Julia West House, a permanent supportive housing development for houseless elders and BIPOC individuals in downtown Portland, opens as Oregon’s tallest mass-timber building
December 2, 2025
The 12-story structure, developed by Community Development Partners and designed by Holst Architecture, offers a new paradigm for affordable housing with a focus on resident well-being and programmatic support
The innovative high-rise merges sustainable, biophilic living with trauma-informed design, bringing natural materials, natural light, and art to a development serving our most vulnerable community members
Portland, OR, December 2, 2025 – Today, Julia West House celebrated opening as a new home for residents in need of permanent supportive housing in Downtown Portland. The twelve-story building introduces a new paradigm for quality affordable housing, and at 145 feet tall (44.19 meters), Julia West House also takes the honor of becoming Oregon’s tallest mass-timber building.
Recent data shows that nearly a quarter of Portland’s houseless population is aged 55 and older, with BIPOC individuals overrepresented in this crisis. Responding to local needs, the 56,000-square-foot building supplies 90 fully furnished apartments for individuals earning 30% or less of the area median income. With natural light, biophilic elements, and integrated supportive services, the community provides a restorative environment for houseless elders, of whom 45% identify as BIPOC individuals. Residents started moving in in early October and the building is now over 65% occupied.
Developed by California- and Oregon-based Community Development Partners, designed by Holst Architecture, structurally engineered by KPFF, and built by Walsh Construction Co., the project broke ground in February 2024. The team cites its early consideration of mass timber as one key driver of the project’s success, setting them on a path toward completing one of the first examples of type IV-B construction in Oregon. The building will be National Green Building Standard and Energy Star certified, ensuring long-term environmental benefits while reducing operating costs.
Service providers for Julia West House will provide a host of wraparound services focusing on housing stability, community building, and aging in place. For the 20 households served by the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest, services will focus on recovery programs rooted in traditional Native American culture and spirituality.
The project was made possible through a combination of public and private funding sources, including a 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) allocation, USDA Wood Innovations funding, a Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) grant awarded by PHB, rental assistance from OHCS and supportive service funding from OHCS and HSD. Additionally, services are partially funded through the voter-passed Supportive Housing Services measure.
View a PDF of the press release here
