Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity Mat Hunnicutt, Chad Staskal, DeeDee Johnson, and Scott Nordquist display a toolkit to present to future homeowners
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity has received a $10,000 grant from Eagle Wealth Management to support future homeowners in Bend.
“As financial planners, we spend our days educating and empowering people to reach their financial goals. Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity does much of the same, but in a different way and to a very underserved part of our community.They showed us how our donated dollars and time will be leveraged to significantly impact Central Oregon for the better. Helping families is the best return on our investment we can ask for,” said Chad Staskal, Managing Partner and CEO of Eagle Wealth Management.
The grant will directly benefit 20 families currently in Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s Homeownership Program. Program families earn between 40-80% of the area median income, and participate in about 12 months of homeownership and financial counseling and training.
Families that complete Habitat’s program have been prepared for the financial responsibilities of homeownership, including building savings and preparing for move-in costs, home maintenance, and repairs.
The funds will be used for educational courses, credit counseling, financial management, and toolkits to be gifted to homeowners upon purchasing their home.
Families in the program learn hands-on skills as they volunteer on the construction site and help build homes. This grant will extend even more practical knowledge to future homeowners. Through a partnership with DIYCave, Habitat will offer “Homeowner 101 Workshops” on basic home tools, repairs, and projects.
One “To DIY or not to DIY” course will cover basic repairs like changing a light fixture or patching drywall. Prospective homeowners will learn what they can do own their own, and when they should call a professional.
“These courses empower homeowners to tackle projects on their own, and also save money by avoiding an expensive service call for what could be a simple fix. It’s one more way we can set our families up for success as future homeowners,” said DeeDee Johnson, Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity’s Vice President of Homeowner Services.
“Our Homeownership Department has a strong financial coaching program aided by volunteer mentors. The support from Eagle Wealth allows us to add more coaching tools and funds soft credit pulls to improve our credit counseling,” said Scott Nordquist, Director of Grants Management for Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity.