Wecoma Place provides new start for wildfire survivor

A wildfire survivor is finding hope after moving into a new affordable housing community on the Oregon coast. On Labor Day in 2020, Micheal Haft remembers he had just gotten off work when he saw a fire approaching his home. What turned out to be the Echo Mountain Complex Fire engulfed his home the next day after he and others in the area evacuated. He lost nearly everything.

“When I came home from work, the mountain was on fire,” Micheal said. “By about midnight, the whole mountain was lit up. Tornado fires came in with heavy wind. Homes were gone in a matter of minutes.”

After the fire, Micheal, who is a lifelong Lincoln County resident, moved from place to place, including living with one of his daughters and temporary shelters. Now, four years later, he has a permanent place to call home. He moved into the recently opened Wecoma Place – a 100% affordable housing development, that provides culturally responsive and support services.

“I’m a different person, a lot happier, meeting people. We might have some training here to teach me how to cook, because I don’t cook very well,” he said.

Funded in part by 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Housing Disaster Tax Credits, as well as a wildfire and General Housing Account Program grants from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), Wecoma Place is one of the newest state-funded projects that gives preference to wildfire survivors.

“Micheal’s story shows us how local and state partnerships can work hand in hand to provide real housing solutions for Oregonians in need,” said OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell. “We know there is still much to do, but with the opening of Wecoma Place and other wildfire-preference developments on the horizon, we are delivering progress.”

Micheal wants other survivors to know they’re not alone, that there are housing resources, people, and organizations who want to help.

“I hope some other people up in the mountain who are still looking for a home, I hope they find a home, because I know what it’s like not to have a home,” he said. “I’ve learned there’s always hope now, and I feel so much better that I have my own space, my own way of life.”

To learn more about Micheal’s story, hear from him in his own words in this video.

Captions: Wecoma Place in Lincoln City features 44 apartments, with preference for wildfire survivors, and is close to public transportation, major roadways, schools, and several shopping centers.

Micheal Haft, who is a survivor of the 2020 Echo Mountain Complex Fire, has a permanent place to call home thanks to Wecoma Place.