Portland Metro Chamber - Black Economic Prosperity: Portland Metro Chamber is creating a Center for Black Economic Advancement that brings under one roof the support systems to incubate new companies, provide office facilities, technical assistance, peer or mentorship access, and a fund dedicated for capitalizing Black, Indigenous and communities of color's enterprises.
- The Rosewood Initiative: Supported the opening of a space for Rosewood Initative. As a community anchor, The Rosewood Initiative fosters community building and provides a resource hub for East Portlanders most impacted by systemic exclusion. The organization improves access to support systems that foster economic stability and upward mobility, health and wellness, and community resilience across East Portland neighborhoods.
- Small Business Development Grants: Established Small Business Development grants at the foundation Seeding Justice to provide direct supports to small businesses in Senate District 24 as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Sunflower Village’s Capital Construction: Assisted Hacienda CDC in its purchase of two parcels of land in Mill Park neighborhood of East Portland for the development of rental housing for low and moderate income residents.
- Youth Participatory Budgeting: Uitilizing participatory budgeting as an opportunity for leadership development and skill building, this project engaged young people in shaping community investments. Young people in Senate District 24 developed and helped implement projects ranging from housing and homeless services to educational and cultural programming.
