We are excited to tell you about an incredible opportunity we’ve been given to help more families in need build and buy decent and affordable homes!

Wells Fargo Housing Foundation has generously committed to match every dollar that you send in the next 30 days, up to $70,000.

There’s no better time to give — because every dollar you give today will be worth twice as much, helping to further our mission by building twice as many homes for families in our community in desperate need of a decent place to live.

Donate now and every dollar you give will go twice as far!

Habitat for Humanity Portland Metro/East was the proud recipient of the Strides for Equity Award at the Oregon Opportunity Network 2011 Awards Gala on September 12. Strides for Equity recognizes an organization that works hard at making their communities more equitable, including ensuring that Oregon’s hardworking families have an opportunity to build better lives. Habitat was selected as the winner of this award not only because they are one of the only organizations in the Portland Metro area that offers homeownership opportunities to families making as little as $21,900 (for a family of 4), but also because Habitat has also sold 80% of its homes to minority homeowners.

“We actively do outreach in our communities, partner with organizations that work with minorities and offer homeownership opportunities to families in neighborhoods that need it most,” said Steve Messinetti, President and CEO of Habitat. ”We are honored to receive this award, but know that the need to serve our community is greater than ever before. We look forward to continue partnering with even more hardworking families and helping these communities move from a vulnerable and fragile economic position, to a position of strength.”

Come and enjoy fun activities for the entire family at the first annual Pie Bake-off! All proceeds go towards Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build!

Sunday, October 2
12:00 p.m. to – 4:00 p.m.
Q Center
4115 N Mississippi Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97217

BAKE! Register your pies by September 30, in up to four categories: Sweet, Savory, Gluten Free and Vegan. If you have more than one kind of pie to enter, please fill out one form for each kind. Our special guest judges will be Janette Kaden, owner of Tin Shed and Kate Withiam, pastry chef at Pacific Pie Co. Click here to enter your pie!

TASTE! Vote for your favorite pie to win the People’s Choice Award! $5 for 5 tastes, $8 for 10 tastes or$10 for 13 tastes.

For more information, contact Jennifer Perkins at 503.287.9529 x12 or jennifer@habitatportlandmetro.org.

The Construction Site Supervisor coordinates and supervises all on-site construction activities, including supervision of on-site volunteers, scheduling of sub-contractors and insuring that tools and equipment on site are in proper working order and are used safely. The site supervisor is responsible for meeting project schedules and implementing standards of quality during all phases of construction of the home(s) and improvements to the property from dig-out through completion and sale to the homeowner.

The Construction Site Supervisor is responsible for the following activities:

• Create a positive, safe and productive on-site experience for all Habitat volunteers and families. Maintain a safe work environment and prevent injuries from occurring, present a daily Safety Orientation for all volunteers, distribute proper safety equipment appropriate to the tasks being performed, maintain a fully supplied First Aid kit, a Safety Binder, and clearly post a map to the nearest emergency facility.
• Construct a quality, affordable home using the most efficient means possible while being mindful of the diverse abilities of Habitat volunteers. Schedule time for training and preparation necessary to perform daily tasks. Cultivate a corps of regular volunteers who are willing and able to lead volunteer teams.
• Follow all Federal and State laws regarding discrimination on the basis of age, gender, marital status, race, creed, color, religion, disabilities or handicaps while working on Habitat job sites.
• Coordinate all on-site activity, including subcontractors and suppliers. Coordinate with the Construction Operations Manager to insure that all necessary materials are on-site as needed to carry on the daily work without interruption or delay.
• Label and track tools, the work site and related storage units or job trailers throughout the workday and after hours to protect Habitat resources. Immediately notify the Construction Operations Manager of any tools or equipment in need of repair or replacement.
• Comply with all permitted construction documents, specifications, building and energy codes.
• Verify that building materials delivered on-site are consistent with the approved plans and the materials take-off sheets. Keep a daily job site log which documents all material and equipment deliveries. Insure that all documentation is maintained & transferred to the Construction Support Manager to be recorded.
• Maintain a build schedule that includes volunteer activities and subcontractor timelines planned for the upcoming 3 to 4 weeks. Communicate challenges and issues of concern, construction schedule delays, major milestones or project completion points reached to the Construction Operations Manager.
• Communicate challenges and issues of concern to the appropriate staff member as they arise on site
• Attend and participate in regular staff meetings and required events
• Manage all volunteers, AmeriCorps, and Cornerstone Crew Leaders and ensure that they have adequate training, preparation and supervision to perform daily tasks
• Be responsible for ensuring that any warranty work during the first year after completion is performed in a timely manner and coordinated through the Construction Manager
• Other duties as assigned.

