Community comes together to help family in need

A family in Bend’s NorthWest Crossing is celebrating as they are now new homeowners, thanks to Housing Works.

The family of four was all smiles Tuesday as four different entities celebrated the organization’s latest home.

Tuesday afternoon, there were two new kids climbing the jungle gym and resting on a nearby park bench.

“It was everything we could have hoped for and a lot more,” said Noah Henrich, the new homeowner. “It was a dream come true.”

It’s all thanks to Housing Works and a partnership with local businesses and the city of Bend. They came together for a program called the HomeQuest ground lease.

“A home buyer can come in and buy the home, buy the improvements and then lease the land from Housing Works,” said Kelly Fisher, one of the organizers. “So by that partnership put together, we have been able to create four homes up here in NorthWest Crossing.”

The idea for the homes on the west side of Bend came from West Bend Property Co., which says they have a vision to make the neighborhood as diverse as possible.

“We wanted a variety of home styles and a variety of economic and social backgrounds, just like what makes up Bend” said Mike Tennant of West Bend Property Co.

Tuesday afternoon, the men and women who worked through the winter to get the new home built met the family of four, who moved in in April.

“It’s fun for everybody to be able to see where all the hard work has paid off (and) for the family to get that chance to thank everybody that was involved,” said Fisher.

“We are very pleased and very happy to be a part of this it’s just an incredible opportunity,” said Heinrich.

For Wyatt and Issac, they not only have a new park to play in, but new bedrooms and a new home as well. It’s all thanks to a community who came together to help their parents out.

If you would like to help Housing Works on future projects or find out more about how you can apply for a home log on to www.oregonhousingworks.org