When passing by NE Killingsworth and 15th, you may notice that the Habitat office building is finally getting a much needed makeover. A grant from Portland Development Commission’s Storefront Improvement Program will allow us to fix windows and siding, paint the building and make other modifications that will protect this circa 1927 neighborhood landmark. We will also install new signage. The improvements should wrap up by March, but painting will wait until dry weather. The office team is excited about the project, despite working through the sounds of banging hammers and buzzing saws, bringing us closer to the atmosphere normally reserved for our construction sites.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East builds rain or shine!  However, our area sometimes gets weather that makes traveling and construction unsafe. If you are signed up to volunteer when the weather turns for the worse, please read the following information on what to do.

In the event of an unscheduled closure of our construction sites or the Habitat office, a notice will be accessible by calling our Volunteer Notification number at 503-517-8935. This number will have a recorded message concerning site closures or delays by 7:00 A.M. on the day of the event.

Please note that Habitat follows the inclement weather policy of Portland Public Schools during the work week and also records notices at this number and posts them to our website on Saturdays.

Volunteers are encouraged to call this notification number and use their best judgement before heading to their volunteer position if they feel inclement weather might prevent traveling to site or building safely.

Habitat’s five-year recovery program on target to serve 50,000 families

ATLANTA (Jan. 6, 2012) – Two years after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, Habitat for Humanity’s five-year disaster recovery program has helped more than 40,000 families or approximately 200,000 individuals in Port-au-Prince, Léogâne and Cabaret.

As part of its effort to provide 50,000 families with pathways to permanent housing, Habitat has distributed to-date more than 24,500 emergency shelter kits with partner organizations, constructed more than 4,000 transitional or upgradeable shelters, conducted 12,000 house damage assessments, repaired or rehabbed more than 350 houses, and constructed 150 permanent core houses as part of its permanent housing community in Léogâne.

“Habitat has a long-term view of its work in Haiti. We are committed to remaining in the country for years to come and reaching more families in desperate need of simple and decent permanent shelter,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “While our earthquake recovery program has focused largely on temporary housing solutions, our primary focus over the next three years will shift to partnering with Haitian families to provide permanent housing.”

The Léogâne development has the potential to house up to 500 families, or approximately 2,500 individuals. Volunteers constructed 100 core homes in one week as part of Habitat’s 28th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. An additional 50 Habitat homes were built in partnership with Haven, an Irish non-profit. Habitat will construct another 100 houses in 2012 with more to be constructed, pending additional funding.

“We are extremely grateful for the support Habitat has received from donors, supporters and volunteers, without whom our recovery efforts in Haiti would not be possible,” said Mark Andrews, vice president of Haiti recovery for Habitat for Humanity International. “Our hope is to be able to help even more families through the continued generosity of people who share our commitment to Haiti.”

Habitat is also helping to build long-term economic growth and sustainability by training and hiring Haitians through Habitat Haiti’s main office and Habitat Resource Centers. Approximately 700 local job opportunities have been created by Habitat’s recovery program and nearly 80 percent of its full-time central staff is Haitian. In addition, Habitat has trained approximately 4,450 individuals in construction techniques, financial literacy, damage assessments, disaster risk reduction and business development.

Additionally, since land tenure remains the biggest roadblock to reconstruction, Habitat is leading a coalition supporting land tenure reform. Land ownership was nebulous before the earthquake, and now it is even more of a challenge. Building permanent homes on land that is not properly deeded is not an option for Habitat.

To address this challenge, Habitat has created and fostered the Haiti Property Law Working Group, a diverse coalition of Haitian government officials, lawyers, academics and business leaders, along with representatives of the World Bank, USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, the government of France, the Organization of American States, Architecture for Humanity, the Clinton Global Initiative, foundations, development partners and other nongovernmental organizations engaged in reconstruction and development. The goal of the Haiti Property Law Working Group is to support the government of Haiti in the recovery effort through the appropriate development of property for job creation, wealth creation, housing and other purposes by defining each step of the current processes applicable to land transactions and recommending improvements to be incorporated in future policies.

