Why Habitat?

Habitat for Humanity provides homeownership opportunities to very low-income families and still has less than an 1% mortgage default rate. Now the nation’s sixth largest homebuilder, Habitat leads the industry in closing the minority homeownership gap and revitalizing neighborhoods.

Today more than 350,000 families around the world live in homes they’ve helped to build with Habitat for Humanity. Founded in 1981, Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East is the oldest Habitat affiliate on the west coast and the largest among 33 Oregon affiliates, currently building over one-third of all Habitat homes statewide. Our service area includes Multnomah County and northern Clackamas County. We have built and sold over 200 homes to date—with property identified for the next 143 homes.

After volunteers and future homeowners work side-by-side to build the home, Habitat sells each home to a pre-qualified family using a 1% down payment and 0%-interest mortgage. Payments are set below 30% of each family’s monthly income to insure long-term affordability. Because Habitat acts as the lender, 100% of the mortgage principal payments return to help build more homes. In this way, every investment in our program gets “recycled” to build future Habitat homes.

This year Habitat has seen an unprecedented number of people coming to us for help. At the same time, land prices have dropped significantly for the first time in decades. In response to this increased need and unique opportunity, Habitat’s Board of Directors passed a new five year strategic plan designed to help more families and neighborhoods succeed. This plan will increase our capacity to serve families by 50% and allow us to acquire a four-year bank of land in neighborhoods with the greatest need, like Lents in Portland and Rockwood in Gresham.

The A World of Hope: It Starts at Home comprehensive fundraising campaign is Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East’s bold initiative to raise the $12 million needed to support these plans for growth. Early campaign successes include recruiting 15 community leaders to the Campaign Cabinet, securing a $1 million leadership gift, and receiving record amounts of funds to purchase vacant and foreclosed land.

Thanks to support from countless partners throughout the community, our model has proven successful regardless of cultural, political or religious contexts.