Councilor Green to Join Rally at The Yards, Calls for Tenant Protections and Transition to Social Housing Model

September 3, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Maria Sipin, Chief of Staff
[email protected]

PORTLAND, OR - City Councilor Mitch Green will join tenants and advocates at a rally tomorrow at The Yards at Union Station, citing the near-eviction of a disabled veteran as a stark example of how our current public housing system fails to protect residents and actively fuels our homelessness crisis.

The rally, scheduled for 10:30 AM on Thursday, September 4th, follows the near-eviction of Dan McLean, a 68-year-old disabled veteran, over $1,200 in overdue rent.

"Dan's story is not an anomaly. It's the direct result of a system that neglects properties and neglects people," stated Councilor Green. "We are spending vast sums of public money on an affordable housing system that isn't really affordable, then exponentially more to deal with the homelessness that results. We are watching people flow directly from publicly-subsidized apartments onto the streets due to preventable issues like poor management and bureaucratic indifference. This is a fiscal and moral failure."

Councilor Green believes that while short-term solutions like robust tenant organizing and stronger eviction protections are critical, Portland must also build a long-term solution it can control.

"Our current housing system is constrained by federal funding and policies beyond our local control. We need a model that is financed and governed right here in Portland. That model is Social Housing-permanently affordable, high-quality housing for all that serves the public good, not private profit."

A key component of this model, Green says, is tenant democracy. "Imagine a system where tenant unions are not just a reaction to crisis, but are built into the governance structure of the housing itself. This would create a powerful, city-wide voice for renters to ensure their homes are maintained and their rights are respected."

Studying the Best to Build the Best

To that end, Councilor Green is set to travel to Vienna, Austria, later this week to study the world's gold standard for social housing. This trip has come under fire in local media as a waste of public funds.

Councilor Green doesn't see it that way. "Last year, the City of Portland spent tens of millions of dollars on homelessness response; on shelters, sweeps, policing, and medical services trying to manage the crisis that our broken housing system contributes to every single day. To call a fact-finding mission to a city that has successfully solved this problem a 'waste' is profoundly short-sighted. This trip is about our urgent need to find solutions that will keep Portlanders housed, and save our city millions in after-the-fact clean up costs."

Event:
Date and Time: Thursday, September 3rd, 10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
Location: The Yards at Union Stion courtyard, 815 NW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97209

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