Volunteers Level Up

Employees from the Portland office of national home builder Taylor Morrison showed up eager to build a fence that will help to secure a new North Portland “micro-village” for people leaving homelessness. The volunteers joined several other community partners in late November to collaborate with HBF on the grounds of a North Portland church.

Village operator WeShine’s third micro-village moved 10 sleeping pods to the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church parking lot in the Portsmouth neighborhood this fall. “We are excited to continue to expand our services to provide solutions for Portland’s unsheltered adults from marginalized communities,” says Jan McManus, WeShine’s Founder and Executive Director. WeShine operates its Portland area micro-villages with the help of leased land from local faith-based community partners, such as Parkrose United Community Church of Christ.

The fencing project is the result of coordination from Home Building Foundation (HBF). HBF Executive Director Brenda Ketah comments. “We are proud that members of the residential building community stepped up to help with our project for WeShine.”  HBF estimates the fencing alone would cost nearly $50,000. Rick’s Custom Fencing and Decking provided materials for the fence, and paid the professional crew to install the fence posts, as well as decking and wheelchair ramps to make the new “pods” accessible.

Taylor Morrison volunteers shouldered lumber, then wielded nail guns to install fence boards to surround the new micro-village, and to provide privacy from the street. Other volunteers put their muscle into digging post holes for a small dog run alongside the facility. According to Ketah, “Home Building Foundation’s collaborative projects like this save our nonprofit partners up to 70% of their typical building costs, which means more of their resources can help our neighbors leaving homelessness.” HBF donated cash to help purchase other materials that will be used to get the Village up and running.

The 10 “pods” were built by the nonprofit Portland Shed, which uses volunteers to build the simple sleeping structures at a cost of under $7, 000. Volunteers from Portland Shed were on site to complete two of the structures, which were built over the summer by Portland Youth Builders, using plans developed by Portland Shed. The cozy buildings provide enough room for sleeping and storage, with locks on each door for privacy. HBF has provided flooring to complete some of the pods, as well as some appliances. St. Andrew’s church will provide access to its basement for kitchen services and restrooms. Part of the project has includes adding an elevator to make the building accessible.

When it opens in the spring of 2025. The Village is will prioritize a population over age 45.  Director McManus explains “St. Andrew’s Village will prioritize shelter for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, along with those who are LGBTQIA2S+, older adults, and adults with disabilities. Villagers at St. Andrew’s will not only have safe and habitable transitional living at the micro-village, but also the ability to work closely with staff and other service providers to help them on the path to permanent housing,” she added.

HBF has also provided materials so high school students can build amenities for the future residents as a part of its Education Partnership Program.  Students from Grant, Gresham, and Mountainside High schools are building storage benches for the front porches of the homes, while students from Reynolds Learning Academy’s Trades program have built raised bed boxes so residents can grow their own gardens.

Funding for the Village operations comes with help from the Joint Office of Homeless Services, which is WeShine’s major funder. JOHS has approved WeShine as an alternative shelter provider through June 2027. WeShine is also supplemented by grants and individual donations. WeShine uses this combination of public funds, donations, and committed nonprofit partner support for its developments.

McManus says “We truly appreciate the support that WeShine receives from several public-private community partnerships that are integral to the construction and operation of our micro-village sites,” said Jan McManus, Founder and Executive Director. “Our relationship with Home Building Foundation/HomeAid Portland has been a mutually beneficial collaboration that serves the interests of both organizations’ missions, visions, and values.”

The Taylor Morrison employees were all smiles as the team finally enclosed the Village by early afternoon. They reveled in the understanding that a day can make an enormous difference for their neighbors in need of safe, dignified housing.