Big News

Dear PHAME community,

As many of you know, PHAME has spent the last six years actively searching for a new home for our programs. I am thrilled to announce that we've just signed a lease—PHAME is moving to a new home this fall! Beginning this month, our campus will relocate to 2446 SE Ladd, a one-story, fully accessible, freestanding building at the southeast corner of Ladd’s Addition in SE Portland. Fall Term—beginning with our annual Back to School Night—will be held at this new location, and we look forward to completing a remodel of the space sometime next year.

Our new building—nicknamed The Robin—is located across the street from the Seven Corners Community Collaborative, a powerhouse of I/DD serving organizations: Community Vision, Community Pathways, FACT Oregon, and Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), as well as Nossa Familia Coffee. We’ve been lucky to hold our Summer Term at Community Vision these last two years, so students are already familiar with this safe, welcoming neighborhood where people with I/DDs already have a strong presence.

PHAME began sharing space with Grace Church in 2010, and over these last fifteen years the church has been an incredible partner to PHAME, providing us with below-market rent, space to create, and a warm and welcoming community. Over our time at Grace, we’ve held close to 1,000 term-long classes, and we’ve run out of space to grow our programs. We are sad to leave behind the robust relationships we’ve developed in Sullivan’s Gulch, but excited about all the friends we’re going to make in Ladd’s Addition.

Beginning this fall, The Robin will provide PHAME with a large and open multi-purpose classroom, two additional class spaces, a student lounge, a teacher work/break room, and office space for program staff. After we complete a moderate renovation next year, we’ll have a dance studio, a visual arts studio, a large multi-use classroom, a tech lab, and a recording studio, as well as space for semi-private lessons. Finally, our students will be able to create and develop as artists in a space built for art—and built for them. We foresee rapid enrollment growth and an even greater sense of community for our students.

Whatever role you play in the PHAME community, and whether you have been with us since our early days 41 years ago or are new to our joyous community, thank you for being with us on this momentous journey. PHAME’s future is bright, and I know we’re going to do great things—together.

With gratitude,
Chrissy McNair
Interim Executive Director

P.S. I know many of you will be wondering how you can help. Making a donation is a great way to support us during this exciting time. Thank you!