HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. — A new housing development for low-income families is going up in Happy Valley. Crews broke ground on Good Shepherd Village off Southeast 162nd Avenue on Monday.
The $60 million project was funded in part by the Metro affordable housing bond. More than $16 million from the bond will go toward the project.
It will be the first regulated affordable housing development in Happy Valley, according to Clackamas County's website.
The development will have over 140 new units from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The complex will also set aside 15 homes for veterans and senior citizens.
Travis Phillips with Catholic Charities of Oregon, which is planning the development, said the project should be done by the end of next year. He said residents won't pay anymore than 30% of their income toward rent.
Even a three-bedroom apartment could rent for less than $800 for certain residents.
"The need is far greater than the supply of housing," Phillips said. "These 143 new homes are going to be really important for the folks that live here but it's one piece of solving the crisis of housing affordability and homelessness in our region."
Around 10 years ago, John Brockamp's family donated 11 acres of the land for Good Shepherd Village. Brockamp said it was important for his family to give back to the community.
"Give them a base," Brockamp said. "Give them an anchor, give them something they really enjoy and can keep enjoying."
Officials said there are 30 affordable housing projects in the works using the metro bond.
Lynda Walker lives in the neighborhood near Good Shepherd Village and said affordable housing in crucial.
"We need it very much because everything is so expensive that people can't afford to get off the streets or out of their cars," Walker said. "I think this will be a great addition to the neighborhood."