PORTLAND, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–After nearly 15 years and close to 1,500 new homes built, affordable housing advocate and developer Rob Justus is stepping away from Home First, the affordable housing company he co-founded in 2009. His last day with the company will be Dec. 31, 2023.
“We’ve evolved as a small company. We’ve got good people, a good product that we build and we’ve been very successful, not just in the metro region but around the state,” Justus said. “I’m proud of what we are doing, the team we’ve built and the people we are helping. And I’m thrilled that Home First will continue on without me in a very meaningful way.”
A 1987 graduate of the University of Portland, Justus got his first experience working with Portland’s homeless population as a volunteer in the St. Francis Dining Hall in Southeast Portland. In 1992, he started a service organization called JOIN. The nonprofit works with people experiencing homelessness to move off the street into permanent housing.
Realizing the great need for affordable housing in Portland, Justus cofounded Home First with retired Portland General Electric executive Dave Carboneau in 2009. The two crafted a business and development model that delivered new affordable housing in a more efficient way.
To date, Home First and its development partners have built 1,425 units of affordable housing with a development cost of more than $381 million. Most units are in the Portland metro region, but Home First has also developed affordable housing in places like St. Helens, Hines, Ontario, Salem, Tillamook and Vancouver, Washington. At present, Home First has another 530 units of affordable housing under construction and 359 more in the pipeline.
Although he is stepping away from Home First, Justus will continue to serve as a member of Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s Housing Production Advisory Council, and he plans to stay engaged in homeless issues moving forward. He has no concrete plans yet but has been in conversations with several elected officials at the state, county and city levels. A married father of two adult children, Justus is also now a grandfather, and he is looking forward to having more time to spend with his family.
As Justus leaves Home First, Ben Pray, a co-owner of the company who joined it in 2015, will assume leadership. Justus said Home First will be in good hands.
“Ben has brought a very smart, sophisticated approach to how we utilize public resources for affordable housing,” he said. “He’s helped Home First become very successful in securing resources and engaging the wider Oregon community, including nonprofits, churches, local businesses and governments, which are all critical pieces to what we do. Ben is a fantastic leader, and Home First is just going to keep on rocking it.”
About Home First
Founded in 2009, Home First partners with public, private and socially responsible investors to help make sure affordable housing is available and accessible across the Northwest. Learn more at hfdpartners.com.