(Photo | Courtesy of Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity)
Building homes for affordable homeownership since 1989, Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity recently celebrated serving its 200th family with the completion of ten affordable townhomes and nine Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in Redmond.
Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity has much to celebrate with this project. “Welcoming home our 200th family to a life transformed by homeownership is a significant milestone for our organization,” Mellissa Kamanya, director of Grants Management, said. “In the same moment, we are honoring a total of ten families who are proud new homeowners at this site!” These townhomes are Bend-Redmond Habitat’s second Net-Zero project built with extra energy efficiency measures and environmental sustainability in mind. It also their second permanently affordable project, establishing an enduring legacy of affordable homeownership in Redmond by only reselling these to low-to-moderate income families. An exciting first for Bend-Redmond Habitat, by working closely with the City of Redmond, nine Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) were also built at this location and are permanently established for affordable housing.
Bend-Redmond Habitat’s 200th family is a single father of two young children. After a difficult divorce, he moved with his children into his parents’ basement to try to get back on his feet. He worked hard to save money for a space of their own, but with the high cost of housing and two children to care for, it felt like an impossible dream. He says that he “can’t wait to feel like my kids are in a safe community, where I know everyone and where everyone supports each other.” As he is preparing to move in, he looks forward to living near a park and giving his children a bedroom of their own.
Habitat successfully provides affordable housing because of widespread support from donors, state and city partnerships, community members and volunteers. Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is one of the main project sponsors for this site. Becky Isom, senior program manager at OHCS, said, “We know the need for housing in Central Oregon is significant, and we can only reach our goal of providing housing for all people of Oregon by creating durable and sustainable partnerships that address the root causes of the housing crisis. We are so proud that by using resources provided by our agency, Habitat for Humanity was able to quickly get to work on the project and start construction within less than a year.”
“In partnership with the City of Redmond, Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity has built affordable housing that is bringing stability to our workforce and neighborhoods,” said Redmond’s Deputy City Manager John Roberts. “These affordable townhomes and ADUs are creating long lasting legacies of hope and change for hard working families in Redmond.”
Bend-Redmond Habitat is one of the few affordable housing builders in Central Oregon providing opportunities for homeownership for low to moderate income people that are housing unstable and make 40 percent to 80 percent of the area median income. With their homeownership program, families & individuals are required to volunteer hundreds of hours as the down payment for the home, attend monthly financial education classes and participate in a matched savings program for the closing costs. When those requirements are fulfilled and the house is constructed, the families & individuals purchase it with a below market rate loan for 30 years.
Habitat isn’t building these homes on their own. In fact, it takes roughly 5,000 people, directly or indirectly, partnering on each home so that people have a chance at a different life. A home creates an opportunity to become stable, for security, a feeling of tranquility and empowers people to become better.
bendredmondhabitat.org • 541-385-5387
