Mayor Keith Wilson has put Portland Housing Bureau Director Helmi Hisserich on leave, effective immediately.

City Administrator Michael Jordan sent an email to city councilors and city leadership on October 30 announcing Hisserich’s leave, according to public records obtained by the Mercury. The letter names Michael Buonocore as the interim director while Hisserich is on leave.

No specific reason was provided for the major staffing decision. “Our decision-making was informed by the gravity of this moment, with competing housing, homelessness, and budgetary crises,” Jordan wrote.

Hisserich has been a vocal supporter of long-term solutions to the city’s housing crisis. In a March 25 Housing and Homelessness Committee meeting, Hisserich spoke about her experience with social housing models

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