State awards Bend’s Thistle & Nest $10.3 million to help build 74 affordable homes off SW Murphy Road
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Housing and Community Services Housing Stability Council on Friday awarded more than $10.3 million to Thistle & Nest, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding affordable housing options for Central Oregon’s workforce. This funding will help the organization build 74 affordable homes off SW Murphy Road in Bend, as part of a broader initiative to address regional housing challenges.
The homes will be part of Ponderosa Commons, a new affordable housing community that will ultimately offer 104 homes in total. This award adds to previous funding that enabled the first 30 homes, planned to be available in 2026. Thistle & Nest’s plans for Ponderosa Commons aim to foster a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood for families and individuals seeking affordable, energy efficient, high-quality housing in Bend.
In addition to Ponderosa Commons, Thistle & Nest is currently developing two other communities in Bend: Woodhaven Estates (off Pettigrew Road) and Larch Grove (off NE Franklin Avenue).
The organization is also expanding beyond Bend, with plans to build 20 homes in Madras and 20 in Prineville in 2025-2026. These homes will allow Central Oregon families to live closer to where they work, build home equity, and secure long-term housing stability. Together, these projects will bring 282 affordable homes to Central Oregon over the next three years.
“OHCS’s support will help us bring much-needed affordable housing to Central Oregon, enabling families to stay in the area they call home,” said Amy Warren, Thistle & Nest’s board president. “We are committed to making homeownership accessible and sustainable for our local workforce and underserved communities.”
Thistle & Nest is currently matching buyers for 10 homes at Woodhaven Estates and is adding future applicants to the waitlist for other development phases.
To qualify, households must earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and meet program requirements. Information is available in both English and Spanish on Thistle & Nest’s website, a reflection of the organization’s commitment to serving the diverse communities of Central Oregon. To better support Hispanic families, Thistle & Nest has a (native) Spanish-speaking member on its homeownership services team.
Additional details about the program are available on the organization’s website www.thistleandnest.org.
