Tenant Advisory Council
Engaging tenants in advocacy and policy-change at Home Forward and beyond.
The purpose of the Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) is to improve policies and programs at Home Forward. Policy includes laws, rules, actions, and funding decisions. Policy is meant to achieve a goal, such as a solution to a problem. TAC members support solutions and changes for the overall community rather than only the individual. In addition to working on the rules and practices at Home Forward, TAC members may also engage in advocacy outside of Home Forward.
TAC members meet one time every month and receive a monthly stipend.
Dahlke Manor
Current TAC members – selected June 2025, serving through June 2027
Coming Soon!
Upcoming Meetings
- All members of the public are invited to join the TAC during their monthly meeting, every last Tuesday evening of the month. Meetings are available to join either online at this link TAC Microsoft Teams Meeting or in-person.
- Join us for our next meeting. Members from the public are invited to provide public comment in the first 15 minutes of every TAC meeting, from 6-6:15pm. Public comment is limited to two minutes a person.
Prior Meeting Notes
At each TAC meeting, a Home Forward staff member or TAC member will take meeting notes. Meeting notes will include announcements, roll call, updates, policy discussions, training materials, and recommendations of the TAC. At the start of each meeting, the prior meeting’s notes will be approved by a majority of TAC members. Once approved, the TAC meeting notes will be available online here.
Current TAC Projects
The Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) was newly formed as of June 2025. Council members are currently working together to build relationships, group agreements and receive trainings on policy-related topics at Home Forward. To stay connected to the work of the TAC, please email TAC@homeforward.org
Get Involved with TAC
Attend a Meeting
The easiest way to connect to the work of TAC is to attend one of our monthly meetings. Visit “Upcoming Meetings” to get more information.
Receive Advocacy Updates from TAC
Join our email list to receive updates on work the TAC is doing, and to receive information on advocacy opportunities within Home Forward and beyond. To join the TAC email list, please email TAC@homeforward.org or visit our Contact Form
Contact the TAC
Please email TAC@homeforward.org or use our Contact Form below
Connect to other advocacy efforts beyond Home Forward
Organize and Advocate with other residents around Oregon
Join other advisory and advocacy groups
- Welcome Home Coalition
- Multnomah County Advisory Councils
- City of Portland Advisory Bodies
- Oregon Metro Councils
Stay connected to affordable housing advocacy efforts
TAC FAQs
Why does the TAC exist?
The Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) has the primary purpose of including tenants in policy-related work at Home Forward. The council has existed in various forms since 2009. Council members meet monthly to support Home Forward’s goals of strengthening community engagement and involving tenants in policy-work at Home Forward.
How can I be involved in the TAC?
Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) members have a term of 2 years, meaning that all current council members were appointed in June 2025 and will continue through June 2027. In spring of 2027, TAC will recruit for new members to join the council. If you are interested in joining TAC in their current policy and advocacy efforts, you can attend an Upcoming Meeting or join the TAC email list to stay updated on opportunities to provide feedback to Home Forward and advocate for affordable housing in Oregon.
What is the TAC currently working on?
The Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) was newly formed as of June 2025. Council members are currently working together to build relationships, group agreements and receive trainings on policy-related topics at Home Forward. To stay connected to the work of the TAC, please email TAC@homeforward.org.
How does TAC decide what to work on?
Guiding Principles
- Residents and Participants are experts.
- Resident and participant knowledge and engagement are essential to Home Forward’s policy and advocacy work. The first-hand experiences of our stakeholders guide the priorities and direction of our policy initiatives.
- Equity and access are essential to positive change at Home Forward.
- Meaningful engagement with stakeholders begins with transparent communication, especially with those who have been most adversely affected by harmful systemic policies and practices at Home Forward. TAC seeks to involve and authentically represent these individuals in the development of policies and procedures at Home Forward.
- Understanding an issue supports how TAC can address it.
- As TAC identifies policy priorities, they seek to build knowledge of contributing factors that produce and perpetuate inequities. TAC connects with Home Forward staff, community partners and training opportunities to facilitate a meaningful, intentional response to ongoing issues.
- Change takes time.
- TAC works collaboratively across the Home Forward community to identify policies and procedures that can and should be addressed. Within this process, TAC may form subcommittees or continue advocacy efforts in order to advance goals. TAC encourages all residents and participants to attend their monthly meetings and Home Forward Board of Commissioners meetings to share feedback and concerns that need to be addressed.