The earthquake damaged nearly 190,000 houses in Haiti, of which 105,000 were completely destroyed. Of the more than 2 million affected survivors, 550,000 are still displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration.

About Habitat for Humanity Haiti
Habitat for Humanity has been at work in Haiti for 27 years and has provided housing solutions through a variety of initiatives including new home construction, progressive building, home repairs and improvements. Habitat also builds capacity in construction skills, disaster risk reduction and financial literacy, and works in coordination with community and government agencies.

For many local families, homeownership can seem like an unobtainable dream. For the past two years, Habitat has seen a significant increase in the number of families needing assistance. If your family is in need of permanent, stable housing or know families who are, please spread the word about Habitat’s Homeownership Application process starting this February.

Those interested in applying to become homeowners can determine if the Habitat program fits their needs with How to Qualify information below. Then sign up to receive important notices about the application process by submitting contact information in the interest form.

All interested applicants must attend an homeowner information session to receive an official application. There are four dates to choose from, please arrange to attend at least one meeting to receive an application.

Please contact Reianna DaRosa at 503.287.9529 x19 or email reianna@habitatportlandmetro.org if you have any questions.

Qualifying to buy a Habitat home

Families need to meet the following criteria in order to qualify for the Habitat for Humanity program:

• Resident Status: Must be a United States citizen or permanent legal resident.
• First-time homebuyer: Must have NOT owned a home in the past three years.
• Need: Currently living in sub-standard, subsidized, or unaffordable housing.
• Willingness to Partner: Must contribute 500 hours of “sweat equity”.
• Ability to Pay: Must have proof of steady income, have satisfactory credit history, and be within 30-60% of the median Portland Metro area household income (for example, approx. $21,900– $43,800 for a family of four.)

Interest Form

Please note that this interest form is NOT an application for a Habitat home, but provides us with your contact information so that we can notify you when we have our next round of homeowner information sessions. You can only receive an application after attending one of these sessions.

First Name *
Last Name *
Address *
City *
State *
Zip *
Email
Home Phone
Cell Phone
Work Phone
Number of people in your family, including yourself*
Number of male children under 18
Number of female children under 18
Annual Gross Income *
Would you like to subscribe to our monthly email list?	No thanks. Yes, please subscribe me.

Habitat would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all of our donors and volunteers for their support and hard work in 2011. So many of you generously shared your time and hard earned money to help Habitat build simple, healthy, affordable homes for hardworking families in our community.

In 2011, we saw the number of qualified families coming to Habitat for a hand up increase significantly. And because of the generosity from people like you, Habitat was able to increase its homebuilding capacity, allowing us to provide healthy homes for 30 families in 2012!

We wish you a joy filled year ahead and thank you again for your generosity that will continue to bless families for years to come!

WE HAVE THE POWER to put an end to the housing crisis right here in Portland and Gresham. We have the power to build a community where everyone has a simple, decent, affordable place to live; and where poverty housing is unacceptable.

Our 2011 Annual Report outlines Habitat’s efforts to address poverty housing in Portland and Gresham over the past year and thanks our generous list of donors and our Golden Hammer Volunteers, who have graciously donated over 100 hours of their time.

Read our 2011 Annual Report by clicking here.

As Habitat grows from serving 20 to 30 families every year, the number of volunteers on our construction sites is predicted to increase by 50%. A grant from Bank of America will help to enhance volunteer communications and enhance overall volunteer satisfaction as Habitat grows from providing 6,000 to 9,000 annual build site experiences.

This award will directly support a new, computerized, construction volunteer check-in system. Bank of America funds will purchase laptops for use at build sites, underwrite one-time setup costs to synchronize imported volunteer data with our existing database and share the cost for an AmeriCorps Member helping to expand volunteer services.

