310 NW Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97209

Charitable organization helping Portland's homeless and struggling triples its size in a new green building

Blanchet House (Blanchet) is a non-profit social services provider that has helped Portland's homeless and working poor since 1952. Serving the inner Northwest, or "Old Town" area of the city. Blanchet provides meals, housing, and jobs to those often recovering from drug and alcohol dependency in an area traditionally home to the disenfranchised.

The organization also operates Riley House, which lodges program graduates and houses administrative offices, as well as the Blanchet Farm in Carlton, OR, which provides 30 residents the opportunity to work towards supplying Blanchet's main facility with fresh meat, eggs, and produce. Blanchet has always operated entirely on private donations without any government assistance. Local grocers, producers, and restaurants provide most of the food that allows them to serve 700-900 free meals per day to those in need.

The charity's existing 100-year-old facility is deteriorating, and limits the residential program to 28 beds. After working with city and neighborhood organizations to find a new location, Blanchet completed a land swap with the Portland Development Commission that has provided the site for a new Blanchet House. $13 million in NMTC allocation, tax credit equity from U.S. Bank and grants from the Portland Housing Bureau and the City of Portland's Green Investment Fund will facilitate construction of a new, LEED Gold building. Located adjacent to the existing facility, the new building will triple Blanchet's space, increasing the residential capacity from 28 to 60, doubling the dining hall size, and adding space for job-training resources.

The project will provide numerous direct benefits to the community. 150 construction jobs will be created and two permanent administrative positions will be maintained. The project will also allow the number of compensated volunteer positions to increase from 28 to 60. The highly efficient building will use up to 66% less energy, resulting in cost savings that will maintain Blanchet's current utility budget in a significantly larger space. An expanded waiting area will allow the mealtime queue to form indoors, protected from the elements and away from the public sidewalk. The new Blanchet House will be equipped to greatly expand upon a 60-year tradition of helping Portland's most vulnerable and needy population.

Development Type: Charitable social services organization

Project Timeline: Summer 2012

Project Partners: National Community Fund I, LLC; U.S. Bank Community Development Corporation; Blanchet House of Hospitality; Portland Housing Bureau; Portland Development Commission; City of Portland.

Total Project Cost: $13.4 million

NMTC Allocation: $13 million

Jobs: 212 (includes 60 compensated volunteer positions)

LEED Level: Gold