Woodland Community Groundbreaking Remarks

October 20, 2025

Good afternoon. I'm Governor Tina Kotek. I first want to thank Habitat for Humanity for your tireless work in Central Oregon and across the state.

I am thrilled to be here with you today for the groundbreaking of Woodland Community and talk about our favorite subject: how to ensure every Oregonian has a safe home they can afford.

Let's be honest – the challenge before us is monumental. Too many Oregon families are struggling with the cost of living. They're forced to make impossible choices between staying in the communities they love – like Sisters – and finding a place they can afford.

This didn't happen overnight. Decades of underbuilding and red tape left Oregon with a severe housing shortage that drives up rents, home prices, and worsens our homelessness crisis. When I was sworn into office in 2023, Oregon had a shortage of 140,000 housing units.

But I have good news to share with you today.

Thanks to the dedication of everyone here, Oregon has over 46,000 new housing units underway. That’s possible because of infrastructure funding you helped advocate for that brings sewers, roads, and utilities online for builders to build. Because of those investments, land is made available for housing and direct construction financing.

This represents real progress. Progress made possible by bold, bipartisan policies. Progress made possible by state and local governments working hand in hand with private partners and nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity.

This groundbreaking we’re celebrating today is proof that those numbers represent real change for real families.

The homes that will be built here at Woodland Community will provide homeownership opportunities for the nurses, teachers, and firefighters who serve this community but are priced out of this market. For young families who want to put down roots in Sisters. For seniors who want to stay in the place where they built their lives.

Everyone here today knows this work is not done – not by a long shot. We need to build approximately 30,000 more homes per year for the next decade to have a healthy housing market where everyone can afford a home.

Our economic prosperity depends on it. And we can't continue making progress on putting a roof over more Oregonians without our collective focus and persistence.

But today – standing on this dirt and gravel where families will soon call home – we can see that when we work together, we can turn this tide.

Let's keep working and keep building a better Oregon for everyone.

Thank you.