Sammy’s Place is pleased to share that we have been making steady progress toward breaking ground on the Thompson Springs affordable, accessible homeownership community in Nehalem, OR. Working with our architects at Jones Architecture and our developer, Owen Gabbert, LLC, we have finalized all designs for this community, which will be nestled in a beautiful natural setting. We are also pleased to announce that we will be working with Cove Built of Manzanita, OR, as our general contractor.
Thompson Springs will provide a model for affordable, accessible homeownership in our coastal communities. Using the principles of Universal Design, each unit will be universally accessible and visitable by incorporating design features such as single-story living; barrier-free, no-step entries/exits; and wider doors and corridors for greater maneuverability. Using the principles of permanent affordability, this model includes a Community Land Trust to ensure these units remain affordable in perpetuity. We are grateful to our partners at Proud Ground for being our Community Land Trust partner and for bringing this model of permanent affordability to our community.
Sammy’s Place and the team at Owen Gabbert, LLC have been working diligently to cultivate investment in this community. To date, our funding partners include Oregon Housing and Community Services (through its Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Housing Program), The Collins Foundation, the Kuni Foundation, the Fairview Trust, Tillamook County, Business Oregon, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
We are grateful for their support, and there is still an opportunity for our local community to make an impact. The housing crisis can feel overwhelming, but you can change that! When you give locally, you make an immediate and observable impact in your community. By investing in Thompson Springs, local investors are increasing the affordability of these units for our friends and neighbors in the very communities where they live and work. The investments made in these homes today will remain with the units, ensuring each unit is affordable to future homebuyers upon resale. This local investment has a lasting impact: the dollars invested in Thompson Springs don’t disappear after helping one family. They generate impact for generations of buyers through the mechanism of permanent affordability.
This year, as we enter giving season, we encourage you to make an impact, see the change, and give locally.
Invest in Sammy’s Place.
Sammy’s Place is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization based in Nehalem, OR, serving the residents of Clatsop, Tillamook, and Lincoln Counties.
To learn more, visit our website at https://sammysplace.info/our-focus/thompson-springs/
To make a donation, go to https://sammysplace.info/donate/
Upcoming Activities & Events:
Holiday Karaoke Party
Free for community members: December 20, 2025, from 1 PM – 4 PM at the BunkerGrill Restaurant in Idaville (Tillamook): Please RSVP here.
Home Readiness Program:
Follow our website for homeownership readiness education opportunities. Get ready, now! www.sammysplace.info
About Sammy’s Place & Oregon COAAST Network: Sammy’s Place is a non-profit organization serving Oregon’s rural, coastal Clatsop, Tillamook, and Lincoln Counties. Currently based in Nehalem, OR, we envision a welcoming coastal region where everyone has what they need to fully participate and thrive in their community of choice. Our combined lived experience shows that, while disability is a natural part of life, the Oregon Coast is not yet universally accessible to people with disabilities. This means not everyone can fully participate in or thrive in our coastal communities. This is especially the case for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This drives us to create new opportunities within the coastal region so everyone can participate. We are currently doing this through three interconnected strategies. We are elevating the voices of people and families experiencing I/DD through our Family Network and peer support services. We are advancing universal accessibility in our local towns along Oregon’s North Coast through a community housing development model that emphasizes universal design and community living. And finally, we are building a sustainable organization that serves as a long-term resource for the Coast through strategic planning and sound financial stewardshi