On Friday, November 1, the Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Housing Stability Council awarded $10,369,620 to Thistle & Nest, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding affordable housing options for Central Oregon’s workforce. This funding will help Thistle & Nest construct 74 affordable homes off SW Murphy Road in Bend, as part of a broader initiative to address regional housing challenges.
The homes will be part of Ponderosa Commons, a new affordable housing community that will ultimately offer 104 homes in total. This award adds to previous funding that enabled the first 30 homes, planned to be available in 2026. Thistle & Nest’s plans for Ponderosa Commons aim to foster a vibrant, inclusive neighborhood for families and individuals seeking affordable, energy efficient, high-quality housing in Bend.
In addition to Ponderosa Commons, Thistle & Nest is currently developing two other communities in Bend: Woodhaven Estates (off Pettigrew Rd.), and Larch Grove (off NE Franklin Ave.). The organization is also expanding beyond Bend, with plans to build 20 homes in Madras and 20 in Prineville in 2025-2026. These homes will allow Central Oregon families to live closer to where they work, build home equity, and secure long-term housing stability. Together, these projects will bring 282 affordable homes to Central Oregon over the next three years.
“OHCS’s support will help us bring much-needed affordable housing to Central Oregon, enabling families to stay in the area they call home,” said Amy Warren, Thistle & Nest’s Board President. “We are committed to making homeownership accessible and sustainable for our local workforce and underserved communities.”
Thistle & Nest is currently matching buyers for 10 homes at Woodhaven Estates and is adding future applicants to the waitlist for other development phases. To qualify, households must earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and meet program requirements. Information is available in both English and Spanish on Thistle & Nest’s website, a reflection of the organization’s commitment to serving the diverse communities of Central Oregon. To better support Hispanic families, Thistle & Nest has a (native) Spanish-speaking member on its homeownership services team.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
This article appears in Source Weekly November 7, 2024.
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Larry Kine is the Treasurer and Founder of Thistle & Nest. He is the developer of the “luxury RV” campground across the street from the proposed development. He is also the developer of the proposed SFR project located on Century Dr. What do these projects have in common? His development company cut down ALL the trees (Thousands) on both sites to make it easier to build. Is that his plan for the new affordable housing development? More houses, more asphalt, less tree canopy equals more man-made heat and less carbon capture. Does anyone care any more?
Regarding Bend and the Trees, can’t the city of bend file a suit against the company they paid to not cut down the trees and since they are a non-profit organization can’t baby stripped of their non-profit quote unquote business by the state or Secretary of State something drastic needs to be done for them to understand it’s not just money it’s years beauty fresh air life wilderness the amount of years it takes to grow and the people that brings