On behalf of Hacienda CDC, I extend our deepest condolences to Dolores Huerta’s family, loved ones, and the generations of organizers and community members whose lives she touched.

Dolores devoted her life to the dignity of working people. Through decades of tireless organizing, she challenged injustice and helped farmworkers, women, and Latino communities recognize their power to create change. Her courage also extended to speaking painful truths about her own life. In doing so, she affirmed that every person’s dignity matters, including within the movements and institutions we hold dear.

We were honored to welcome Dolores as our keynote speaker at La Gala this time last year where she brought nearly 500 people to their feet to chant, “Sí, se puede”. Our connection to her legacy also lives in Dolores, our affordable housing community named in her honor. That name carries a responsibility: to help build a future where families have a stable home, opportunities to thrive, and a voice in the decisions that shape their lives.

As a Latino-led organization, we carry her example into our work and our hopes for the communities we serve. Dolores showed what becomes possible when people organize, stand together, and refuse to give up on one another.

Today, we mourn with her family and all who loved her. We honor her by continuing the work she dedicated her life to: advancing justice, dignity, and opportunity for generations to come.

Gracias, Dolores. Sí, se puede.

Ernesto.

Progress, Resilience, and What’s Ahead

Estimada comunidad,

As we reflect on FY25, I’m grateful for the residents, partners, supporters, and community members who continue to believe in Hacienda CDC’s mission and help bring it to life every day.

I’m proud to share Hacienda CDC’s FY25 Impact Report, highlighting the collective impact we made together over the past year and the momentum continuing to shape our future.

This past year tested many communities across Oregon. Families navigated rising costs, housing instability, and a climate of fear and uncertainty that has deeply impacted many immigrant and Latino communities. Yet even in challenging moments, our community demonstrated extraordinary resilience, care, and determination.

In FY25 alone, Hacienda CDC served more than 4,000 residents and community members through our programs and initiatives. 

Building on this momentum, we are continuing to advance several important initiatives in FY26 that reflect our ongoing commitment to social and economic mobility for all communities:

• Dolores—Celebrating the grand opening of our newest affordable housing community in Hillsboro and expanding Resident Services to Washington County

• Arrobas Digital Access Initiative—Updating technology across our Learning Centers and piloting a device lending program to improve digital connectivity and access for program participants and the broader community

• Mass Timber Workforce Training—Launching one of Oregon’s first residential mass timber workforce training programs to connect community members to emerging industries and quality careers

• Portland Mercado Rebuild—Continuing the restoration and reimagining of a vital cultural and economic hub for Portland’s Latino community

• 27th Annual Latino Home Fair—Building on nearly three decades of creating pathways to homeownership through trusted resources, education, and financial empowerment opportunities

These efforts are part of a larger vision for a stronger, more equitable Oregon where families and communities can thrive for generations to come.

I invite you to explore our FY25 Impact Report and learn more about the people, partnerships, and progress shaping Hacienda CDC’s next chapter.

Thank you for being part of this work and for investing in our community.

Siempre Adelante,

Dr. Ernesto Fonseca
Chief Executive Officer
Hacienda CDC

Our Bold Vision for the Next 3 Years

Estimados amigos,

At Hacienda CDC, we believe in the power of community. For over 30 years, we have helped strengthen families, stabilize housing, and create economic opportunities that foster generational wealth.

Over the last year, however, we have witnessed immigration and economic equity face growing headwinds that show no signs of abating. In fact, we believe they will intensify in the coming months.

Times like these must be met with strong leadership, a bold vision, and action.

Today, I am proud to share with you our FY25–28 Strategic Plan—a clear, intentional roadmap to meet this moment and shape the future our communities deserve.

Over the next three years, we will:

• Strengthen our foundation to ensure Hacienda’s long-term sustainability.

• Elevate community voices through advocacy to unlock resources and political support for our communities.

• Launch innovative programs, ensuring more families have access to homeownership, small business support, and wealth-building pathways.

• Expand affordable housing in new markets, deepening our partnerships and long-term impact.

This plan is not just about what we aim to achieve—it is also about how we intend to get there: with discipline, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to equity and resilience.

