Nonprofits partner to boost C.O. affordable housing

With many families still priced out of homes and rental units in Central Oregon, NeighborImpact and Housing Works announced Thursday a unique partnership to bring more affordable housing to the region.

With rental vacancy rates still less than 1 percent and home prices rising, two of the region’s senior nonprofits are answering the call to make a difference.

“This is a great example of organizations forging a collaborative partnership to create additional resources for development of affordable housing at a critical time in Central Oregon, which is experiencing a serious housing crisis,” Tom Kemper, executive director of Housing Works., explained in a news release.

Housing Works is the local housing authority for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. The organization provides affordable housing and rental assistance for low- and moderate-income residents.

Housing Works currently owns and operates 23 properties including Putnam Pointe in downtown Bend, Canyon East and Chennai Landing in Madras, Reindeer Meadows and Aspen Villas in Redmond, Prairie House and Riverside Apartments in Prineville, and Eastlake Village on 27 th Street in Bend.

NeighborImpact (a 21 Cares for Kids partner) is the area’s largest social services nonprofit and is also a chartered member of NeighborWorks America, a national organization focused on the development of affordable housing and promotion of home ownership.

The joint venture formed between Housing Works and NeighborImpact will allow NeighborImpact to bring capital available only to NeighborWorks organizations to benefit Central Oregon and to construct new affordable housing.

The board of directors for NeighborImpact recently approved the joint venture, which will allow Housing Works to move forward with plans for two possible communities, which remain in the early stages of planning. Without this partnership, it is unlikely that those developments would occur.

“I’m thrilled that NeighborImpact and Housing Works have found a creative means of bringing the resources of both organizations to the table to address this problem,” says Scott Cooper, executive director of NeighborImpact. “Collaboration is the way of the future for nonprofits, and this partnership feels like a leading-edge concept, which can be replicated over and over again for the benefit our region.”

NeighborImpact and Housing Works have a long history of collaborative partnerships. In 2013, NeighborImpact sold its only affordable housing development to Housing Works to assure its long-term viability. Housing Works also sets aside rental units for clients utilizing NeighborImpact’s transitional housing program.

For more information about NeighborImpact, Housing Works, and NeighborWorks America, visit their websites:

NeighborImpact: www.neighborimpact.org

Housing Works: www.housing-works.org