Read more about this position and how to apply by clicking here.

The Portland Trail Blazers have teamed up with Habitat for Humanity Portland Metro/East and are donating $1 for every new Facebook “Like” Habitat for Humanity & the ReStore (Portland/Vancouver area) receives.  But we need your help to reach our goal of raising $5,000 and 5,000 new Facebook followers with this generous partnership.  Just click here and “Like” our Facebook page.  If you are already following Habitat on Facebook, then copy the link to this page and post it on your Facebook wall, and spread the word to your friends and family.  Be part of Portland’s home basketball team helping Habitat build homes right here in our communities.  Take the Home Team Challenge and “Like” Habitat, now!

Executive Build Day

Friday, October 28, 2011
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Plus, help raise the funds needed to build the Ejigu-Kere family home! Executive Build has set the goal of raising $75,000 needed to sponsor the Ejigu-Kere family home. Co-Chairs Don Pearson, Regional President of Wells Fargo, and Steve Johnson, Chief Financial Officer of Parr Lumber, have each committed $2,500 toward the home and are reaching out to 28 of their peers to do the same!

Contact Shannon Tennant at shannon@habitatportlandmetro.org or 503.287.9529 x13 for more information.

Meet the Ejigu-Kere Family

Dereje Ejigu and Zuriash Kere live with their elderly mother, Yeshi Mucatu, and two young children in an extremely cramped, two-bedroom apartment in northeast Portland. Every winter they struggle with mold issues due to poor ventilation. Read more.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East launched its first awareness campaign on August 29. This campaign links up with Habitat’s goal of increasing local home building capacity by 50%, growing awareness in our community and getting more people involved with the organization. Habitat worked with HMH, who generously took on the awareness campaign as a pro bono partnership with Habitat. The first step of the campaign process was to conduct focus groups, which provided insight into local perceptions of Habitat. We discovered that while Habitat is perceived to be a positive organization that helps reduce poverty housing, a lot of people do not realize that Habitat is building homes right here, in the Portland and Gresham communities.

After reviewing the results of the focus groups, Habitat decided to focus the campaign message on localizing the organization, as it is important for the people of Portland and Gresham to know that Habitat works to provide stable, affordable housing, locally, which is so critical to education, health and the economic success of our area.

The billboard campaign features iconic portraits of “Portlanders” posing dramatically with home building equipment. The photography was shot by local artist, Andy Batt, who also donated his time and services.

“We want to create a feeling of power and hope with the billboard creative,” said Lisa Heathman, public relations director at HMH and Habitat board member.  “The images are intentionally heroic and attention-getting so  people will want to learn more about what Habitat does for their community.”

A total of 16 billboards will be posted in the Portland area through November 6.

Habitat for Humanity of Oregon is recruiting for an Affiliate Support Director to develop and lead an organized program of ongoing support, communications coordination, technical assistance and training to the 32 Habitat for Humanity affiliates located throughout Oregon.

The Habitat for Humanity Oregon office is located in Salem, Oregon, however, the Affiliate Support Director is a largely a field-based position and relocation to the Salem area is not a requirement of the job.

Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree and three years experience or equivalent in program coordination and evaluation.
• Experience in nonprofit organizational program development and research.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with great attention to detail, maintain focus on tasks and produce accurate work.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.  Ability to conduct presentations and develop reports.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Self starter who can work effectively with little direct supervision.
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to travel in Oregon with an average of 4 overnight trips per month.
• Safe driving record, current vehicle insurance and ability to use personal vehicle for HFHO business.
• Strong knowledge, understanding and experience with Habitat for Humanity preferred.

