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PORTLAND, Ore. May 11, 2021 — This week, CareOregon CEO Eric C. Hunter was elected to be the Chair of the Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives’ Board of Directors. In this capacity, he will help guide the organization’s efforts to increase access to affordable housing in the City of Portland.

As a non-profit community development organization, PCRI provides affordable rental housing to low-income families, primarily in North and Northeast Portland. It was founded in 1992 in response to unfair housing practices that discriminated against African Americans. Over the past 25 years, the organization has become a prominent leader within the affordable housing space to the benefit of the community it serves.

 “In health care, we talk a lot about the links between health and housing,” said Eric C. Hunter, CareOregon CEO. “We know that having a safe, affordable place to live is crucial for our members’ physical, mental and behavioral health. As an organization, CareOregon has invested over $5.5 million dollars in affordable housing projects in the past five years. PCRI has been working to support our community for almost 30 years.  I’m excited to lend my time to this effort and work alongside leaders at PCRI to address our community’s housing needs.”

 “PCRI is excited to announce the election and appointment of Eric Hunter as our new Chair of the Board of Directors,” said Kymberly Horner PCRI Executive Director. “Eric has served as a member of the board for four years and previously held the position of Vice-Chair. We are grateful he will continue to support our work as North and Northeast Portland’s largest affordable housing non-profit organization as a voice for the historically underrepresented and underserved African American community.”

In addition to providing affordable rental housing, PCRI offers financial wellness programming, home buyer education courses, supports older homeowners make needed repairs so they can stay in their homes, and develops new homes for purchase by qualifying first-time home buyers. These programs are part of PCRI’s holistic approach to combat the involuntary displacement of low-income African American households in the City of Portland.

The Oregon Health Authority has identified housing as a top priority for coordinated care organizations to address as the state continues health care transformation efforts within the Oregon Health Plan. CareOregon believes that effective transformation happens in collaboration with the communities served, and housing is no exceptions.

“We are proud of the housing related investments we have made in the community” continued Hunter, “but, we think true community engagement is more than just writing checks. I look forward to working on a true partnership to move this work forward within the community“.