Framing begins at West Lake Grove!
Spring is in full swing at West Lake Grove, and exciting progress is unfolding on-site! This Lake Oswego community will have 23 homes, and March was a big month for laying the groundwork—literally. March Milestones: Framing Begins! We’re using Opti-Frame at this build site. Parr pre-cuts the lumber, labels and delivers each framing package to […]
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Habitat’s roots run deep on Koinonia Farm
In 1968, Clarence Jordan, the founder of Koinonia Farm, penned a do-or-die letter to the revolutionary, interracial farming community he helped create 25 years earlier. “For several years it has been clear that Koinonia stands at the end of an era or perhaps its existence,” he began. “Its goals and methods, which were logical and […]
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Homeownership for one changes the lives of many
Growing up with seven siblings, Lorrie and her family moved a lot. More than anyone should have to. “We moved, I’d say, anywhere from two to six times a year,” Lorrie said, remembering a time when she and three of her siblings were told to lay low in the car when her mom approached a […]
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Oregon’s past may hold the key for future homeowners
In 2023, Washington State authorized a landmark study into its role in housing discrimination and the racial gap in homeownership that persists today. Released in March 2024, Washington’s historic Covenant Homeownership Study laid the groundwork for a new program that specifically targets the victims of its actions to foster homeownership. It’s time Oregon took a […]
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Global Village: Building hope in Ahuachapán
After a long hiatus, Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village program is back! A group of 18 volunteers from the Portland region recently traveled to El Salvador, rolling up their sleeves to help construct safe housing. This was the first Global Village build since 2020, marking a powerful return to international service after the pandemic. In […]
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State of the State’s Housing report calls for urgent action to address the growing crisis
Oregon’s lack of affordable housing isn’t new, but the degree to which it is increasingly unaffordable to live in this state demands urgent action from all stakeholders. That’s the findings of Oregon’s first State of the State’s Housing report, released this month by Oregon Housing and Community Services, the state’s housing finance agency. The report […]
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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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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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The state of housing in the midst of a crisis
Homeownership’s connection to economic stability, improved educational outcomes and better health is well documented. But amid an unprecedented housing crisis, homeownership — and the potential it brings — is financially no longer an option for a growing number of people. The crisis has been decades in the making, a combination of low supply and excessive […]
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