East Portland Enhancement Project (EP2)

March, 2011 East Portland Enhancement Project: Gone but not forgotten Initiative suspended, no 2011 homeownership fair

Last year dozens of organizations met and set goals to strengthen the economy and build stronger East Portland communities. That effort was called EP2, the East Portland Enhancement Project. Regrettably, EP2 has suspended operations and the East Portland Homeownership Fair will not be held this spring.

Ultimately, the decision to shut down EP2 was a matter of funding. Its successor, the Lents Homeownership Initiative, had been fueled by grants from the Bank of America Neighborhood Builders program and Meyer Memorial Trust. EP2 was launched at a time when many longstanding partners were feeling the brunt of the real estate market and recession.

Thank you to the more than 50 partners that worked to create economic opportunities for Outer Southeast residents and neighborhoods. Many people made important contributions, but I'd especially like to thank Matt Cornia of Unitus Mortgage, Jon Gail of the Portland Housing Bureau, Virginia Petersen of the ROSE board, Michelle Puggarana of the Portland Housing Center, Christine Rhoney of Impact Northwest, Katie Ullrich of Proud Ground, Troy Wilkerson of EXIT Realty, and of course Amie Diffenauer, organizer extraordinaire.

I hope that you will stay involved in the East Portland community. A great place to start is the East Portland Action Plan. Get more information by calling Advocate Lore Wintergreen at 503-823-4035 or from their website at www.eastportlandactionplan.org