Lasting affordability and community land trusts
Portland recently passed its first Housing Production Strategy, with a goal to create more than 120,000 units by 2045 to meet the projected housing demand. It wants 53% of them to be affordable to lower income households. Doing that means a comprehensive plan with creative approaches to building affordable homes, not just for today, but […]
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Construction update: New communities taking shape
The seasons are changing! As autumn arrives, wetter weather always presents some challenges. Here’s what’s happening at our build sites: CENTURY COMMONS (Hillsboro) We recently hosted our inaugural Frame a Future campaign celebration at Century Commons! Attendees got to peek behind the walls at several sustainability and accessibility features. Keep an eye on our social media […]
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Family fills home with love and good energy
When Hans and Ruthie Saucier moved into their Habitat home, the oldest of their five children was only 10. The youngest was 5. It was a full house, filled with love, energy, and hope. That was nearly 20 years ago. The children have grown up and moved out, with careers of their own now. But […]
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Volunteer combines design savvy with sustainability at Habitat’s ReStore
With a background in fine arts, Lynn opened her own interior design business in 2010 and became known as the sustainability expert among her peers. It was her vocation in her work as a designer and an educator, working with clients interested in sustainable practices, healthy materials, and affordable and accessible housing. “I’ve always been […]
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Larry finds serenity and security at home
Larry sits in his North Portland home, surrounded by lush, green plants. “It’s serenity here,” Larry observed. “This is peaceful.” Larry moved to Portland from Ohio as a teenager, to live with family. He grew up around Fargo Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, back when it was called Union Avenue. “Living was reasonable,” […]
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Frame a future where inclusive communities thrive
In 2019, Aimee’s life changed dramatically when her niece and nephew came to live with her. Stability for all of them became her main priority. Both her nephew, Diego, and her niece, Patricia, were in grade school at the time, and the need was not only to provide a stable home for them to live […]
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Frame a Future where everyone can reach financial stability
Always with an eye toward the future, Elijah sees homeownership as a game changer in his life. His new Habitat home not only provides an affordable place to live for his family, but an investment that will allow him to reach his goal of running his own business and planning for his son’s future. Elijah […]
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Frame a Future with safe, healthy homes for all
No parent could put a price on their children’s health, but that doesn’t mean it has to be out of reach. It starts with a safe and healthy home, the kind Habitat homeowner Sandra moved into 10 years ago with her family. “(Our) medical bills are less because we’re all healthy and we have a […]
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Frame a future where every child thrives in school
Homeownership brought many changes to Isaura Ascensio’s life, but one of the most significant was the impact it had on her young son, Uriel. Uriel was in grade school when they moved into their Habitat home, and Isaura said the new environment was soon evident in her son’s schoolwork. “After I became a homeowner,” Isaura […]
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In memory of the starter home
Starter homes – modest in size and price – used to be a gateway for first-time homebuyers to begin building equity and a lifetime of stable homeownership. That gateway, however, has significantly narrowed, as the housing shortage has placed a premium on smaller homes that used to fit the budget of a first-time, entry-level buyer. […]
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