Member Since December 2019
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About
Ernesto Fonseca joined Hacienda as CEO in April 2017, bringing his passion for community development and a belief in the power of connecting families to opportunity. Ernesto’s own story reflects the potential that can be unleashed by investing in all our community members. Raised in a poor but loving family in central Mexico, Ernesto watched his parents take advantage of educational opportunities and their own initiative to build careers in construction and nursing. They passed on their values of hard work and education to their children, and Ernesto embraced those values to gain a foothold in this country by initially working in kitchens and restaurants as he pursued his educational goals, culminating with a Ph.D from Arizona State University in Environmental Design and Planning. During his time in Phoenix, he spearheaded initiatives to assess the health impacts of community development including gentrification, access to public transportation, and affordable housing, and helped to create the Stardust Center for Affordable Homes & the Family. Ernesto believes it is Hacienda’s job to help all families access the critical ingredients they need to achieve their goals: a stable, affordable home, a healthy family life that allows youth to learn and grow, opportunities for economic success, and access to affordable health care and healthy neighborhoods. He believes in the power of social enterprise to bring increased investment into breaking the cycle of poverty. He joined Hacienda because he shares the same values and experiences with this community, and is eager to empower families to flourish like his own has. He hopes you will join us in building an Oregon where all Oregonians can reach their full potential.
Ernesto Fonseca
Published content
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We must cultivate understanding, trust and compassion to emerge stronger than ever before.
Company details
Hacienda CDC
Company bio
Hacienda CDC is a Latino Community Development Corporation that strengthens families by providing affordable housing, homeownership support, economic advancement and educational opportunities. Hacienda CDC was formed in 1992 to provide necessary housing and supportive services in a low-income, predominantly Latino community. At that time, NE Portland’s Cully neighborhood was home to the largest Latino population in Oregon. From there, Hacienda has built housing communities on four vacant lots and renovated one run-down apartment complex – a former hotbed of drug activity and prostitution – in the Cully neighborhood, creating 325 units of community-centered affordable rental housing. Hacienda has also developed communities in North Portland and a farm worker development in Molalla, OR for a grand total of 381 housing units. We provide safe, stable homes for over 1600 individuals each year, and over half of those individuals are children. Hacienda has since expanded its reach, embracing a holistic approach to development and serving Latinos throughout Portland with programs in Community Economic Development, Homeownership Support, Financial Coaching and Youth & Family Support Services. We have grown to become Oregon’s largest Latino-led, Latino-serving housing organization and remain a trusted name in the Latino population. As Portland’s Latino population has grown rapidly, Hacienda continues building capacity to offer our bicultural services to Latinos and other low-income families throughout the Portland metropolitan area.