HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS1

HousingMisplacementandDestitutionofMultnomahCountyAfricanAmericansinComparison
withKingCounty(Seattle),Washington
FRINQ:RaceandSocialJustice
ProfessorMarieLo

BrionaHill
March14,2016

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS2

HousingMisplacementandDestitutionof
MultnomahCountyAfricanAmericans
Inthe1920stheAfricanAmericancommunityinPortlandhadasmallpopulationof
2,000.PortlandwasonceknownasoneoftheracistcitiesintheNorthwestduringtheJimCrow
eraandthesmallpopulationofAfricanAmericansinPortlandwereatthehandsofthemajority.
PortlandbeingracisttowardstheAfricanAmericancommunityledtothepopulationbeing
segregatedtoonearea.ThiswasthebeginningoftheAfricanAmericanpopulationbeing
subjectedtotheconstantmovingandcompactinginsmallareas.Oncethepopulationbeganto
growinPortlandtheAfricanAmericanpopulationbegantobemovedtoneighborhoodslike
AlbinaandElliot.HousingandrentisagrowingissueinPortland,andforAfricanAmericansin
Portlanditisbecominganevenbiggerissue.ThehousingissueforAfricanAmericanscorrelates
withtheeconomicvitalityofthepopulation(inPortland)andtheweaninggovernment
assistance.Further,AfricanAmericansareleftindestitutehousingareasandinrecenteventsthe
raisingofrentingpricesareleadingtomisplacement.Basedoninformation,theAfrican
Americancommunityhasbeenmisplacedbybeinglefttolivinginimpoverishedareasandliving
inlowsocioeconomicconditionswithlowannualwages.InthispaperIwillbecomparingthe
housingissueofblacksinPortland,ORincomparisonwithKingCountyinSeattle,WAanother
northwestcity.Thecomparisonbetweentwowillbeforstrictresearchpurposesandvalidityof
theproblem.

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS3
History
Portlandoncehadasmallladenpopulationofonly2,000.WhenWorldWarIIbeganthe
populationofimmigrantsquicklyjumped,andindoingsothepopulationofblacksemigrating
herefromthesouthgrewtoo.OneoftheveryfirstneighborhoodsforblacksinPortlandwas
thecreationofVanport,asubdivisioninPortland.Vanportwascreatedduringwartimeasa
solventforthegrowingpopulationofpeoplewhowerehereworkingduringthewar.Afterthe
warandoncepeoplebegantorelocateandmovetobetterlocationsinPortland,theremaining
peopleweremostlyblacks(Geiling,2015).ManywhitesinPortlanddidnotwantimmigrants
livingsoclosely,especiallytheblacks.Theyreallywantedthenonwhitepopulationgone,and
tearingdownVanportwasinsights.Thefactwassimplethough,over20,000peopleleftandto
misplacethatmanypeoplewasprovingtonotbeeasy.Seeminglythough,thatwinter/springhad
beenwetandonMay30,1948,Vanportflooded.Thiswasinmanywaysthebeginningofthe
constantmisplacementofblacks(Geiling,2015).TheVanportfloodlettotheblacksbeing
movedintothealreadyextremelycrowdedAlbinadistrict.Thecycleofmisplacementwasin
motionanditsignifiedtheforefrontofmoresegregationandracismbeingintrajectorywiththe
AfricanAmericancommunity.

Economic
ThehousingcostsinPortlandaresteadilyrisinganditsprovingtobehardertoafford
thecostofliving.Whenthecostoflivingissohigh,itinturnsmakestheaffordabilityof
housingevenharder.ThemajorityofAfricanAmericansinPortlandbarelymakeminimum
wageandtheabilitytomakeendsmeetisnearlyimpossible.Incombinationwiththerisingof

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS4
costsitisbecomingdifficultforrenterstoaffordhousing.Withsinglehomesbeingimpactedso
largely,thingsareevenmoredifficultforfamiliesinthecommunity.Singleparenthomesare
beingimpactedatevenlargerrateswiththecombinationofchildcareandhousingpaymentswith
theaddeddisadvantageofminimumwagewages.Theeconomicinequalitybetweenblacksand
whites(majority)andtheconstanturbanizingofthecityisleadingtothedisplacementofblacks.
AccordingtoCurryStevensandCrossHemmers(2010),Peoplespendmorethan30%oftheir
incomeonrentandmortgagecosts,leadingtoinabilitytocovertherestoftheircosts(pg.68).

Incommunitiesofcolorwiththeaveragepersonspendingclosetohalfoftheirincomeitsa
hugepredicamentandfurtherputsblacksinaneconomicdisparity.Thedisparityrangeeven
further,especiallyforrenters.Peopleofcolorarebeingchargedat56.9%,leadingtofurther
economicdisparity.From2010records,itisstillfurthergrantedthatincomparisonbetween
blacksandwhites,thatblacksspendasignificanthigheramountoftheirincome.Theirminimal
incomegoeslargelytohousing,leadingtoalargerdependencyongovernmentassistanceand
assistedliving.

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS5

AfricanAmericansmakeup14.3%ofthoselivinginpovertyand23.7%arelivinginpublic
housing.ThisistheendingresultforAfricanAmericanswhoaresubjectedtoloweconomic
opportunityandminimumwagepay.

