Homeownership is about more than having a place to call home. It’s also about finding community, building connections, and having a voice in shaping the place where you live.
For Sandra, being part of the Homeowner Leadership Council (HLC) is an opportunity to share her experience and help others along their own homeownership journeys.
“Habitat has given me a place to allow me to serve others by inviting me to share my experience as I became a homeowner and the journey I have had to this point,” she says. “The point is to share what I can, to hopefully help others have a good experience in the process of homeownership.”
Sandra is one of the homeowners creating that opportunity for others through the HLC. Since launching in 2024, Council members have brought their experiences and perspectives to conversations about housing, supported fellow homeowners and found new ways to strengthen their communities.
That peer-to-peer connection can build a different kind of trust — one grounded in shared experience. And it reinforces a simple lesson: trust is built by showing up.
That message recently reached a wider audience at a Habitat for Humanity International conference in Atlanta. A panel from Oregon, including Sandra, shared how homeowners are building leadership and advocating for change in their own communities.
“HLC has allowed us to have a voice with Habitat and support new homeowners,” Sandra shared. “Every voice can be heard and every person can bring a perspective.”
What is the Homeowner Leadership Council?
Launched in 2024 with 10 members, the HLC brings together homeowners from different backgrounds, cultures, and communities across the Portland region. Members must have been Habitat homeowners for at least one year.
The Council creates space for homeowners to connect with one another, strengthen leadership skills, and help influence the programs and policies that affect their lives. Rather than making decisions about homeowners without their input, Habitat is working alongside them to identify opportunities for change.
As HLC member Ellen put it in a reflection shared by the Council’s first cohort:
“We are used to having decisions made for us, not with us. The HLC challenged that.”
That shift is central to the Council’s work. Members bring their lived experiences to conversations with Habitat staff, offering perspectives that can help identify barriers, inform decisions and make programs more responsive to homeowners’ needs.
Habitat Community Development Program Manager Annette Pronk is the HLC’s staff liaison. She says, “We built the council around a simple idea: create a space to truly listen to homeowners’ stories, gifts, and dreams.”
Instead of running things from the top down, Habitat works shoulder-to-shoulder with members, dedicating one full Saturday morning a month to just sit together, build trust, and co-design our next steps.
“The biggest takeaway for me has been that lived experience is the best kind of expertise,” Annette reflects. “When you give people the time and room to lead, they naturally come up with the most brilliant solutions for their own neighborhoods.”
From sharing experiences to shaping change
During its first year, HLC members shared feedback on Habitat policies, including background check and sweat equity requirements. Their perspectives helped bring homeowners’ experiences into discussions about how Habitat programs operate.
Members have also stepped into advocacy roles, traveling to Salem to speak with lawmakers about housing issues. For some, it was their first time participating in this kind of advocacy.
In February 2026, two HLC members traveled to Washington, D.C., for Habitat on the Hill, joining delegates from across the country in advocating for policies that support affordable homeownership.
These experiences create opportunities for members to build confidence, develop leadership skills and bring homeowner perspectives into conversations where they might otherwise be missing.
The Council has also helped members connect with the broader Habitat community. At the 2025 HopeBuilder Lunch, HLC members filled a table in support of fellow member Ellen, who shared how becoming a Habitat homeowner shaped her life and gave her a foundation to help others find a place to call home.
For members, that sense of connection is part of what makes the Council meaningful.
In a reflection on her experience, member Kalex wrote:
“As a Habitat homeowner, I was able to help build my home. As an HLC member, I am able to help build a community around my home.”
What’s next for the HLC?
The HLC’s work is not limited to influencing Habitat programs or advocating for affordable homeownership. Members are also exploring how they can help strengthen connections among homeowners in their own neighborhoods.
For member Jennie, that idea began with a familiar challenge: finding community in a new place.
“Community has always been my root system that keeps me grounded, though it’s been hard to find in a new place,” she shared in the Council’s first-cohort zine.
Through the HLC, Jennie connected with a neighbor, and the two began growing gardens on their balconies with plants that carry their stories. They are inviting other homeowners to imagine how they can create a shared space that feels like home to everyone.
It’s a small example of a larger idea: becoming a homeowner does not automatically mean feeling connected to the people who live nearby. Building that sense of belonging takes opportunities to meet, share experiences and create something together.
That spirit is now informing the HLC’s newest initiative, the Neighborhood Roots Fund.
The micro-grant program will provide grants of $100 to $850 for homeowner-led projects that bring neighbors together. Ideas might include a block party, community garden, skill-sharing workshop, or another activity that helps residents connect.
By putting resources behind homeowners’ ideas, the HLC hopes to help neighbors build relationships and create stronger, more welcoming communities.
A growing opportunity for homeowner leadership
The HLC continues to evolve as members build on the Council’s foundation and welcome new voices. The first cohort celebrated its accomplishments in June 2025, and two new members have joined since.
From advocacy to neighborhood connection, HLC members are turning shared experience into action — and opening doors for other homeowners to lead, too.
And the work is far from finished.
As HLC member Kalex shared, there is still more to do — and plenty of reason to be excited about what comes next.
For homeowners interested in connecting with other leaders, sharing their perspectives or helping shape future initiatives, the HLC is recruiting new members. Look for monthly info sessions starting in January 2027!
Learn more about the Homeowner Leadership Council, its work, and opportunities to participate at habitatportlandregion.org/programs/homeowner-leadership-council/.
