What We Do

NeighborWorks Umpqua works with households, businesses, non-profits, and government agencies to create stable local economies. Our programs and services are focused on the following areas:

• Developing and sustaining safe and affordable housing

• Increasing housing stability, social engagement, and access to vital resources and social services in our communities

• Promoting and preserving homeownership

• Helping people to build wealth and achieve their financial goals through financial education and counseling, and through access to matched savings programs

• Investment in climate resilience and energy conservation in our rental housing and among homeowners in our service area

Our Vision

NeighborWorks Umpqua envisions a future where residents in SW Oregon’s rural communities are equipped with the tools to overcome barriers to reaching their dreams.

Our Mission

NeighborWorks Umpqua empowers our neighbors in need to pursue opportunities in housing, community, and finance.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

NeighborWorks Umpqua recognizes the historical legacies of discrimination that impact marginalized communities in our service area and we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the delivery of our programs and services.

Historically, laws and government policies restricted people of color from buying homes in particular neighborhoods, regardless of their ability to pay, through practices such as redlining or racial covenants. People of color and other minorities were for many decades shut out of opportunities for asset building and the intergenerational transfer of wealth, creating instead a vicious cycle of generational poverty.

Today’s exclusionary practices may be less overt, but policies that sustain inequality in housing, asset building and credit continue, nonetheless. Such policies continue to limit opportunity for communities of color, immigrants, indigenous people, religious minorities, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, the elderly, and the disabled in our service area, and across the nation. To fulfill our organizational mission, NWU must actively address the struggles faced by historically marginalized populations through a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter

The communities we serve are more diverse than we often realize because we have failed to understand what is required to effectively reach historically marginalized populations. This is especially important given that these populations are over-represented among the impoverished and disadvantaged. A commitment to equity means ensuring that we allocate the resources necessary to providing outreach and access to our programs and services that address the realities of historic practices of discrimination. 

This will only be accomplished if our programs and services are inclusive; that is, genuinely open and welcoming to everyone. We therefore commit to having the moral and ethical courage to continuously strive for equity in our work. As a community partner, we will be humble and open, so that we may learn from the communities we serve.

As an organization, we will:

• Foster a culture that values the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ensure that our programs, services, and practices are designed to advance those values.
• Intentionally cultivate an inclusive staff, leadership team, and board that value and represent diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
• Engage the communities most impacted by societal disparties in areas that are core to our mission – housing, community development, and financial sustainability. 
• Work to identify and remove systemic barriers to accessing our programs and services.
• Advocated for systemic change.

Without active, explicit, and intentional change, the policies and practices that perpetuate racism and other forms of discrimination will continue to do to. NeighborWorks Umpqua is committed to being part of the solution and by investing in dismantling systems of oppression, we are investing in stronger communities and a brighter future for all.