Housing
Inthe1990stheemergenceofblacksintheAlbinaandElliotarealedtothestampingof
itasanareaknownforbeingaslumorghetto.Thisfurtheredthelongstemofsystematic
racisminthePortlandarea.AccordingtoDeeLane,therootsofgentrificationintheAfrican
Americancommunitybeganinthe1990s.Theneighborhoodsthatwereonceencompassedby
blacksarenowbeingturnedintoexpensiveurbanareasandblacksarebeingmovedonceagain.

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS6
OwningahouseisapartoftheAmericandreamandisamarkerforstability.Whenyouowna
houseinareayouaresettingyourmarkandbeginningtogrowafamily.Thehousingcrisisis
alsoraisingcostsofowninghousesandthatisfurtherpushingblacksawayfromtheideaofever
owninghouseshereinPortland.Notbeingabletoownahousetakesawaytheabilitytohavea
stableplacetocallhome.Theneverendingrealityissimple,thesamethingthathappenedwith
VanportafewyearsagoishappeningonceagainwiththeAlbinaneighborhoods.The
misplacementisstartedtopushthoseoutwhohavebeenheresincetheverybeginning,anunfair
realitythatisacommonplaceintheAfricanAmericancommunity.Governmentassisted
programs,likeSection8openuptheproctorsfortherenterstofindniceplacestolive,butthose
placesareoftenthefirsttobetorndown.Thisisaharshrealitythatisimpactingmanylives,the
pullingofgovernmentassistanceisleavingmanyblackstoleavetheareaorliveininadequate
conditions.Thelatterofthispredicamentislikethatofwhatismentionedabove,majorityofthe
individualsarefacedwiththeproblemofalloftheircheckgoingtohighrentandhousingcosts.

ComparisontoKingCounty

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS7

Asshownabovethecomparisonbetweenthesetwocountiesisacomparisonoftwo
countiesthatareverysimilarinthepercentageofpeopleracewise.Multnomahcountyin
comparisontoKingCountyisatahigherdisadvantageincomparisontothatofKingCounty.
KingCountyistroubling,butthedatashowcasesthattheAfricanAmericancommunityin
Multnomahcountyisatahighrateofdisparityandunjust.Theaveragediscrepancybetweenthe
twoare33.2%,andthatrevealsthehiddentruth.Portlandisseenassuchanurbanaccepting
place,yetunderlyingisagrowingproblemthatisnearthetippingpointofrevelation.In2006,
theSeattleOfficeforCivilRightsconductedastudyonhousingashowedthattheAfrican
Americancommunityissubjectedtohousingdiscrimination,butinarecentturntheareais
becomingmorediversewithwhitemovingintoareaswithBlacks,Latinos,andAsians(Seattle
CivilRightsOffice).AsKateDavisstatedWevemadeprogresshere,andIthinkits
somethingthatwecanbeproudof(SeattleCivilRightsOffice).Contrarily,thechangethatwas
andcontinuingtobemadeinKingCountyisnotoccurringinMultnomahCounty.Infact,itis
willbevalidtoarguethattheMultnomahCounty10yearsafterthatreportwaswritten,is
becomingevenlessdiverse.

Conclusion
ThehousingcrisisinMultnomahisabrewingproblemthathasbeenaroundfornearlya
century,andnothinghaschangedinthetuneofdisparity.Portlandresidentsarefindingthecost
livingtobedifficultbuttheAfricanAmericancommunityinMultnomahCountyisinaneven
deeperstruggle.AfricanAmericansareatthebottomofthetotempoleforthepossibilityof

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS8
equaleconomicpossibilityandthecontinuingofPortlandbecomingaurbancityisprovingthe
struggletonotbeover.Governmentassistedprogramsarepouringlessmoneyintothe
individualsectors,andthecostoflivingisataconstantrise.AfricanAmericandisadvantageis
nothingnew,butthedifferenceoftimesitatagrowingnormandthedisparitythatthe
communityissubjectedtoisleadingtoanunknownfuture.

HOUSINGMISPLACEMENTOFMULTNOMAHCOUNTYAFRICANAMERICANS9
References
Bates,L.,CurryStevens,A.&CoalitionofCommunitiesofColor(2014).
TheAfricanAmericanCommunityinMultnomahCounty:AnUnsettlingProfile.
Portland,OR:PortlandStateUniversity.
CurryStevens,A.,CrossHemmer,A.,&CoalitionofCommunitiesofColor(2010).
CommunitiesofColorinMultnomahCounty:AnUnsettlingProfile.Portland,OR:
PortlandStateUniversity.
Geiling,Natasha.(2015)
"HowOregon'sSecondLargestCityVanishedinaDay."Smithsonian.N.p.,28June
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Lane,Dee.(2016)
"RootsofGentrification:How1990sBattletoEndRedliningChangedHistoryinNorth
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McElderry,Stuart.(2001)
"BuildingaWestCoastGhetto:AfricanAmericanHousinginPortland19101960."
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NewStudyUpdatesPictureofHousingSegregationinSeattle.(2006,January).
RetrievedMarch14,2016,from
http://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/exec/civilrights/documents/study.ashx?la=en
Smith,DonovanM.(2015)
""StateofBlackOregon"ReportsIssued."ProQuest.TheSkanner,13May2015.Web.18
Feb.2016.