From left, Urban League of Portland President and CEO Nkenge Harmon Johnson and Margaret Carter cut the ribbon for the new M Carter Commons building on Aug 11, 2026 in Portland, Ore. The new affordable housing unit for seniors was named after the former Oregon legislator and was co-developed by the Urban League of Portland.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
The city of Portland continues reckoning with racist city planning policies and urban renewal efforts that displaced and hurt Black residents over decades.
But on Tuesday, a bright spot: the celebration of a new affordable housing development in the Overlook neighborhood named after the state’s first Black female legislator, Margaret Carter.
“Don’t talk to me about being black, white, blue, yellow or indifferent,” Carter said at the opening of the apartment complex. “We’re supposed to help each other because we’re human beings.”
The new project includes 62 affordable apartments reserved for seniors; those who have been harmed by the city’s urban renewal policies will get preference. A third of the apartments will be offered to those with very low incomes. For some, rent could be as low as $700 a month.
When Ilene Burns was told one of the new one-bedroom apartments could be hers, she said her response was immediate.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Burns said.
Margaret Carter, left, takes a photo with Ilene Burns, one of the residents of the M Carter Commons.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
For the 63-year-old, the new living situation is peaceful. It’s near a park where her dog loves to play. This is the second housing complex she’s lived in that has ties to the Urban League of Portland. For her, it has meant an end to years of being homeless and living “that ugly life” on the street.
Burns also recently found out she has cancer.
“But I’m gonna fight it,” she said. “And having an apartment means after my treatments, I have a place to relax. I won’t be sitting on a bench or sleeping in a park.”
Nkenge Harmon Johnson, the CEO of the Urban League of Portland, a civil and social services organization, said the M Carter Commons project is one of the first major projects, but there will be more.
“The Urban League is really excited that we are building that next step to house hundreds of people in a place that belongs to them. Not far from where we see folks sleeping on the streets, some of those folks will be able to sleep indoors,” she said.
The project was built using $9.2 million from the Metro Affordable Housing Bond, money from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) and a grant from the Metro Transit-Oriented Development program. The land was donated by Kaiser Permanente.
But still, Oregon’s senior population and those 55 and older are making up more and more of the homeless population, and affordable housing remains scarce.
People tour one of the staged units at the new M Carter Building in Northeast Portland.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Carter, who spent roughly two decades in the Oregon Legislature, used her time in front of the audience on Tuesday afternoon to hold an impromptu fundraiser.
“I’m making a commitment to give $500 to the Urban League, who else will join me?” Carter asked.
Several hands shot up, from U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici to former First Lady Mary Oberst, married to former Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Carter told the crowd the Urban League of Portland did not ask her to solicit donations.
“They are probably embarrassed … but you guys know that I don’t care,” Carter said as people chuckled. “[We need to] keep these people working so that we can get housing for our senior citizens. And besides, I’m 90 years old now and I don’t care what you think.”