Thank you for continuing to stand with us as we build a future where all families can thrive.

Siempre Adelante,

Dr. Ernesto Fonseca 

Chief Executive Officer 

The modular homes made from Oregon-grown mass-timber, arriving in communities this summer, may offer a speedier solution to state’s housing crisis

OTIS, Ore., June 7, 2023 — This morning in Otis, a small Lincoln County community near the Oregon coast, Barbara and Scott Benedict stood on their rural property and watched as a crane lifted a pair of large boxes off of two flatbed trucks. By early afternoon, workers had placed the two boxes, or modules, together to form the Benedicts’ new home, replacing the one destroyed in 2020 by the Echo Mountain Fire near Lincoln City.

The Benedicts’ new “Mass Casita” is one of six prototype homes developed by Hacienda CDC and built from Oregon-grown mass timber. Last month, they began arriving in Oregon communities; nearly all will be ready for their owners to occupy them later this summer. 

The home deliveries are the latest chapter in the story of Mass Casitas, an innovative pilot project that is among the first of its kind in the nation. Led by Hacienda CDC, a statewide housing organization based in Portland, the project aims to demonstrate how modular housing built with mass timber could provide a more efficient, faster and less expensive way to build housing and ease Oregon’s housing shortage. 

Oregon is short 140,000 housing units and needs to build more than a half-million homes over the next 20 years in order to keep up with demand. Gov. Tina Kotek has set a construction target of 36,000 units per year, an 80% increase over current production. Reaching that goal will require innovative solutions that can generate housing much faster than Oregon does now.

“Oregon urgently needs more homes, not only for families displaced by disasters like wildfires, but for our many rural and urban communities that simply don’t have enough housing,” said Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda. “With Mass Casitas, we’re developing a process that could add many more homes throughout the state, at a faster pace than traditional construction.”

From design to delivery

Beginning in June 2022, the six prototype Mass Casitas were designed and developed at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2. So far, three of the six prototypes have been delivered to Otis (one home) and Talent (two homes). A fourth home will be delivered to Madras in June; the remaining two homes will be installed in Portland later this summer.

At the Port, large panels of mass timber plywood were assembled into the boxes, or modules, that form the homes. After the walls were framed, crews installed mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as windows, insulation, and roof structures. The boxes were then placed onto trucks and delivered to their new communities.

On site in Otis, the two modules for the Benedicts’ home were lifted by crane off of two flatbed trucks and placed together on a concrete foundation to form one 1,136 sq. ft. structure. Over the next four to six weeks, crews will affix the two modules to the foundation, join them together, and complete a range of finishing work — such as insulating the crawl space, hooking up utilities, and completing interior doors and trim. The Benedicts will move in by late July.

Over the next year, the Mass Casitas team will work with Mass Casitas residents to monitor how the structures perform in different Oregon climates. The team will use what they learn to improve the design of Mass Casitas and inform the production process.

Potential to scale up, community partners

Hacienda’s Mass Casitas project includes the design, development, delivery and field-testing of six prototype homes. Going forward, Hacienda continues to explore how to produce Mass Casitas on a larger scale, potentially as part of a federally funded project that envisions the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2 as a new Mass Timber Innovation Hub.

In communities, Hacienda has worked with nonprofit partners to help identify and/or select the families who will live in the Mass Casitas. The six homes (which range in size from studios to 3-bedroom models) have been or will be delivered to these four communities:

• 1 home arrived today in  Otis (Lincoln County); partner is Cascade Relief Team

• 2 homes are on site in Talent (Jackson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

• 1 home is going to Madras (Jefferson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

• 2 homes are going to Portland (Multnomah County); partner is Community Vision

During the December 2021 special session, the Oregon Legislature allocated $5 million for Mass Casitas to the Port of Portland, which has provided the warehouse space and fund management and partnered with Hacienda, the housing organization leading the project. Other key team members are: Salazar Architect Inc. (design), Walsh Construction Co. (general contractor), and Freres Engineered Wood (mass timber supplier/expert).

