PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--College Housing Northwest (CHNW), the innovative student housing nonprofit, is proud to announce it has officially opened Abigail Court, a former Pony Soldier Inn, converted and fully renovated into an affordable housing community in Gresham. The student housing crisis has escalated to a critical level, but CHNW is stepping up with an urgent solution. This property, made possible by a $6.6 million Project Turnkey grant from the Oregon Legislature, provides 75 modern studios to address the alarming rise in housing insecurity among college students.
“Abigail Court is the future of College Housing Northwest,” said James Rader, Executive Director at CHNW. “It represents our commitment to tackling the student housing crisis head-on. This project came together over the last year thanks to the tireless efforts of our team and our incredible partners, and it’s already changing lives.”
A Growing Crisis Demanding Immediate Solutions
CHNW is partnering directly with Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC), which has reported a rise in housing-insecure students. Fifty of Abigail Court’s 75 units are designated for students in CHNW’s Affordable Rents for College Students (ARCS) program, a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2020 to combat homelessness among college students. For these students, the first year’s rent is completely free, coupled with supportive resources to stabilize their lives and help them focus on their education.
CHNW’s ARCS program is the only initiative of its kind in the country, uniquely positioned to work directly with local colleges to fight student housing insecurity. Since 2020, it has helped 55% of its participants avoid homelessness. Abigail Court, made possible through a partnership with the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), Brett Schulz Architecture, BNK Construction, and Pacific Exteriors represents a successful model in scaling these efforts.
This unique public-private partnership unites communities, businesses, government, and philanthropy, enabling CHNW to provide affordable housing for Gresham’s most vulnerable post-high school students.
To learn more about CHNW, visit: chnw.org
To learn more about Abigail Court, visit: chnw.org/properties/abigail-court.
To support CHNW and the ARCS program, visit: donorbox.org/support-college-students-1.
