Noemi Cagatin-Porter
Noemi Cagatin-Porter, founder of CJK Community Homes, was recently honored with a 2024 Washington State Volunteer Service Award from Serve Washington for her dedication to affordable housing and community service.
A Filipino immigrant who once experienced homelessness while raising three children, Cagatin-Porter established CJK in 2020 to help low-income families in Pierce County secure safe, affordable housing. To date, the nonprofit has supported 135 individuals, including 25 families and 30 single adults.
This year, Cagatin-Porter led a proposal to purchase a 17-micro-unit project for long-term affordable housing and is working on developing nine townhouses for first-time homebuyers. For Cagatin-Porter, housing is about more than just shelter, it’s about building a foundation for long-term financial stability.
“I’ve lived that life, and I understand the many barriers people have gone through,” Cagatin-Porter said. “I want to be that support system for them to pay it forward.”