Sitting on the couch, greeting a neighbor, or drinking a cup of coffee are simple moments many people take for granted. For Joshua Henley of Lane County, these everyday comforts are what he looks forward to most now that he has a permanent place to call home.
“I’m looking forward to having a routine,” Henley said. “There’s a certain comfort that comes when you get a level of permanence in your living situation. When you know your physical needs are taken care of, things start getting better.”
Henley, a health and physical education teacher, lost everything in the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. At the time, he was staying with a friend when the fire tore through the Lazy Days Mobile Home and RV Park in Blue River. He woke up to texts from his school asking if he had gotten out safely. Watching the news later that day, he remembers thinking, “I’m pretty sure I’m homeless now.”
When Henley was finally allowed back home, he was met with devastation.
“You tend to think that not everything will burn up, that there will be at least something left,” Henley said. “Literally everything was gone. The refrigerator was completely burned and collapsed. I had a coffee mug collection my children gave me, but it was just a pile of clay on the ground.”
In the years after the wildfire, Henley moved from place to place. Then a friend told him that the Lazy Days park was going to be rebuilt. Homes for Good restored the park using recovery funds from Oregon Housing and Community Services. The park provides affordable housing for people who, like Henley, lost a lot in the fire.
Henley applied to be a resident and, in June 2025, was able to move back into the park. A local nonprofit even helped him furnish his new home.
“There are people who suffered even worse than I did,” Henley said. “I never dreamed I’d be able to return here and qualify for help. There have been a lot of tears of gratitude. I’m so thankful.”
Henley is looking forward to making this a permanent place to call home and already enjoying the everyday moments that come with it.
“I’m going to plant a garden with tomatoes, peppers, and basil,” Henley said. “I’m also looking forward to seeing the kids from school ride their bikes around the park and say hi. It used to be something I almost found annoying, and I took it for granted. Now it feels like it really means something.”
Henley encourages anyone who was impacted by the fire to take advantage of the help that’s still available.
“I know it’s overwhelming,” Henley said. “No one ever talks about how easy it is to just give up. It’s a struggle to think about what has to be done, but it’s worth it. Take it one day at a time and ask for help.”
If you are a survivor of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires and straight-line winds and still need support, the Oregon Housing and Community Services’ ReOregon program may be able to help. Visit
re.oregon.gov or call the ReOregon Call Center at 877-510-6800 or 541-250-0938.
OHCS wants to ensure that everyone has access to its information and programs. If you would like this information/form/publication in a different language, please email Language.Access@hcs.oregon.gov.