After a long journey, Ellen and sons find comfort and safety in their Habitat home
Ellen stands at her Ninja blender in her kitchen, preparing smoothies for herself and her sons as she does every morning. She knows pretty much everything there is to know about smoothies; various recipes are taped to the insides of her cupboards, and her freezer is filled with frozen berries and vegetables. For Ellen’s family, smoothies are a lot […]
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Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for housing justice
In the final years of his life, Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy was already cemented with his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But one key element in civil rights was still missing in his view: housing justice. […]
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Still in high school, Alex is introducing the mission of Habitat to a younger generation
Alex Coltman dreams of one day becoming Oregon’s first Latina senator. But first, she’s got to finish high school. At only 17 years old, Alex has already decided she is going to change this country for the better. She’s already well on her way, in fact, starting with her home community. “With people of my […]
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Mirian and Eliseo eager to start fresh in a new family home
Eliseo and Mirian live in a small Hillsboro apartment with their four children ages 10, 9, 7, and 2. While they’ve been able to make it work for the past several years, the truth is that their living situation is inadequate for a family of six. To make matters worse, their rent increases every year. […]
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Celebrating a new chapter of affordable homeownership in Lake Oswego
Community members, Habitat staff, and locally elected officials gathered Dec. 15 to celebrate the site kickoff of Habitat’s future 23-home community in the Lake Grove neighborhood of Lake Oswego. The construction of this community is a significant development in affordable housing for Lake Oswego. The 1.9-acre project is a collaboration between Habitat for Humanity Portland […]
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State’s asset-building program worth greater investment, housing advocates say
We’ve heard it countless times: It takes money to make money. Buying a home takes a down payment, launching a business means start-up capital, going to college requires advanced tuition. These investments are cornerstones to creating economic stability and building generational wealth, but not everyone is able to unlock those opportunities. For many Oregonians, Individual […]
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A Decade Later: Portland’s N/NE Preference Policy sees progress, challenges ahead
North and Northeast Portland — the heart of Portland’s Black community for over 60 years — lost two-thirds of its Black residents due to urban renewal and gentrification. Galvanized by a proposed below-market sale of a city-owned lot to a national retail chain, community leaders pushed to prioritize affordable housing to allow Black households to […]
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Habitat for Humanity named Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Awardee
Habitat for Humanity named Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Awardee Habitat for Humanity Portland Region is excited and deeply honored to receive Bank of America’s prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award for 2023. Habitat, along with Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon, (MESO) was selected for our work of advancing economic mobility and building up neighborhoods in the […]
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A career in the trades takes hold with Habitat
Tired of working retail and warehouse gigs, Leo Ochoa began to take greater stock in the words of his father. “My dad told me, do whatever you want, whatever you like.” Leo said. “Don’t try to get a job just for the sake of making money.” What he wanted was to be hands on, working […]
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Home is where Habitat is: Here’s one volunteer’s story engaging with the organization around the globe
Wherever Alex Ragland is in the world, no matter the country or time zone, he knows he can find comfort and community with Habitat for Humanity. It all started when he was in college. Alex found his school’s branch of Habitat while attending Austin College in Texas. He was already keeping busy with his fraternity […]
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