Hello everyone,

Habitat for Humanity is built on the foundation of bringing people together. Our very purpose is to build homes, community, and hope. That willingness to actively help shape the world around us for the better has always been at the heart of our work.

As our governments rightfully encourage and even order us to stay home in order to protect the lives of our most vulnerable residents, it is critical that we come together as a community and fully support one other. Right now, many of us are working from home, and we are reminded that our homes are our only safe place. We must provide that safety net to people in our community who will be hit hardest by this crisis—they are our neighbors. For many “shelter in place” means figuring out logistics and adjusting mindsets, for others it only exacerbates the living conditions with which they have struggled for so long.

As the need for stable, affordable homes drastically increases for many people in our community, we continue to advance our mission with the following priorities:

• Finishing the final touches on the Cully Place homes in NE Portland so that 15 families—more than 50 moms, dads, kids, and grandparents—can move into their safe, stable and affordable homes.
• Finalizing construction on 42 homes in North Portland and breaking ground on another 41 additional homes in Northeast and Southeast Portland.
• Supporting Habitat homeowners who are facing the challenges of lost incomes and child care.
• Advocating at the local and state level for protections to help homeowners and renters due to the financial impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic.

At Habitat for Humanity Portland Metro/East, safety always comes first. To that end, we made some changes to protect the health and well-being of staff, volunteers, homebuyers, shoppers and our community at large. Please check out our Coronavirus Response page for the full details.

Although you may not be able to swing hammers with us for a little while, you can make an impact by sharing our message with your networks, and making a gift to support affordable homeownership here in Portland. When we emerge from this crisis, let us emerge stronger, together.

In Partnership,

Steve Messinetti