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editor's note

Hi suma friends,
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We’re happy to announce our participation in a community solar program organized by APANO! We’ve also got updates on our progress to make the suma app easier to use, plus news about what’s happening with the Digital Equity Act.
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Thanks for following along with us!

-Jacqueline

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what's new

Accommodation Project Manager!

Thank you to everyone who applied for our Accommodation Project Manager position. We’re grateful for the interest in joining our work. We appreciate the time and effort put into the applications and look forward to sharing more updates soon as we continue growing our team.
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APANO 82nd Ave Solar Program

Suma is excited to partner with APANO Communities United Fund, Bird Alliance of Oregon, Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Humanus Labs. Together, we’re bringing community solar and other clean energy assets into Portland’s JADE District. Construction RFPs for the community solar array were released June 30, with proposals due by August 30. Upcoming, we begin exploring how the suma platform can connect community members to the solar array. Stay tuned for more information about this great work.

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a just digital future

Digital Equity Access

Suma joined a town hall meeting in Medford, where both urban and rural folks heard an update about the impact of the now-discarded Digital Equity Act funds. The update relayed what the state of Oregon is doing to move us forward without the federal government (HB 3148, our Affordable Broadband bill passed!), and what communities and organizations engaging in this work are now doing.

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deCODE with Free Geek

Malena, our Director of Operations, was a guest on Free Geek’s new podcast deCode, a show that breaks down the digital divide through conversation. In this episode Malena and the host discuss the cancellation of the Digital Equity Act and what it means for communities across America. Check out their insight on how communities are continuing to advance digital equity despite the challenges.

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the suma app: built with you in mind

Adaptive BIKETOWN Event

We held our 3rd BIKETOWN pilot event on August 1st at Kerr Bikes, where we explored the process using Adaptive BIKETOWN alongside suma users interested in adaptive bike opportunities. Our goal was to better understand the program so we can more effectively support users who request accommodation rides. Several participants shared that they want greater access to adaptive bikes, providing us valuable insight that will guide our ongoing work.

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​Accommodation Work Update

Since April, we’ve been conducting interviews to explore how users navigate and interact with the suma app, focusing specifically on the ease of use. Many people expressed gratitude for the offerings, but several folks shared that the app can be confusing to navigate. Some people told us they struggled with missing information and unclear language.
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In response, we’ve started working on some simpler app fixes while we complete our interviews with partner communities. After we finish the interviews, we’ll spend October through December developing an accommodation plan based on our findings. We’ll use the completed plan to drive our 2026 work to build, test, refine and launch the app improvements our communities are recommending. Our new Accommodation Project Manager will lead the plan’s development and implementation.

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The BIKETOWN and accommodation work has been made possible through funding entirely by the City of Portland, Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund.