The Vancouver-based Wayne D. Kuni and Joan E. Kuni Foundation gave $1 million to support an unusual co-housing model in Portland. Our Home Inclusive Community Collaborative is planning Cathedral Park, a 22-unit condo complex with homeownership opportunities for people of varying ages, abilities and income levels, according to a news release.
Twenty to 25 percent of units are intended to be owned by households with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Those with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities are increasingly marginalized in the quest to secure housing, prompting a need for more intentional and innovative housing and community building options, the news release said.
The late Joan Kuni was a pioneer in advocating for her two sons and others with intellectual disabilities. Her husband, Wayne Kuni, founded Vancouver-based Kuni Automotive in 1970 and created the Wayne D. Kuni & Joan E. Kuni Foundation before he died from lung cancer in 2006.
Nonprofit, for-profit and government agencies are collaborating on the project, which is slated for completion in spring 2021. It will be located near the base of the St. Johns Bridge. Nine units have already been reserved with future homeowners meeting at least once monthly.
To learn more, visit www.ourhomeicc.org, www.facebook.com/Our-Home-Inclusive-Community-Collaborative or @OurHomeICC on Twitter.
