MADRAS, OR – July 23, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Thanks to a number of local partners, walls will be raised on Casa Soñada (Dream Home) in Madras, thus providing an affordable home for a local agricultural family. Co-developers Housing Works and NeighborImpact have partnered with Heart of Oregon Corps YouthBuild to build the first of 6 new affordable homes in Madras. Partner representatives, local government officials, and local youth will come together to raise the walls on this new affordable home on Tuesday, July 21st at 11:30 am at 3rd and H Streets in Madras.
After the wall raising, construction of the home is expected to take approximately 5 months. Families interested in leasing this new home can contact Housing Works for employment and income qualifications and an application. The home will be leased with an option to purchase after 10 years through a unique lease-to-own contract. “This is a great way for a family to purchase a home,” shares Tom Kemper of Housing Works. “The lease-to-own structure provides families with an incentive to transition into homeownership and links them with resources to make that dream happen.”
Zackery Lee Benham, age 20, grew up in Madras and is part of the Heart of Oregon Corps YouthBuild team that will be constructing the new home. “From personal experience, living in Madras was rough and very difficult at times because of the lack of affordable housing,” says Benham. “YouthBuild has the opportunity to build a home that will benefit a low-income family in need. Adding this new home makes me feel very proud to say, ‘Hey, I built that home with my two hands.’”
Heart of Oregon Corps’ YouthBuild program provides young people ages 16-24 the opportunity to work toward their GED, high school diploma or college credits, learn job skills, and serve their communities by building affordable housing. Simplicity by Hayden Homes, another valued partner in this endeavor, has been instrumental in providing building plans and a materials package at a cost that allows this project to work financially. Financing is being provided by Bank of the Cascades.
DATE: Tuesday, July 21, 2015
TIME: 11:30 to 1:00 pm
LOCATION: 3rd and H Street, Madras
ADDITIONAL: Photo opportunities will be available on site
About Heart of Oregon YouthBuild: Heart of Oregon Corps is a youth-focused nonprofit organization invested in empowering and inspiring change in the lives of Central Oregon youth through jobs, education, and stewardship. Their programming creates pathways out of poverty while stimulating regional economic growth. In YouthBuild, young people from Madras, Culver, Redmond, Prineville, and Sisters learn construction skills and build critically needed affordable housing while re-engaging in school to achieve their high school diploma or GED.
About Housing Works: Housing Works is a public agency whose mission is fostering dignity through housing. It provides people with quality, safe and affordable homes and, through a number of collaborations, provides resources to help people stabilize their lives and become economically self-sufficient. Housing Works developments in Bend, Redmond and Sisters have won numerous awards for innovation, economic impact, design, beautification, and historic preservation and enhancement.
About Simplicity by Hayden Homes: Simplicity Homes is a fee based, housing general contractor building homes across the PNW. Our Mission is to provide quality and value in homebuilding, serving a diverse clientele, with professional management, operations and execution while delivering with integrity, respect and a team-centric, collaborative effort. We strive to build long term relationships with our clients and build wealth for our customers, team members, the communities in which we build and the NW economy at large.
About NeighborImpact: Since 1985, NeighborImpact has been a leader in developing solutions and bringing resources to Crook, Jefferson and Deschutes County. The agency offers a diversity of services meeting basic human needs for food and shelter, while enriching people’s lives by providing access to increased education, skills, and hope for the future. NeighborImpact is a private nonprofit organization that receives federal, state and local grants, foundation grants, and donations from individuals and businesses in our community.
