Yesterday Bend Area Habitat for Humanity celebrated its 100th Home milestone with an event at 2856 NE Spring Water Place in Bend. Sponsors include Wells Fargo, Sterling Bank, Sunset Plumbing, Top Notch Electric, Bend Heating, Bend Painting, Building Solutions, Deschutes Brewery, ProBuild, Consolidated Supply, Sunlight Solar, Jeld-Wen, ECI, RockAll Drywall, CertainTeed and DOW.
For 23 years, Bend Area Habitat has been building affordable homes and serving low-income families in Bend and Crook County. This year the organization is thrilled to be able to celebrate their 100th home built by this amazing community of volunteers, businesses, and individuals and, of course, each family purchasing a Habitat home.
In addition to the normal high standards of constructing energy efficient and sustainable homes, Habitat is going one step further to demonstrate their environmental stewardship by utilizing approximately 2,000 lineal feet of salvaged lumber from the old State Police Building Habitat deconstructed recently. This material would have gone to the landfill but instead will house a family for generations to come.
Amber Schmied and her daughter, Kassidie, will purchase the 100th Home from Bend Area Habitat. Amber says, “Being a part of this program means so much to me. Habitat has impacted every part of our life. Everything I do from volunteering at the office to saving and budgeting, I think about our future and our home. Habitat has given me the opportunity to provide a home for Kassidie and me that I didn’t think possible. Habitat has given me hope and I know we will have a sense of stability and security and I have the opportunity to use my skills to give back to the community at the same time.”
Bend Area Habitat for Humanity’s 100th Home is part of a world-wide effort to eliminate sub-standard housing for families like Amber’s who deserve to live in decent and affordable housing. Since 1976, Habitat International has served more than 500,000 families.
About Bend Habitat for Humanity
Bend Area Habitat for Humanity, with God’s guidance, works in partnership with the community and with families in need to build quality, affordable homes in Bend and Crook County. Bend Habitat also offers exterior home repair and weatherization services to low-income families. Bend Habitat has built 99 homes in Bend since 1989. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds simple, decent homes with the help of the future homeowners. Families are required to complete 400-600 hours of sweat equity (volunteer hours). Habitat homes are sold to families with a 0% mortgage through Habitat. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat homes. For more information, visit bendhabitat.org.
