HOUSING
Habitat For Humanity
Portland/Metro East Seeks
Qualified Homeowners
Housing
Programs
Homeownership for the African American
Community
Hacienda CDC – Many Services Available in
Inner Northeast Portland
Hacienda CDC is a Latino Community Development
Corporation that strengthens families by providing
affordable housing, homeownership support, economic
advancement and educational opportunities.
Since 2006, Hacienda’s Homeownership Support Pro-
gram has formed a central piece of Hacienda’s strategy
to help families build and protect their assets. Certified
housing counselors provide financial education to first-
time homebuyers and work with them 1-on-1 during the
home buying process.
Hacienda also owns and manages nearly 400 units of
affordable rental housing made available to low-income
households, primarily located in the Killingsworth/Cully
corridor.
Five years ago, in response to overwhelming demand,
Hacienda began offering free foreclosure prevention
You must be willing, able to help build your own home
PHOTO BY THE SKANNER STAFF
The African American Alliance for Homeownership
“AAAH” is a non-profit 501c3 community based
alliance, comprised of housing and business profession-
als. Their mission is to increase homeownership and
economic stability for African Americans and other
underserved individuals by improving access to home-
buyer resources and education.
Since 1999, the Alliance has been successful in stimu-
lating home buying activities and resources through
innovative programs such as:
The Homebuyer Coaching Project
The Annual Homebuyer Fair
IDA Program (match savings fund)
One-on-One Homebuyer Counseling
Homebuyer Education Classes
MHAC Financial Assistance
Mortgage Foreclosure Prevention
Find out more by going to their website at
www.aaah.org/ and looking under “SERVICES.”
If you would like more information about AAAH, or if
you would like to sign up for a program, call 503-595-
3517.
Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East invites low-
income families to attend its bi-annual Homeownership
Application Meetings. People interested in the Home-
ownership Program must attend one of the four
Homeownership Application Meetings in order to
receive an application:
Monday, May 19, 2014
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Concordia University – Student Events and Activity
Center
2811 NE Holman St, Portland, OR 97211
Saturday, May 24, 2014
9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Portland Community College, Southeast Center – Rm.
139/140
2305 SE 82nd Ave., Portland, OR 97216
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Midland Library
805 SE 122nd Ave., Portland, OR 97233
English and Spanish
See HABITAT on page 8
See PROGRAMS on page 6
U.S. Housing Market: Few Buyers, Not Enough Sellers
Homebuying trends impact rentals and affect other areas of the housing industry
PHOTO BY THE SKANNER STAFF
By Josh Boak
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Entering the
2014 spring buying season, the U.S.
housing market faces an unusual
dilemma: Too few people are selling
homes. Yet too few buyers can afford
the homes that are for sale.
“Both sides of the equation are in a
funk,” said Glenn Kelman, CEO of
the real estate brokerage Redfin.
A 13.4 percent jump in the average
price of a home sold last year, accord-
ing
to
the
Standard
&
Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city index,
hasn’t managed to coax more home-
owners to sell. And combined with
higher mortgage rates, higher prices
have made homes costlier for first-
time buyers as well as for all-cash
investors.
Average prices nationally are
expected to rise by single digits this
year. The gains could be strongest in
areas with solid job growth, such as
Seattle and Austin, Texas. And while
construction will put more homes on
the market, lack of affordability could
keep
sales
flat
to
falling.
On the other hand, many lenders are
easing the barriers for those with less-
than-sterling credit. For these people,
qualifying for a mortgage could
become a little easier.
All of which leaves real estate,
much like the rest of the economy, still
trudging back to health nearly a half-
decade after the recession ended.
After last year’s growth spurt, the
housing recovery may have begun an
awkward adolescence, one prone to
fits and starts that can defy predic-
tions.
See MARKET on page 7
April 23, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 5