Eighth Let's Build Summit Advances Workforce Housing on Oregon's South Coast

The Missing Middle Housing Fund's eighth Let's Build workforce housing solutions summit brought together the "coalition of the enthusiastic" at Ko-Kwel Casino in North Bend, proving once again that the communities of Oregon's South Coast are committed to rolling up their sleeves and "getting things done" to create more attainable housing in the region. Managed in partnership with regional leaders Southern Oregon Coast Regional Housing (SOCRH) and CCD Business Development Corporation, and sponsored by SOCRH, CCD, Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board (SOWIB), Hayden Homes, and Simplicity by Hayden Homes, Let’s Build the South Coast was our biggest Let’s Build event yet!

The Problem We Are All Trying to Solve

Every participant understands the stakes: housing isn't just about buildings, it's foundational to every family's economic prosperity and stability. With Oregon's housing deficit exceeding 140,000 units and the South Coast facing its own acute shortage, we need to produce housing at unprecedented scale and speed.

The challenge is real. Median home prices range from $324,170 in Coos County to $448,707 in Curry County. Average rents hover around $1,400-$1,500 monthly. For workforce families earning at or near the Area Median Income (approximately $60,000 in Coos and Douglas Counties, $55,000 in Curry), attainable housing remains frustratingly out of reach.

Why the South Coast?

As participants heard throughout the day, the South Coast offers unique advantages for housing innovation:

• Speed to pilot projects – Less red tape means faster implementation

• Manufacturing assets and workforce – Existing infrastructure ready to support industrialized construction methods

• Transportation accessibility – Strategic location with port development potential

• Community alignment – Local partners with the horsepower and commitment to make things happen

The summit showcased real progress already underway, from Coos Bay's 72-unit apartment complex and Courthouse Annex workforce housing project, to Bandon's innovative public-private partnership with the School District and Dormy House LLC, which will deliver 74 units of workforce housing on 7.22 acres of public land. 

From Conversation to Action

The day's agenda was intentionally designed to move from identification of solutions to implementation. The morning session focused on brainstorming and prioritizing solutions in each of the four innovation quadrants including product, materials, and design; financing and funding, workforce and human capital, and policy. Lunch provided crucial networking time for solutions to emerge organically, and afternoon breakouts transformed ideas into concrete action plans. By day's end, the energy in the room had crystallized into five distinct working groups, each tackling a critical piece of housing development for the South Coast.

Five Working Groups, Infinite Potential

The summit's most significant outcome was the formation of five working groups that embody the cross-sector collaboration essential to solving our housing crisis:

1. Capital Innovation PartnershipThis working group proposed combining private investors, public agencies, philanthropic organizations, and PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing to create a novel funding mechanism specifically for middle-income housing projects. This partnership recognizes that traditional financing alone won't bridge the gap for workforce housing - we need flexible, risk-taking, and catalytic capital that can move at the speed of opportunity.

2. Revolving Investment FundParticipants committed to establishing a revolving investment fund designed to get more housing initiatives off the ground. This fund could provide the crucial early-stage capital that can make the difference between a stalled concept and a shovel-ready project. It’s hard to get middle income housing projects to make financial sense. This tool could provide the incentives to explore housing innovation and attract new partners.

3. Clear, Fast, and Standardized Review ProcessThis working group will tackle one of housing production's biggest bottlenecks: product design and permitting review. By creating standardized, streamlined processes, the South Coast can leverage its competitive advantage of being faster to pilot projects and reduce both development costs and timelines.

4. Post High School Trades Collaborative Media CampaignYou can't build housing without builders. This working group addresses the critical trades workforce shortage through a collaborative media campaign targeting post-high school youth. The initiative recognizes that the South Coast's manufacturing assets and labor force potential need intentional cultivation, and that careers in the trades offer pathways to economic prosperity for the next generation while simultaneously solving our housing crisis.

5. Local Development ConsortiumThe final working group focuses on pooling resources across the development ecosystem. By creating a consortium that shares knowledge, capacity, and resources, local developers and housing producers can achieve economies of scale and collective problem-solving power that individuals alone cannot. This embodies the "coalition of the enthusiastic" approach, proving that collaboration multiplies impact.

The Recipe for Success

The day reinforced the success factors we've come to learn about reducing barriers to attainable housing and introducing innovative solutions:

1. Local partners with horsepower – SOCRH, CCD, CCNBCHAS, public sector partners, local philanthropy, and expanding coalition members showing up relentlessly

2. Aligned stakeholders – Employers, governments, nonprofits, and capital providers at the same table

3. The right bait – Land, capital, reduced red tape, and a "culture of getting to yes"

4. Motivated innovators – Ready to test, pilot, scale, BUILD HOUSING, and CREATE JOBS

What's Next?

The five working groups are already scheduling follow-up calls and action steps. The momentum from the summit will fuel the next phase of South Coast housing innovation.

As we celebrate this milestone of our eight Let’s Build summit, we're reminded that collaboration isn't just a strategy, it's the foundation. When like minds unite across sectors, geography, politics, and industries, transformation follows. The South Coast is proving that with the right partners, the right tools, and relentless commitment, we can create an ecosystem that supports attainable housing for all.

Want to join the coalition of the enthusiastic? The Missing Middle Housing Fund continues to connect innovators, investors, and communities ready to reimagine how housing gets built. We believe that enough housing at the right price points means people, places, and economies reach their potential. Please get in touch if we can help plan a Let’s Build event in your region.