PORTLAND, Ore. —
Randal Wyatt used to bring his tools to job sites in an old Mazda — and they didn’t always fit.
Now, the founder of Taking Ownership PDX — a nonprofit that provides free home upgrades to Black Portlanders — has no trouble getting all his tools where they need to go, and he does so without emitting any fossil fuels.
"It's a gift for sure," Wyatt said. "We now are able to get all our tools to all of our volunteer projects. We're able to get our merchandise to tabling events and whatever supplies we need, they all fit into this SUV, and it's beautiful because we're reducing our carbon footprint."
The SUV Wyatt is referring to is a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4, which Taking Ownership was able to acquire through a grant from Pacific Power’s "E-mobility" program.
Since 2020, the utility has awarded more than $4.5 million in grants to recipients across the state. From Bend to Astoria and Sweet Home to Pendleton, the utility has helped install new chargers where there were none before, and provided funds to purchase electric school buses, utility vans and even a tractor.
"We offer e-mobility grants, electric mobility grants, to non-residential customers," said Brandon Zero, a spokesman for the utility. "So think clinics, hospitals, nonprofits, business customers who can help leverage the impact of going electric."
Wyatt founded Taking Ownership PDX in 2020 after racial justice protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd put a renewed focus on inequities across the country and in Portland. He already had connections in the community through years of activism and as a musician.
"I came up with this idea of giving back to the Black community through repairs and volunteering and financial assistance," he said. "It just kind of blew up overnight."
Since he began, Wyatt and his crew – powered by donations, grants and a lot of volunteers – have completed more than 150 projects across the city.
And helping Black residents of Portland stay in their homes has never been more important as increased property values have fueled gentrification in the city's historically Black neighborhoods.
"They were in situations where their houses were in such bad condition that they were vulnerable to predatory real estate professionals or developers," Wyatt said. "Being able to fix up the homes puts them in a better position to where they can stand their ground and not have to take lowball offers."
While the work is demanding, Wyatt said the responses he sees from homeowners makes it all worth it.
"I’ve seen people in tears," he said. "A lot of times when we say what we're going to do for the homeowners, they think it's too good to be true."
Wyatt also recognizes that the threats posed by climate change don't impact everyone equally. That’s why he's partnered with other groups to install electric heat pump water heaters and given homeowners access to renewable energy sources.
"We're going that route to try to electrify and provide renewable energy to a community that historically and typically doesn't have access to those to those resources," he said.
And now he's helping his community on two fronts: providing crucial repairs to homeowners who need them, and fighting climate change every time he drives to a new job site.
"When you think about climate change," Wyatt said, "the most vulnerable populations and marginalized populations are going to be the most affected."