Several organizations get together for Blitz Build to create five more sleeping units for Redmond’s Oasis Village

(Update: Adding video, comments from First Story, Heart of Oregon Corps)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A village for the homeless in Redmond is adding more living space with the help of several area nonprofits. The nonprofit First Story hosted a Blitz Build Wednesday at the Heart of Oregon Corps Redmond Training Center.

 Crews built five new sleeping units for Oasis Village through a partnership between Hayden Homes, Parr Lumber Company and the Heart of Oregon Corps' YouthBuild program.    

 Since the village opened in January, the sleep units at Oasis Village have provided individual shelters near the Redmond Airport and Highway 126.

 First Story Executive Director Claire Duncan said the village is crucial in dealing with homelessness in Central Oregon. 

"The Northwest is facing a housing crisis ,and we recognize that it's going to take all of us working together to solve it," Duncan said. "It's not just the nonprofit arena, we need public and private partnerships like the one First Story has already developed with Hayden Homes to really solve this issue."

Heart of Oregon Corps Executive Director Laura Handy shared how she feels about the opportunity.

"It's such an incredible opportunity for our young trainees who are working on their construction apprenticeship to be building, making such a community impact, building these sleeping units with Hayden Homes, First Story, and Parr Lumber," she said. "I think it's a great example of long term, in-depth partnerships."

Oasis Village currently has 15 sleeping units in use, with five others being finished right now. With the five new units built Wednesday, it will bring the total number to 25 by January.       

 Once the units from Wednesday's Blitz Build are finished, they will include a bed, a desk, a storage area and heater. Residents of the village share a kitchen and community space.

Here is the Hayden Homes news release:

First Story, an affordable homeownership nonprofit, is proud to announce it will host a Blitz Build on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in partnership with Hayden Homes, Simplicity by Hayden Homes, The Parr Company and Heart of Oregon Corps’ YouthBuild program to build five new sleeping units for Oasis Village. The event will take place at the Heart of Oregon Corps Redmond training center.

The event will highlight youth workforce development and the public-private partnerships involved in successfully launching Oasis Village, a drug and alcohol free low-barrier shelter located east of Redmond. Five Oasis Village sleeping units will be constructed in the morning by partner groups, with a community lunch to follow starting at 12 p.m.

Elected leaders, nonprofit organizers and housing advocates have been invited to attend the community lunch, which will feature four interactive learning stations. Guests will be invited to tour a completed sleeping unit and learn about Parr Opti-Frame technology, write a special message on the walls of a sleeping unit under construction, add their name to an art installation for Oasis Village, and learn about Heart of Oregon’s YouthBuild program.

“Blitz Build is a celebration of community,” said Claire Duncan, executive director of First Story, which was founded by Hayden Homes in 1998 and provides access to homeownership for working families across the Northwest. “This event is about the energy of uniting to solve community problems, and re-affirming that by working together there’s nothing we can’t achieve.”

Blitz Build was born out of a strong relationship between Hayden Homes, First Story and Heart of Oregon Corps’ YouthBuild program. The organizations have partnered together since 2011 to build homes for under-resourced families. Last year, Hayden Homes and First Story gave Heart of Oregon Corps a check for $100,000 for its capital campaign to build out the Redmond Campus so more youth can access workforce training. This event gives the youth another chance to practice their skills to help solve Oregon’s housing crisis.

“To lower housing costs and increase housing supply, Oregon needs more youth to choose a career in the construction industry,” said Steve Klingman, president of Hayden Homes. “As baby boomers retire we face a dire shortage of workers. We must invest in youth workforce development to stem this tide and strengthen community across the Northwest. We are so proud to support Heart of Oregon Corps in their transformational work with youth to achieve this goal.”

After Blitz Build, any remaining work to complete the five sleeping units will be accomplished by the youth in the YouthBuild program before the units are provided to Oasis Village to become homes for neighbors working to transition out of homelessness.

“We are so grateful for this partnership with Hayden Homes, First Story, Parr and Oasis Village,” said Laura Handy, executive director of Heart of Oregon Corps. “These projects are essential for our students to gain the skills necessary to take their place in the workforce. Blitz Build is like the community telling each and every one of them that they matter, and that their contributions can change outcomes for our community.”