The concept of home as a foundation for a secure life is at the core of a new initiative by Oregon Housing and Community Services, which is partnering with McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity to roll out a series of affordable homes in McMinnville's Aspire Community Development. Recently, four such homes were completed, marking the first fruits of the Homeownership Development Incubator Program (HDIP). In a bid to address the affordable housing crunch, OHCS's program is specifically designed to not only increase the quantity but to diversify the stock of affordable homes according to the unique needs of local communities.
The McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity typically manages to construct between one and two houses annually. With the infusion of OHCS funding, they have been able to break ground on five homes in the past year, to swiftly alter the homeownership landscape for the region's low-income populations. “The lack of affordable housing in Yamhill County is becoming critical,” Katie Curry, executive director of the McMinnville Area Habitat for Humanity, told OHCS. “In 2023, we received funding from OHCS to build five homes, and that is a game-changer for us.”
Apart from providing a roof over heads, these homes, described as three-bedroom, two-bath units with additional four-bedroom constructions underway, signify a world of change for the new homeowners. Among them are Hillary and Daniel Cuauxinque who have recently moved into the community. Hillary expressed the new found stability owning a home has brought to her family; "The best part of owning our home is simply having a home to call ours, a home where we get to create new memories and watch our children grow, a place where we have the freedom to make choices on what we would like our home to look like,” she said in a statement obtained by OHCS.
For Alexandrea Moore, another beneficiary of the program, homeownership is seen as a legacy to be passed down to future generations. "I saw somewhere that children of Habitat homes have a higher likelihood of owning a home themselves," Moore remarked in a statement reported by OHCS. “I want a place our animals can live, where plants grow, where neighbors become family, and years down the road, my grandchildren will come to visit. And when I am gone, there will be something left to pass on to my kids so they can live fuller lives.”
The HDIP initiative is not just a local endeavor. Statewide, it has been effective in greenlighting eight projects that will eventually amount to 84 new homes. OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell lauds the progress and the deeply personal successes that have been shared. “Congratulations to the new homeowners and McMinnville Habitat on this important progress,” Bell said according to OHCS. “Many of us can see ourselves reflected in Hillary and Alexandrea’s story. It underscores what we know to be true about our shared values: investing in housing is an investment in student success, family stability and the economic health of our state.” As the Aspire Community Development continues to grow, so does the tangible impact of programs like HDIP on the lives of Oregonians.
