Brian Starbuck, left, ruffles the hair of his son Victor Berry, 8, at their new home in Johnson Village in Vancouver. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Two families will soon open the doors to their new homes at Johnson Village, an affordable housing community created by Evergreen Habitat for Humanity.
The nonprofit recently completed the final two homes at the subdivision off Northeast 162nd Avenue and 34th Street in east Vancouver. The community is now home to nine families, including Brian Starbuck, 42, and his son, Victor Berry, 8, who will move in at the end of the month.
On Friday, the organization hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the subdivision and hand over the keys to Starbuck, his son, and a second Habitat family.
Starbuck is one of the first people in his family to become a homeowner, an achievement he reached with the support of Habitat, he said.
“It’s a big deal. We haven’t had a house in my family for a few generations. It definitely breaks that generational poverty,” Starbuck said. “It definitely feels like winning the lottery.”
A new space, chapter
On Wednesday afternoon, Starbuck and his son explored their home ahead of Friday’s ceremony. Victor ran excitedly through the brand-new space, as he planned how he would decorate his room and where his bed would go.
Families get to choose the finishing touches on their house, including the countertops and paint colors.
Starbuck chose a dark gray color for his home, a contrast to the bright white walls and cabinetry inside. Each house has a shed in the backyard and a spacious front porch.
Throughout the home, other Evergreen Habitat for Humanity volunteers swept, cleared away remaining boxes and began adding the finishing touches to the space.
“It’s been a great experience. They walk us through it and have us do homeowner’s classes,” Starbuck said. “They don’t just hand you a house. They set it up very well, which has been amazing.”
Starbuck said he was introduced to Evergreen Habitat for Humanity through early child care provider Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, where his son attended Head Start.
Johnson Village is the organization’s first community land trust, owned by the Habitat Home Trust, meaning homeowners lease the land rather than owning it. Families still own their homes, but Habitat owns the land on which the homes are built through the trust. Homeowners can still build equity over time, Cochrun explained.
If a family decides to move, Habitat for Humanity will sell the home back to another low-income family, which keeps the community affordable.
Volunteers and Habitat homeowners contribute to building their own houses, a unique aspect of Johnson Village.
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Habitat volunteer Steve Rasmussen has worked on all nine homes in the community. In total, 433 volunteers contributed 15,683 hours to Johnson Village.
“It’s rewarding,” Rasmussen said. “The idea that we’re providing housing for families that are trying really hard to get a house. It’s just nice to see they’re at home.”
Evergreen Habitat for Humanity’s next project will be another affordable housing community with 32 cottage-style homes in the North Image neighborhood. Construction is set to begin sometime in the summer of 2025, Cochrun said.
“It’s our biggest by a lot. It’s a huge new project for us, and we’re really excited to take that on,” Cochrun said.
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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