Carleton Hart Architecture designs multifamily building to provide on-site services assisting Native Americans within Portland, Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundary.
This marks the first-time tribal housing block funds have been used for off-reservation housing. Nesika Illahe, a Chinook name that means “Our Place,” helps mitigate a need for affordable housing.
The project, completed through a partnership between Community Development Partners (CDP), Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA), and Siletz Tribes, prioritizes the needs of the Native American community with 20 of its 59 units reserved for members of federally recognized tribes.
There are exterior mural and basalt carvings by Native American artists scattered throughout the building. Motifs of salmon gills, sturgeon back, and friendship band is seen in the project.
Other innovations include panelized walls, which reduce construction time and there is less excess material. The building anticipates for residents’ future needs with wall construction that allows for connecting doors between units to be added.
Nesika Illahe incorporates on-site services available to residents such as private “Wellness Rooms” that are available for counseling sessions as part of NARA rehabilitation programs. Other amenities include a community garden, community room with kitchen, and exterior plaza.