Can I come to a TAC meeting?
Yes! The Tenant Advisory Council meets every month, and these meetings are open to the public. Members from the public are invited to provide public comment in the first 15 minutes of every TAC meeting, from 6:00-6:15pm. Public comment is limited to two minutes a person.
Can I speak with a TAC member about a concern I have?
- Yes! TAC members are meant to support solutions and changes for the overall Home Forward community, and they want to hear from YOU. Please email TAC@homeforward.org or use the contact form below to connect with the TAC. TAC Information received will be shared with all Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) members for consideration and evaluation, though individual responses may not be provided.
- Please note that TAC members are not Home Forward staff, and they are not able to respond to critical or time sensitive concerns. If you have an immediate housing concern, please contact your property management team, Resident Services’ support, Rent Assistance Service Coordinator, or Home Forward’s main contact line (503) 802.8300. In case of an emergency, please dial 911 or call Multnomah County Crisis Line at (503) 988-4888.
How are TAC members chosen?
The Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) helps Home Forward make better rules and decisions by listening to tenants. TAC members work to help everyone, not just themselves. TAC gives tenants the space to share their ideas and help make changes in their homes, housing programs, and the whole housing system.
Here is a summary of the process that Home Forward uses to pick members of the TAC.
TAC Member Selection Process and Screening Criteria
We look at all applications to make sure that they are complete. Here’s what we check:
- No Duplicates – We remove copies of the same application.
- Full Name – Some people didn’t write their full names, so we do not include those.
- Contact Info – If someone does not share a way to reach them (like phone or email), we
remove their application. - Why Do You Want to Join? – We asked people to explain why they want to join the
TAC. If people just said “yes” or “no” without explaining, or said it was only for the
money, their application was not accepted. - Already Involved – Because so many people want to join the TAC, we are not picking
people who have already been in other groups at Home Forward including the RAC, TAC, or Community Builder program. - Can Attend Meetings – We rejected the applicants who were not available to meet on
days of the week that most of the other applicants could meet.
After this step, everyone still in the process will be moved on to Step 2.
- People who make it past Step 1 will be contacted and asked to fill out a more detailed form about their interest in joining the TAC within 10 business days. If they don’t complete the form, their application will not move forward.
- We will look at all the completed forms. All applicants who answer all of the questions on the form will have their name put into a lottery (a random drawing) to pick who moves on to Step 3
If someone is picked in the lottery, they will be invited to an interview. They’ll have 10 business days to say yes to the interview.
The interview will be:
- Online or in-person
- With at least 3 people: one staff member, one director, and one tenant leader
- About 20 minutes long (40 minutes with an interpreter)
After interviews, the team will choose 20 people based on their answers and how they match TAC’s goals. Here’s how we choose:
- Who They Are
We want people from many different backgrounds, such as:
- Living in different types of Home Forward housing and with different types of Home Forward rent assistance
- People living in different parts of the County and City
- Race and ethnicity
- Age groups (young adults, adults, elders)
- Gender identity
- Disability or mental health experience
- Language spoken at home 2.
Community Focus: We look for people who care about their neighbors and want to make things better for others—not just themselves.
Lived Experience: The TAC receives extra value from people who have personal experiences they are willing to share about and can use to inform future changes. Lived experiences can include homelessness, unfair housing experiences, and being treated unfairly for a variety of reasons. We believe their voices are important in helping to fix things.
Teamwork and Respect: We choose people who are good listeners, can work well with others, and treat people with kindness and respect.
Can Be Active and Show Up: We need people who can come to meetings, speak up, and stay involved.
Contact Form
If you would like to tell the Tenant Advisory Council (TAC) about concerns or feedback about your community or experience living at Home Forward, join us at our next TAC meeting or contact us at this form.
- Your contact information and message will be shared with TAC members.
- Please note that TAC is a leadership group at Home Forward but that TAC members are not Home Forward staff.
- The TAC makes recommendations to Home Forward about how to improve policies and practices.
- If you have an immediate housing concern, please contact your property management team, Resident Services’ support, Rent Assistance Service Coordinator, or Home Forward’s main contact line (503) 802.8300.
- In the case of an emergency or crisis response, please dial 911 or call Multnomah County Crisis Line at (503) 988-4888.