Habitat for Humanity Portland Region

Dark clouds, bright smiles ☁️😊 Wells Fargo volunteers braved the wet weather to help us build Gooseberry Trails, our new community in SW Portland. It’s our biggest ever, with 52 affordable homes!

Every volunteer helps create a place where first-time homeowners can put down roots.

We’re grateful for the time, energy, and teamwork this group brought to the job site. rain or shine!

Yesterday, we kicked off construction on True North with a community of partners, friends, and neighbors. Beyond bringing 50 permanently affordable homes to the University Park neighborhood in North Portland, True North will help address historic displacement by prioritizing applicants with generational ties to the area as part of the N/NE Preference Policy.

“It is a reminder of our shared values that we don’t have to agree on every facet of life to ensure that we materially deliver for people in a way that they can afford, and that the very people that helped create and build the city and the state don’t get pushed out of it,” says Andrea Bell, Executive Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services.

We are honored to be part of this transformative work. To every one of our partners and supporters: thank you for making this project possible.

Special thanks to Dr. Steven Holt, Leslie Goodlow and the Portland Housing Bureau, Council President Juan Carlos González and Metro, Director Andrea Bell and Oregon Housing and Community Services, Dana Fuller Shephard and Arrive Homeownership, Proud Ground, OnPoint Community Credit Union, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Senator Ron Wyden.

"True North represents every sector of our community coming together, learning from the past, choosing what's right for our future,” says Steve Messinetti, President & CEO of Habitat Portland Region.

This is just the beginning! Stay tuned for construction updates and news about this exciting journey: https://habitatportlandregion.org/about/contact-us/ -signup

“I kind of feel like I'm still pinching myself.”

For Andrea, it’s still hard to believe she’s a homeowner. Before moving into her West Lake Grove 3-bedroom this summer, she spent years searching for affordable housing.

With two children and an income destabilized by managing her Crohn’s disease, affording rentals was never easy. In the last few years, she says, it felt nearly impossible; facing larger rent increases every year, she knew her housing situation couldn’t last.

“My kids and I needed a bigger space,” she says. “Plus, I wanted to be able to have something to give them.”

While she got on the waitlist for Section 8 housing, she started applying to Habitat communities: Not one, not two, but four. Finally, her application was chosen in the lottery for West Lake Grove, and she wasted no time building her future — literally.

Andrea has become a beloved member of the build site crew, still volunteering well beyond her required hours. For her, volunteering feels like “a place to put my gratitude.”

Now, she’s settling into the new reality she built with her own two hands. While it’s still hard to believe, life as a homeowner is already bringing relief.

“There’s the peace of not having to worry about a new contract for an apartment,” she says. “Financial stress isn’t something you can therapize away — it’s real. Every day when I wake up, I’m so grateful that I have this place and my kids know that it’s here.”

Andrea, thank you for sharing your story with us and bringing so much dedication and joy to West Lake Grove. We are honored to be a part of your journey and can’t wait to see what the rest holds!

We can’t wait for next week's Frame a Future celebration! What makes it extra special is getting to see and share the progress.

Construction sites where we’ve gathered in past years are now neighborhoods that people call home.

And next week we’ll be at our largest community to date, where 52 new homes are rising in Southwest Portland.

Want to help build what’s next? Thanks to a generous donation match, your gift can go twice as far!

Learn more - https://habitatportlandregion.org/donate/frameafuture/

This week, we welcomed Senator Kate Lieber and Representative Tawna Sanchez, co-chairs of the Oregon Legislature’s Joint Ways and Means Committee, to our new community in Southwest Portland.

Together with our partners at Proud Ground and Habitat for Humanity of Oregon, we talked about what 𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗧 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 helps make possible for Oregon families — and what it takes to create homeownership opportunities designed to last.

Habitat homeowners purchase their homes with affordable mortgages, build equity over time, and become part of communities designed to remain affordable for future generations. Since 1981, Habitat homeowners have maintained a less than 2% foreclosure rate.

Gooseberry Trails will bring 52 permanently affordable homes to SW Portland, giving families and individuals who have few other paths to homeownership the opportunity to build a future of their own.

