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Volunteers for the Portland chapter of Habitat for Humanity are doing more than building homes. They鈥檙e building entire subdivisions.

Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East recently wrapped up a fundraising campaign that brought in $12 million. Officials used the money to buy land in various unfinished subdivisions.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it鈥檚 a win-win situation, obviously, but builders and bankers were nonetheless happy to get some money from that land,鈥� said Steve Messinetti, the president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East.

Messinetti said Habitat families and volunteers should be able to build some 150 homes in subdivisions ranging from 10 to 45 homes. The largest subdivision is at 171st Avenue and Division Street.

Even though Habitat volunteers are building more homes at once, Messinetti said all of them are being built using the same model Habitat for Humanity has used since it was founded in Georgia in 1976. People who have no other means to buy a home apply to Habitat. The organization grants them a zero-interest loan to build the home themselves with the help of volunteers.

鈥淭he subdivisions are no different from any other homes in that regard,鈥� Messinetti said.

Although Habitat officials have purchased the land, they are still raising money to build the homes. The homes will be built over the next five years, Messinetti said. Habitat usually builds an average of 20 homes a year, he said. The $12 million will help volunteers increase that average to 30.

Major donors to the fundraising campaign included the Meyer Memorial Trust, Walsh Construction, Wells Fargo and John Gray as well as the cities of Gresham and Portland and the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust.

The $12 million tally includes $3 million to support the annual fund and $9 million in additional donations.