Reckoning with the Past, Building Toward Justice: Reflections from a Housing History Tour
On May 29th, our entire team joined a powerful bus tour tracing Portland’s housing history—a history that’s been hidden for some, and painfully visible for many. Led by the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, the tour took us through neighborhoods shaped by racist redlining, intentional disinvestment, and forced displacement, which are all policies and practices that still shape who has access to housing today.
We stood on the land where the city of Vanport City once stood (now a golf course)and imagined the vibrant, diverse community that once existed there. Picture a spirited community with free childcare, access to healthy food, and an abundance of Black joy… washed away. We were honored to hear directly from Ed Washington, a previous resident of Vanport, who shared the story and spirit of Vanport, a community he described as alive—full of all the things a well-supported community needs. Despite being neglected by the city and ultimately destroyed in a catastrophic flood, Vanport represented possibility, diversity, and resilience.
We also gathered at the Portland Expo Center, a site that once held captive Japanese Americans during World War II. Picture over three thousand people forced from their homes and corralled into tight living quarters with watchmen and weapons turned in on them. We listened to Marleen Wallingford, a third-generation Japanese American whose father was incarcerated in the Portland-area internment camps. She shared a memory of how her father and the other children made games out of their confinement, competing to see who could catch the most flies in their hanging flytraps. The humanity in that story—children trying to create joy in the face of injustice—deepened our understanding of their stolen childhoods.
Their stories grounded us in the reality that these injustices are not just bits in history books, but the living stories of those we share community with today. These places of play and commerce today were once places of significant loss and injustice.
From Reflection to Action
Over lunch, our team sat together and reflected on what we saw and heard. One person shared, “We still see housing discrimination every day and we have to advocate for those being impacted.” Another noted how “the language, practices, and patterns of the past are resurfacing today.” We’re reminded how urgent it is to disrupt the cycle and make sure history does not repeat itself.
At Path Home, we carry this history with us—not to simply bear witness, but to transform it into action.
How Path Home is Breaking Down Barriers
At Path Home, we’re working to dismantle the very systems that uphold housing inequality. Our vision for the future includes permanent housing with on-site, wraparound services—a healing-centered campus where families have access to everything they need to thrive, similar to the ethos of Vanport.
And we do more than imagine it. We build toward it, every day:
We speak up. Our staff are not afraid to have hard conversations about systemic injustice and real solutions.
We advocate visibly and vocally. Our Executive Director, Brandi Tuck, engages directly with local officials, speaks at public forums, and organizes Solution Salons to reimagine housing justice in community.
We walk alongside families with purpose. Our frontline staff are deeply informed about housing discrimination and serve as advocates—preventing evictions, securing fair housing placements, and ensuring a sense of safety and belonging in shelter and beyond.
The Work Ahead
This tour reminded us that the past is not past. It is visible in the policies that still define who gets to live where, and in the practices that keep families out of safe, stable housing.
But it also reminded us of the power of memory, community, and storytelling to light the way forward.
We are building toward a future where all families—regardless of race, income, or background—have access to housing, opportunity, and dignity. That future is possible. And it’s worth fighting for.
Explore more about this history and get involved in housing justice work through the Fair Housing Council of Oregon:https://fhco.org