The first laptops are already being beta tested at the Victoria Cottages build site in Gresham. Once the remote login process is refined, this system will rollout to all Portland/Metro East build sites in spring of 2012.

Habitat's Victoria Cottages build site is testing a digital check-in system that will hopefully branch out to all sites in spring of 2012.

Habitat’s Board of Directors has affirmed that sustainability is one of our core values. That’s why we are building homes that are energy-efficient, water conserving, and use materials that are less toxic and more environmentally sustainable. Our first LEED-certified home was completed in 2008. As of 2011, every single one of our homes meets a minimum of Earth Advantage certification standards.

Fortunately, some funding partners are keenly interested in providing financial support to advance sustainable practices. The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Habitat for Humanity International starting in 2008 to launch the Partners in Sustainable Building (PSB) national program. The program reimburses affiliates $3,000 for each completed home that meets the Energy Star standard and $5,000 for homes that meet a more stringent standard like Earth Advantage or LEED, both of which incorporate additional benchmarks for air quality, moisture control and other green specifications.

“The Home Depot Foundation has long believed that green building is smart building,” said Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot Foundation. “In today’s economic climate, energy efficient building practices, including sealing windows and doors, insulating walls and ceilings, and installing Energy Star appliances and systems are more important than ever because they can actually put money back into homeowners’ wallets.  Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity International demonstrates that smart building ensures the long term financial and physical health of families.”

To date, over 2,100 Habitat homes nationally have received this funding support to help them meet green standards.

This year, Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East is one of 125 Habitat affiliates across 38 states and the District of Columbia selected to participate in the PSB program. Between now and June 30, 2012, the affiliate can draw $5,000 per home on the first 15 new homes that we build and certify. But even when the Home Depot Foundation funds are gone, we are pledged to continue building to this standard. If you would like to support Habitat’s green building efforts with a financial or material donation, please contact Heather Gramp at 503-287-9529 x26.

Our first LEED-certified home was completed in 2008. As of 2011, every single one of our homes meets a minimum of Earth Advantage certification standards.



Habitat staff has known for years that our volunteers are so sweet they could be made of sugar! But, perhaps they are made of a special weather resistant, anti-dissolving sugar that only the Portland Metro area can produce because our volunteers don’t let a little (or a lot) of rain stop them from building!

Right now, Habitat has many construction and non-construction volunteer opportunities available  to help keep our momentum going on each of our homes during the winter weather. Each site is equipped with hot coffee and cocoa to help keep volunteers warm and most of our sites are progressing towards working on tasks inside the homes, out of the rain and cold. No construction experience needed! Click the button below to sign up for construction volunteer opportunities.

Have skills that are best suited off the construction site? We have several chances to volunteer in our offices, ReStores and with events and committees. Check out our volunteer opportunities beyond construction.

Worried about the white stuff?

Snow and icy weather conditions sometimes happen in the Portland Metro area. Check out our Inclement Weather Policy for info on what to do when signed up to volunteer during bad weather.

Congratulations to Habitat’s Youth United for being honored with the 2011 Governor’s Volunteer Award for Outstanding Youth Volunteer Program or Group!

The 2011 Oregon Governor’s Volunteer Awards honors some of Oregon’s most respected individuals and organizations for their commitment to voluntary service benefiting the state and its people. The awards are hosted by the Oregon Volunteers Commission for Voluntary Action and Service with presenting sponsor Wells Fargo.

The 2011 awardees were honored in Salem, Oregon on November 4, at a special luncheon, officiated by First Lady of Oregon, Cylvia Hayes and Steve Bass, CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Habitat for Humanity’s Youth United brings youth ages 5-25 together to fund and build a home. Youth United has already fundraised and built one home in the Portland area and is working on more. Children under 16 years of age have the opportunity to assist in fundraising as well as promoting the project to the community. Older youth and young adults participate in the actual construction of the house, in addition to fundraising and advocacy. The leadership committee consists of high school and college students who are in charge of planning and fundraising.