Beginning New Year’s Day, two of the region’s non-profit housing service agencies will be officially merged. As KLCC’s Brian Bull reports, this means expanded housing support for a six-county area.
For three years, Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services of Corvallis, and Springfield-based Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) have explored a partnership. Starting January 1st, the two group’s combined service area will cover Lane, Marion, Clackamas, Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties.
NEDCO’s executive director, Emily Reiman, says this will make the best use of her organization’s assets, as well as Willamette Neighborhood’s.
“So where they were a bigger affordable developer only in their territory, we’ll now that strength across all six counties,” says Reiman. “Where we were a community development lender, offering consumer and business loans just in our three counties, that will now be available in their three counties and across our entire service area.”
The merger also means a name change. Reiman says that’ll come in either April or May. The new group will also add employees, for a total of 45 next year.
NEDCO will also turn 40 in 2019. Reiman says her organization’s role remains as important as ever, with high housing prices challenging first-time homebuyers and renters.
Reiman says there are some highlights for NEDCO, since launching in 1979.
“We’ve built or rehabbed more than 150 single family homes – but we’ve helped thousands of first-time homebuyers get into their first home, achieve that stability, start to gain assets,” she tells KLCC.
“It was one of NEDCO’s first missions, and it remains very central to our mission. That’s one of my favorite things to look back on.”
Copyright 2018, KLCC.
