First Story, Hayden Homes, NeighborImpact and other local partners collaborated to help three families move into their new homes in Sisters. A special, socially distanced key dedication took place and was attended by the City of Sisters and members of the Hayden Homes and First Story teams.
“All three families are the first in their families to own their own home,” said First Story Executive Director Claire Duncan. Two of the three families currently live and work in Sisters. The nonprofit First Story, along with NeighborImpact, reached out to the Sisters community to seek applicants and to help prospective homeowners prepare for the responsibilities of homeownership. The first three families are graduates of Neighborlmpact’s HomeSource Program. Each family is grateful for the safety, health and happiness that owning a home brings.
The nonprofit First Story is addressing the affordable housing crisis through an integrated approach that focuses on providing a hand-up to homeownership. First Story, Hayden Homes, Neighborlmpact and the City of Sisters have come together for this special project in order to provide affordable homeownership opportunities in Sisters.
Among the homes built in the three-phase Hayden Homes community, McKenzie Meadows Village, will be ten homes dedicated to affordable housing for families qualifying at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) threshold of 80 percent or below of Adjusted Median Income (AMI). The homes are sold through First Story’s, Hayden Homes’ nonprofit charitable arm, with a 30-year non-interest loan program.
“What we’re doing in Sisters is the largest, most impactful project the nonprofit has ever done,” said Duncan. The three families received their keys to their First Story homes in the initial phase of the project, which is expected to take three years to complete.
First Story’s affordable loan program provides zero-down, zero-interest, 30-year loans to qualified individuals purchasing their first home. The First Story homes are triplex units — but they are only attached at the garage and do not share a living-space wall, giving them the feel of single-family detached homes. They are 1,058 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They come with appliances, air conditioning, fencing and landscaping in place.
First Story and Hayden Homes will collaborate on three more homes in 2021. If you are interested in learning more please visit: firststory.org/own-a-home.
