Since 1981
About
Since 1981
About

Our Mission

Bienestar builds housing, hope, and community for the wellbeing of Latinxs, immigrants, and all families in need.

Our History

Bienestar was founded in 1981 with a mission to provide quality housing to farmworkers and their families due to substandard living conditions in migrant camps.

 

The migrant camps were “just horrible, horrible to today’s standards,” said Hector Hinojosa, co-founder of Centro Cultural and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, who lived in the migrant camps with his family as a teenager.

 

In the late 70s and early 80s, Bienestar volunteers began to address the need for housing and Latinx community services. The first community built in 1983 by Bienestar with support from concerned residents, churches, and partnering organizations, was Elm Park, located in Forest Grove.

Our Portfolio

Since the development of Elm Park, Bienestar has added eleven other properties to its portfolio, and currently owns and operates 12 affordable multifamily properties for more than 2,000 residents. Today, over 95% of our residents are Latinx, and many are immigrants and/or farmworkers.

Why we build:

We believe safe, stable and affordable housing is fundamental for the economic wellbeing and reduction of intergenerational poverty in communities of color. Unfortunately, the affordable housing crisis in Washington County means low-income families struggle to find housing at market rate and often end up in unsafe housing, crowded living conditions, or risk becoming houseless.

What we build:

We build the hard to find two-, three-, and four-bedroom affordable apartments that are crucial for a family with children. With the help of our trained community leaders, Promotores, our properties have become more than just a place for families to live. They become thriving communities, where families feel safe, seen, supported and heard – allowing residents to focus on building their future and achieving their dreams.