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Hysterically Historical #4

By Pete Jacobsen
Posted: 04/06/2025

Just about all of us know that Eastside Village opened for business ten years ago, in October of 2015. As you might imagine, the planning for it began long before, and wasn't always smooth.

At that time, there were four approaches to "Aging in Community" that were recognized, and Villages was certainly one of them. The others were Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (areas of housing where much of the population had aged), Co-housing, where people had chosen to live in close proximity, and University-Based Retirement Communities, where most participants were associated with, and lived near a university. The Villages model was the only one that didn't depend on members already living in close proximity, clearly a better fit for Southeast Portland.

Although Eastside Village was the first Portland Village to open its doors, Villages NW had already been set up. Anne Andler was the executive director of what would be the Hub with eventually 10 (so far) Villages as spokes. In describing what it was like to be part of a village, Anne said, "Village members aren't patients, or clients, or customers. They are owners!". She pointed out that Village Members have their own Governing Council, and make their own decisions about activities.

The need for some means to support aging Portlanders was clear after the 2010 Census showed 190,000 folks over 65 years old in the Portland area. Estimates based on income indicated 75% of those folks would not be able to afford assisted living facilities, even if there were room for them. Villages seemed a great way to go, but it is worth noting that after 10 years of Villages in Portland, our total population is still under 1000. The current estimate of 65 and older in Portland is 92,400.