The Portland City Administrator in the budget office has in the 2025-2026 preliminary budget report that they close a community center identifying the St Johns Community center as one to close.

The St Johns Community center provides working class families access to child care, after school care, and acts as the location for the St Johns community for support. For example, in the summer of 2024, through a partnership with PPS the community center acted as a hub for collecting lunches.

Voice your opposition to city leaders telling them that closing the St Johns community center will harm the St Johns and larger North Portland community and keep up to date as this process unfolds.

News

KGW: Portlanders voice support of St. Johns Community Center, which is on the chopping block

KOIN: Portland city councilors respond to 3 community centers at risk of closing

Fox 12 (KPTV): 3 Portland-area community centers at risk of closing

Voice your opposition

Online

Tell the city budget office you oppose the closure of the St Johns Community Center by submitting a written testimony.

Please feel free to customize the provided testimony to your liking.

Please note that this will be submitted to the city’s budget process and will be entered into the public record.

Name

District

District 1 District 2 (St Johns) District 3 District 4 Don't know or want to say

I oppose the selection of the St Johns Community Center for closure as part of budget proposal 23,635 - Close Neighborhood Community Center.

St Johns is a working class community and the community center provides a vital lifeline for that community. St Johns Community Center hosts SOAR after school programming as well as a preschool in addition to the classes and events the community center already provides.

The St Johns neighborhood has 88% enrollment rate of children in public schools. 13% of the community is food insecure, 52% are rent burdened, and 42% of the community is non-white. Shutting down the community center will cause harm to the diverse communities of St Johns where many are already struggling. The closure of this community center and discontinuation of its programming will create a disproportionate hardship on children, the elderly, and families experiencing poverty.

It is imperative that we reject the current budget proposal (23,635) and that our city retains the St Johns Community Center as a critical resource serving all residents.

Show Up

Rally at the St Johns Community Center

April 1, 2025 6:00 PM

District 2: Budget Listening Session

April 3, 2025 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Portland Community College Cascade Moriarty Auditorium

Connect

Mailing List

Please give us your phone number if you wish to be contacted by text message.

Contact Us

For any questions please reach out to [email protected]

Community Partners

Worth Fighting For St Johns

St Johns Defenders