Supporting Innovation Companies

Addressing our workforce housing shortage requires us to think and act differently about home development and construction. The MMHF is actively seeking innovative solutions in product materials, design and assembly, financing, labor, and policy that will help reduce the cost and time to build for those making 80-120% of the area median income (AMI).

The MMHF has a history of investing in and accelerating innovations that have potential to scale to meet workforce housing needs. In 2022, the MMHF hosted a statewide Workforce Housing Innovation competition and released a Request for Innovation. Seventeen volunteer committee members helped review applications and ultimately chose two companies to receive grants from the MMHF:

HumanKind Homes - Design build construction technology company utilizing a set of interlocking bricks made of sustainable geopolymer concrete.
Viowiess - Modular converted shipping container homes with 3D printed living wall systems and components that can withstand the heat and cold of Southern Oregon.

Additionally, MMHF collaborates and partners with companies looking to scale their innovations. An example of this is Quantum Assembly, which has revolutionized how homes are built with scalable, automated assembly. They have developed a proprietary housing module (Lego block) that is 95% factory formed and built out of 98% recycled steel frames and light-gauge steel wall construction which dramatically reduces time and cost to build. The MMHF helped Quantum Assembly connect to the Newberg Workforce Housing Consortium through an RFP process to build more workforce housing in Newberg. They were ultimately part of one of two winning teams that will receive a portion of the up to $3M in allocated Oregon state funds.