Blog

Welcoming Homeowners Into Their Homes | Winter Construction Update

Habitat crews dress in warmer layers now as snow and rain drops descend upon our new communities for 2023. We continue to meet the increasing need for affordable housing across the Portland region. And with the help of our supporters and volunteers, Habitat for Humanity Portland Region finished hammering in more frames than ever this […]

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Portland Region Habitat Honored For International Support of Housing 

Habitat for Humanity Portland Region was honored this month with a special award by our international partner in El Salvador.  Habitat for Humanity El Salvador is recognizing the Portland Region affiliate for 25 years of support in the Central American country, helping ensure that people there have a safe and stable home. The effort is […]

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An Accessible Home and a Lifetime of Stability | Shamsa’s Story

Shamsa and her family escaped their home in Syria when the Civil War broke out in 2016, and with the aid of the International Organization for Migration, they found refuge in America. For the next five years, Shamsa and her husband, Mohammed, raised their three elementary school-aged children, Aleen, Jameel, and Yazan, in their two-bedroom, […]

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Second Generation Habitat Homeowner | James’ story 

James remembers fondly his youth in Florida, his neighborhood and friendships — a childhood he would like for his future children. He grew up in a Habitat home, and someday his kids may grow up in a Habitat home, too. The home is nearly complete, one of 31 underway at Habitat’s Cherry Blossom community in […]

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Cully’s Revolutionary Urban Renewal Plan Cleared For Action 

For more than a decade, the city has recognized the fragile diversity and affordability of Portland’s Cully Neighborhood. With a unanimous vote on Wednesday, city officials took a major step forward in preserving that diversity with a plan one commissioner called a “legacy project.”  The Portland City Council’s decision this week created a new Cully […]

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Preservation, Not Displacement, The Focus of a New Kind of Urban Renewal 

Portland City Council is poised to make a groundbreaking decision that could help one neighborhood fortify itself against the forces of gentrification.   On Wednesday, Nov. 9, the City Council will hear a proposal to create a Tax Increment Finance, or TIF District in the Cully Neighborhood, one of the city’s most culturally and ethnically diverse […]

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Volunteer with Women Build | Wanda’s Story

“I was filled with hope that these houses are being built.”  Wanda McNealy calls herself “Portland passionate,” and she’s committed to helping the city she loves grow even stronger. She recently spent her first day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, helping build and move fencing for the Cherry Blossom community in the Mill […]

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Native Landscaping Adds Beauty to New Habitat Homes

This fall, two Habitat communities — Alder Commons in Hillsboro and Denney Gardens in Beaverton— are focusing on native species in their landscaping plans. “Portland has been in the forefront of this movement to plant native plants,” said Jane Hartline, owner of Sauvie Island Natives, who recently led a crew of volunteers planting hundreds of […]

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Saving a Family Legacy: Michelle’s Home Repair Story

Michelle’s home is a healing place, that recently needed healing of its own. Self-employed as a psychotherapist, Michelle uses her home in North Portland for client sessions, helping people do emotional work through difficult times. It is a stately house, nearly 100 years old, and it is steeped in family memories. On the dining room […]

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Building For the Future | Fall Construction Update

Cherry Blossom | Southeast Portland  Fall has settled in on Habitat build sites around the region, but the towering fir trees at our Cherry Blossom development are as green as ever. The first eight out of 31 homes at the Southeast neighborhood community have passed inspection and excitement is in the air as homebuyers prepare […]

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