Medford, Ore. — The Rogue Valley Association of Realtors is trying to make the dream of home ownership a reality by donating money to local charities.
On Tuesday, it donated $87,000 for local charities in Jackson and Josephine counties.
Housing is limited in these counties and the price of renting is on the rise.
Oregon Association of Realtors and the Rogue Valley Association of Realtors gave $2,500 to Age Freindly Innovators, $15,000 to Habitat for Humanity, and $40,000 to the ACCESS Housing Assistance Department to replenish the home buyer grant program.
Joe Vollmar with ACCESS said more people are turning to them for help.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people coming in that have been renters and are struggling with the market rate increasing in rent and are looking for home ownership as an option,” Vollmar said.
This money gives it the opportunity to help families just starting out.
“It allows us to provide home ownership counseling to first time buyers and also down payment assistance to households in Jackson and Josephine counties to help purchase a home,” Vollmar said.
John Ford with Habitat for Humanity said this money could be the start of a new home for a deserving family.
“The money is a fantastic starter. It takes around $60,000 to build a home in our community and we’ve been able to give to our 60 homes in our community, so this is the next house,” Ford said.
Ford said the money helps families that might otherwise fall through the cracks.
“They don’t qualify for certain programs so these are those families that are in-between, they are working three jobs trying to provide for their family and living in substandard housing,” Ford said.
The Rogue Valley Realtors Association said statistics prove that each home purchase has a domino effect of benefiting a community.
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