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Construction is underway on six prototype homes headed to Oregon communities this summer

PORTLAND, Ore.— Inside a sprawling warehouse at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 2, a potential solution to ease Oregon’s housing shortage is swiftly taking shape. Workers are assembling six prototype modular homes using Oregon-produced mass timber that will soon house pre-selected families and individuals in four communities (Madras, Otis, Portland and Talent). Led by Hacienda CDC, the pilot project (among the first of its kind in the nation) aims to demonstrate how modular housing built with mass timber could provide a more efficient, faster and less expensive way to build housing. The pilot was spearheaded by $5 million in funding from the Oregon Legislature.

On Friday, Hacienda offered a first look at the prototype homes, called Mass Casitas, to city and state officials, including Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Senator Jeff Merkley, community leaders, and the media at the Port of Portland’s Marine Terminal 2.

“We need more homes now to address Oregon’s urgent housing crisis, and traditional systems alone will not be enough to get the job done. Mass Casitas is innovative because we’re combining mass timber with modular single-family home construction to develop a process that could help Oregon add more high-quality housing, faster,” said Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda.

State economists have said that Oregon has a shortage of 110,000 housing units for current residents at all income levels. To accommodate future growth, the state may need to build more than 580,000 homes by 2040. The greatest need is among residents with the lowest incomes. 

“I was excited to advocate for $5 million dollars to support this vision in its infancy, and I’m thrilled today to see its first major step forward. The Mass Casitas project is proof that, together, we can act with the urgency people across our state are demanding. Bold ideas, concrete solutions, disciplined follow through. That’s how we can deliver results,” said Kotek.

The vision of Mass Casitas extends beyond housing, Fonseca said. With additional public and private investment, the model has the potential to accelerate the growth of Oregon’s mass timber industry and create new jobs — and in the process, help to revitalize former logging communities and increase economic opportunities for Oregonians, especially in rural communities and communities of color.

Visitors who toured the Mass Casitas production site on Friday saw the six prototype homes under construction. Once complete, the homes will be donated and delivered to nonprofit organizations in four Oregon communities by June 2023. The nonprofits will select which individuals and families will live in the homes. 

The six prototype homes (which range in size between 1-3 bedrooms) are headed for these four Oregon communities: 

• 1 home is going to Madras (Jefferson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

• 1 home is going to Otis (Lincoln County); partner is Cascade Relief Team

• 2 homes are going to Portland (Multnomah County); partner is Community Vision

• 2 homes are going to Talent (Jackson County); partner is Casa of Oregon

Following delivery of the prototypes, the Mass Casitas team will monitor how the homes perform in different climates and their utility to residents, using what they learn to improve the design, inform the production process and assess the potential of creating the units at scale.

"Mass Casitas is helping transform Terminal 2 into a site for innovation, mass timber industry transformation, and opportunity for Oregon families," said Keith Leavitt, chief trade & equitable development officer at the Port of Portland. "This project is even more evidence that mass timber can be transformative for Oregon, and it's full of opportunity for those who have been left behind, from new housing options to the creation of good-paying jobs along the timber and housing construction supply chain."

During the December 2021 special session, the Legislature allocated $5 million for Mass Casitas to the Port of Portland, which is providing the warehouse space and fund management and partnered with Hacienda, the housing organization leading the project. Other key team members are: Salazar Architect Inc. (design), Walsh Construction Co. (general contractor), VALAR Consulting Engineering (engineering), and Freres Engineered Wood (mass timber supplier/expert).

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About Hacienda CDC

Hacienda CDC is a trusted Latino/x-led community-building organization that strengthens BIPOC and low-income communities through affordable housing and holistic services for adults, families and youth. Founded in 1986 in Portland’s Cully neighborhood, Hacienda has grown to support underserved communities that face barriers to opportunity throughout urban and rural Oregon. Through our own innovative approaches and high-impact partnerships, Hacienda develops affordable housing and provides client-centered services and programs that enable people to thrive and achieve their dreams of home ownership, entrepreneurship and education. Learn more at haciendacdc.org.

Learn more about Mass Casitas and this Innovative solution to address the housing crisis