Read more about this position and how to apply by clicking here.

A Message from Steve Messinetti, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East

This fall marks three decades that Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East has been building homes and providing hope. Starting with that first home built in northeast Portland, thousands of dedicated volunteers have now given of their time and resources, allowing Habitat to open doors for hundreds of families.

As Habitat celebrates its thirtieth anniversary in Portland, we have dedicated ourselves to increase our building to 30 homes annually throughout the metro area. We are looking to a future where Habitat is not just changing the life of one family at a time, but rather investing in neighborhoods where we can make the greatest impact and help the entire community.

Our goals and plans for the coming years are bold and ambitious, but they are doable. We’ve proven we can deliver hope, stable and healthy homes, and community transformation when we roll up our sleeves and work together. To accomplish all this we have launched A World of Hope: It Starts at Home, our first major fundraising campaign. The goal of this campaign is to permanently increase, by at least 50%, our local affiliate’s capacity to serve more families and involve more volunteers.

As we considered launching this campaign we interviewed more than 60 community leaders to get their advice and opinions about our plans. The overwhelming response we received was that while the economy might make it challenging to raise these funds, hardworking families in our hardest hit neighborhoods are in need of housing now and Habitat’s unique homeownership model can provide the neighborhood revitalization that is needed. We also heard loud and clear that the timing was ripe for Habitat to purchase land at record low prices in targeted neighborhoods with high foreclosure rates.

We have already seen some great success and the momentum continues to build as more and more people learn about this life-changing work. Please join us as we celebrate 30 years of providing A World of Hope to local families and look ahead to our aggressive efforts to exponentially increase Habitat’s capacity. Help us spread the word!

Learn more about A World of Hope: It Starts at Home by clicking here.

Growing up in a farmer’s tenant house in rural Oregon near Monroe, John Gray knows the importance of having the help of a caring community and a decent home. His widowed mother was a teacher in a one-room school, worked hard to pay $2.50 each month in rent, and found a way to meet the needs of her three growing boys.

“We were happy, dry and never hungry,” said Gray. “People respected my mother and it was always a game of my brothers and me to guess which family would ask us to dinner after church.”

Gray believes that a child is shaped by his or her environment. His community valued hard work, education and helping neighbors.

Motivated by these values and hearing about Habitat’s opportunity to purchase land at dramatically low prices, Gray committed $1 million to launch the A World of Hope: It Starts at Home fundraising campaign.

“This is a testament to his dedication to stabilize families and neighborhoods in the Portland metro area,” said Steve Messinetti, President and CEO. “His leadership gift allowed Habitat to act quickly on opportunities to buy or tie up land for 95 homes.”

Pleased by the land opportunities he saw here with the Portland/Metro East affiliate, Gray decided to go even further, giving an additional $1 million gift to help other Habitat affiliates in Oregon act on great land deals. The John Gray Land Opportunity Fund is set up at the Oregon Community Foundation for this purpose and 28 Habitat affiliates throughout the state are in the process of identifying land to purchase with these funds.

“Mr. Gray really does exemplify everything that Habitat stands for,” said Messinetti. “His gift will literally change the trajectory of hundreds of children’s lives and increase the capacity of Habitat affiliates throughout our entire state.”

Mr. Gray is known for his development of large projects like Sunriver Resort, Salishan Spa and Golf Resort and the John’s Landing neighborhood in Portland. Now in his nineties, Gray’s philanthropic efforts are a career in itself and have touched the lives of many Oregonians. He has had significant impact on environmental organizations, early childhood and higher education institutions, has aided our hospitals and cultural scene and helped feed and clothe the less fortunate. Now, he’s helping build homes.

“Do what you can. If you can’t give money, give time or give your expertise,” said Gray. “I think there is something everyone can contribute.”

Learn more about Habitat’s A World of Hope: It Starts at Home fundraising campaign by clicking here.