Since 1998, the Portland Community College (PCC) Opportunity Center at 42nd Avenue has worked to support a diverse job-ready workforce by providing customized training, career exploration and educational opportunities. Having previously operated out of an old, retrofitted Safeway grocery store with very limited windows and daylight, the staff and clients were eager to move into a new building.

The new Opportunity Center will now offer their workforce development programs alongside affordable housing, childcare and a health clinic to help position their clients for careers that offer greater economic mobility. The two-story facility is situated between the Cully and Concordia neighborhoods in Northeast Portland. It is an example of how sustainability can be applied to not only the structural components of a building, but also the mental, emotional and physical success of its residents.