Before they became a project manager with Habitat for Humanity Portland Region, or the director of procurement for Habitat ReStores, before they became the director of Habitat’s homeownership programs, they were AmeriCorps volunteers.   Ian Gallager, Malia Tam Sing and Erin Maxey were among the hundreds of thousands of people who enroll in AmeriCorps each year, […]

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 […]

Join us on Saturday, June 15, for a day of community, culture, and celebration at the Juneteenth Oregon Festival, hosted by Juneteenth Oregon. This annual event kicks off with a vibrant parade at 11 am, starting from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, heading south on MLK, and concluding at Lillis-Albina Park.   The festival runs […]

A lot can change in a year. In June 2023, Hayley was getting priced out of her small one-bedroom apartment in Northeast Portland, all while trying to support herself and her husband, who was temporarily out of a job due to health issues, on just her single income. But now, in June 2024, she and […]

Christopher Brown, third from right, joins his Ambassador Council working at the Alder Commons build site in Hillsboro. As a second-generation Portlander, my affinity for this city runs deep. And while some of those reasons are related to things like my family, the summer months, and the food scene, my deepest sense of gratitude comes […]

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. […]

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 […]