Bend residents build a home with help from volunteers and a philanthropy based on sweat equity – Here is Oregon

Helping to nail together the walls of her first home in central Oregon was a powerful feeling for Keri Ritchie.

As volunteers and workers assembled the 2x4s and used power tools to create the walls on Tuesday, Ritchie, 33, was at a loss for words.

“We got two walls up on our first home,” said Ritchie, a stay-at-home mom. “It was all laid out and we got to put in the nails and get it all put together.”

Ritchie and her husband-to-be thought that homeownership was out of reach in Bend, until someone from NeighborImpact, an emergency shelter and rental nonprofit organization, told them about a program run by homebuilder Hayden Homes.

First Story, the nonprofit arm of the homebuilder, has built 110 homes for low-income families, using sweat equity and hired labor to build in 35 communities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Through the program, 34 homes have been built in Bend, Redmond and Sisters.

Ritchie and Colton Adams, her fiancé, realized that the only place they could afford a home was in Madras, a 26-mile one-way commute from where Adams works.

That would have required her to uproot the family, which had been renting in Bend for 13 years, and then enrolling her 9-year-old son in a new school and finding new caregivers for her special needs child.

That’s when First Story came into the equation with a philosophy that has made everyone involved feel good. Giving to the community is a best practice and a smart investment for many businesses, said Scott Cooper, NeighborImpact executive director. Each year, Cooper and the team raise $1.5 million from individuals, companies and foundations to cover costs and help the community.

“Better communities make communities more desirable places to live, create environments where people have more income and more stable living situations,” Cooper said. “Businesses that thoughtfully design philanthropic initiatives to address the most pressing issues of our times and where we live — housing, homelessness, food, child care, among others — can create a ripple effect of positive change.”

Building affordable housing means a family that was spending 50% of its monthly income on rent now only has to spend 30%, Cooper said. That 20% savings means more money to be invested in the community.

At Hayden Homes, a Redmond-based company, supporting the community comes in a variety of ways to meet a mandate to support the community that it derives income from.

The most visible sign is its name on the amphitheater at the Old Mill District. Other efforts to support the community range from building homes for families earning below area median income to paying employees to volunteer each month, said Deborah Flagan, Hayden Homes vice president of community engagement.

“Our belief started in 1989 with the company founders, Bob and Virginia Watson, who believed that anyone who works hard should be able to own a home,” Flagan said. “Virginia believed that we should live in a world where we give more than we get.”

Bob Bohac, who volunteers to help the homeless in Redmond, said that Hayden Homes has been supportive of the tiny home concept for Oasis Village, a 15-unit low barrier shelter that’s in the process of being built. Hayden Homes has supplied the building expertise and encouraged its trade partners to donate building materials, Bohac said.

“They’ve been a willing, able and tremendous partner for us,” Bohac said. “Without them, Oasis Village would have been off the tracks a year and a half ago. They’ve opened up avenues for. us.”

Families can qualify for First Story if their gross income is at 80% or below the area median income, have no current credit dings, items in collection agencies and enough income to meet mortgage payments, homeowners insurance and property-tax requirements.

Hayden Homes started the nonprofit in 1998. Since that time it’s tapped into its trade partners for nearly $2.5 million in time and materials to build First Story homes.

The recipients have been families of four that earn less than $58,930 a year in Bend or $52,944 a year in Redmond.

Since Hayden Homes was founded, it has donated $54 million to the communities its built in, making charitable donations, creating a foundation and donating time to the community, Flagan said. The foundation is funded by 10% of the company’s profits each year. It has been used to fund parks, senior-center improvements and a remodeled day care center for low-income families, Flagan said.

The company’s philanthropy also funded a community building and 10 sleeping units in the St. Vincent Village on Third Street in Bend and helped build 15 sleeping units at Veterans Village in a public-private partnership.

Homeowners like Ritchie get a 30-year interest-free mortgage.

When they decide they want to sell the homes, they have to give First Story first right of refusal. All the payments the homeowner makes are returned to the homeowner and the equity is split in half.

“The program matches our philosophy of creating a next generation of givers,” Flagan said. “We believe it’s our duty through our actions to do more. This is our flagship of our giving.”

David Woods, Hayden Homes accounting director, was at the wall-raising effort on Tuesday. It was part of his monthly volunteer hours, which have been ongoing since he joined the company 12 years ago.

“I’m an accountant, so it was a nice change of pace for me,” Woods said. “I’m not a builder in any shape or form. In fact we had the whole accounting team out there today. Most of us want to help, but it’s sometimes hard to find an opportunity.”

Woods also donates his corporate-paid time as a member of the board of directors at the Giving Plate, a Bend food pantry.

Sometimes he’ll bring one of his daughters to volunteer to pack up food.

“We’re all called to support one another, but many don’t know how to make the time,” Woods said. “It’s neat to work with Hayden Homes, which gives us time to serve. A lot of companies say they want to support the community, but it’s another thing for a company to give workers time off. This way makes it easier.”

It’s was heartwarming for Ritchie to see the 40 or so volunteers from Hayden Homes work on her new home. She hopes to move in to her brand-new southeast Bend home Aug. 17. She’s already added her personal touches by choosing the flooring, the color of the outside of the home, the cabinet style and countertops.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Ritchie said. “If we were to buy this house on our own, it would be over $500,000. At that price no one can afford a home here.

“It’s great that there’s a program like this geared for people who would struggle to buy a home on their own.”

Reporter: 541-633-2117,

sroig@bendbulletin.com

— This story originally appeared on bendbulletin.com