Qualified Employer Partners Announced for Workforce Housing Pilot

Employers help their employees who are first-time homebuyers achieve homeownership.

Today, the Bend Chamber and Kôr Community Land Trust announce the employer partners who qualified to provide their employees with preference in the public housing lottery for the Poplar Community on Bend’s west side.

To be eligible, Kôr required employers to have an office located in Bend, be willing to cover $2,500 in closing costs for the employee, have employee demographics that are equal to or more diverse than 91.3% non-Hispanic, white and 8.7% non-white, and have employees who have been employed full time with the company for at least a year.

“The workforce housing program has now created 35 new local partners who share in our mission to provide affordable homeownership to those who contribute to Bend’s economy,” remarked Jackie Keogh, Executive Director of Kôr Community Land Trust. “The need for workforce housing has aligned local businesses across industries—from hospitality to healthcare—and from some of the largest employers to small employer-owned businesses. The need for workforce housing impacts everyone.”

The project includes seven 3-bedroom, 2-bath homes designed to net-zero energy standards for households earning equal or less than 80% of Area Median Income. These homes, designed by Ten Over Studio and constructed by Hiatus Homes, are estimated to be completed by winter 2024. The homes are located on Kôr land that retains a deed restriction that ensures each subsequent home resale will preference employees of qualified employer partners, extending this benefit to the Bend workforce in perpetuity.

The Bend Chamber is sponsoring four of seven new homes in Kôr Community Land Trust’s new Poplar development, thanks to financial support from Providence Health Plan and specific Bend Chamber members. The sponsorship helps support the difference between the cost to build these homes and what income-qualified home buyers can afford.

“We are excited to see these Bend businesses sign up to support their employees and the Kôr housing pilot project. We know that many businesses can’t attract and retain labor due to the lack of housing, and this is an opportunity for some of their employees to have a new pathway to home ownership,” shared Katy Brooks, Bend Chamber CEO.

Qualified Employer Partners

The next phase of the project is the homebuyer selection process. Interested homebuyers can visit the Kôr Community Land Trust web site at  https://korlandtrust.org/homebuyers/workforce-housing-program for more information. The Poplar Community housing lottery opens on April 3 at 9:00 AM PDT and runs through May 18 at 5:00 PM PDT. Selected homebuyers will be notified by May 25 at 5:00 PM PDT. To learn more about how to apply, Kôr Community Land Trust encourages interested homebuyers to attend one of several information sessions offered on their event page at https://korlandtrust.org/events .

Kôr Community Land Trust’s Mission

Provide environmentally sustainable and permanently affordable homeownership opportunities for those who contribute to the fabric of the Central Oregon economy and community.

Bend Chamber’s Mission

Create an environment where businesses, their employees and our community excel together through collaboration, advocacy, resources and leadership to meet Bend’s business challenges.