Thank you, Sen. Lieber and Rep. Sanchez, for spending time with us, asking thoughtful questions, and learning more about affordable homeownership in Oregon.

Mark your calendar! We have FREE financial education classes coming up, and info sessions for Habitat homeowners interested in leading community projects.

🏡 Want to build a strong financial foundation? We’re partnering with Financial Beginnings to offer a free five-class series. “SAFE: Strategies to Achieve Financial Empowerment” is designed to equip you with practical skills and knowledge to achieve your financial goals.

SAFE Financial Beginnings — 5 class series
Goals & Tools — Wed., Sept. 30 | 5:30-7 pm (virtual)
Income & Taxes — Wed., Oct. 7 | 5:30-7 pm (virtual)
Credit & Debt — Wed., Oct. 14 | 5:30-7 pm (virtual)
Protecting Yourself — Wed., Oct. 21 | 5:30-7 pm (virtual)
Retirement & Savings — Wed., Oct. 28 | 5:30-7 pm (virtual)

Anyone can join, we just ask that you register in advance! Sign up and find more useful resources at our Homeowner Resource Hub: https://habitatportlandregion.org/programs/homeownership/homeowner-resources/

📣 Calling all Habitat homeowners! We’re hosting two virtual info sessions for you to learn about the Homeownership Leadership Council and the Neighborhood Roots Fund, a small grant program that supports community-led projects.

Info Session 1 — Thur., Oct. 15 | 6:30 pm (virtual)
Info Session 2 — Thur., Nov. 5 | 6:30 pm (virtual)

Sign up here: https://habitatportlandregion.org/programs/homeowner-leadership-council/neighborhood-roots-fund/

We’re grateful for the next generation of community builders! Students and staff from Lewis & Clark College recently joined us at Twenty Fifth Terrace to put service into action.

They spent the day painting the interior of one of the 17 affordable homes taking shape just a couple miles from their campus in SW Portland. Over lunch, we had the chance to talk about what brings people to volunteer and what they take away from the experience.

For one, it was the chance to put down the books and work with their hands. Others were excited to learn a new life skill and build confidence with a paint roller. Another found painting therapeutic, especially with Bad Bunny in the background 🎶

Thank you to Lewis & Clark College’s Center for Social Change & Community Involvement for being part of the Pope Leo Village. Together, we're building homes, community, and hope.

King City Commons has been recognized with Housing Oregon’s Golden Key Award – Best Homeownership Development! 🔑

King City Commons features 16 affordable townhomes with a mix of two to four bedrooms. They were built to Earth Advantage Platinum standards with 100% electric appliances and solar-ready roofs.

The community also includes a natural play space with a water feature. And, like all of our new homes, King City Commons was built for lasting affordability. This allows homeowners to continue building equity in their homes while ensuring that the homes remain affordable to the next buyers.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of bringing King City Commons to life. We couldn’t do it without you!

Architect: Polyphon Architecture & Design, LLC
Civil Engineer: Westlake Consultants, Inc.

They traded the boardroom for the build site and spent a day learning new skills, making connections, and helping build homes 🛠️

More than a dozen executive leaders recently rolled up their sleeves at Gooseberry Trails, framing an interior wall and tackling other jobs around the site.

Gooseberry Trails is our largest community to date with 52 affordable homes. We're grateful to everyone who showed up ready to learn, lend a hand, and help move this community forward.

Please welcome Amy Malagamba, Gabriela Mann, and Youtheary Sim to our board of directors!

All three bring a deep commitment to building equitable and accessible communities.

Amy, Vice President of Corporate Marketing at The Standard, has previously served on the board of Meals on Wheels People and has demonstrated wide-ranging leadership in communications.

Gabriela, in her role as a bilingual real estate advisor, has worked relentlessly to expand homeownership access. In 2026, she was appointed by Governor Tina Kotek to the Racial Justice Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee.

Youtheary, owner of Sweet T Bakery, is an advocate and entrepreneur who currently serves on the board for Reed’s Crossing, one of Oregon's largest mixed-use master-planned communities.

Read more about our incredible new board members here: https://habitatportlandregion.org/habitat-portland-region-appoints-three-new-board-members/