| | | A quarterly publication from SquareOne Villages, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating democratic communities with homes that are permanently affordable and environmentally sustainable. In This Issue: · 2025 Impact Report · Rosa Village Goes Vertical · We're Hiring: Asset Manager · OUR Village & LIFT Homeownership |
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| | | As we move into spring, we’ve taken time to reflect on what was a truly transformative year for SquareOne Villages. In 2025, we expanded our community land trust, broke ground on a new housing co-op, strengthened the systems that support resident-owned communities, and continued to share our model with others across Oregon and beyond. Whether you are a resident, partner, supporter, or neighbor, you are part of what makes this work possible. Your belief in a different kind of housing system—one rooted in community, equity, and long-term affordability—is what allows us to continue pushing this work forward. We invite you to read the full 2025 Impact Report for a closer look at this past year’s progress. |
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| | | | | Rosa Village Goes Vertical! At the end of 2025, we broke ground on Rosa Village Co-op, a 52-home permanently affordable, resident-owned community in Eugene, located adjacent to our Opportunity Village. Since then, construction has been moving steadily forward. We’re beginning to see the first structures take shape—an exciting shift from plans on paper to homes rising from the ground. This progress comes alongside a major milestone behind the scenes. Rosa Village recently closed on over $10 million in financing, including $7.5 million from Oregon’s LIFT Homeownership program—the first time these funds have ever supported a housing cooperative—and a construction loan from Summit Bank. As highlighted in recent coverage by Lookout Eugene-Springfield, this represents a “breakthrough” moment in establishing a more replicable financing model for permanently affordable housing co-ops statewide. As construction progresses throughout 2026, we’re looking forward to sharing more updates—and eventually welcoming a new community of residents into their homes at the beginning of 2027. 👉 Read the full article from Lookout Eugene-Springfield |
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| | | We’re Hiring: Asset Manager As our portfolio of housing co-ops continues to grow, so does the need to ensure their long-term stability and success. We’re excited to be hiring for an Asset Manager to help steward these communities—working with resident-led boards to support financial health, regulatory compliance, and the ongoing care of the physical assets. 👉 VIEW THE JOB POSTING & APPLY If you—or someone you know—are passionate about permanently affordable housing and community-centered development, we’d love to hear from you. |
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| | | OUR Village & LIFT Homeownership In the previous edition of SquareOne NEWS, we had shared plans for OUR Village Co-op, with 44 new homes on property that we acquired from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. We’re pleased to share that OUR Village has since been selected to move forward in the due diligence process for $6 million in LIFT Homeownership funding! This is a major milestone that puts us on track to begin construction on this next cooperative community around the same time we complete Rosa Village. Earlier this year, we joined the Oregon Housing Alliance in advocating for $100m in funding for the LIFT Homeownership program. While $75m was ultimately approved for LIFT Rental, we were disappointed to learn that no additional funds were added on the Homeownership side. Although OUR Village was fortunate to advance, many other strong projects across the state were left unfunded this cycle. Recent updates to the LIFT Homeownership program now allow it to support a broader range of permanently affordable, shared-equity models. These models can serve households at similar income levels as rental housing, while offering greater stability, equity, and long-term affordability. Looking ahead, we will continue working with partners and policymakers to advocate for a more balanced and equitable distribution of LIFT funds in the next biennium. |
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| | Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Earlier this year, SquareOne Villages responded to Capital One’s national open call for proposals focused on Scaling Pathways to Homeownership—an initiative aimed at expanding access to ownership opportunities for households historically excluded from the housing market. Our proposal centered on a model we know is effective. Permanently Affordable Housing Co-ops (PAHCs) offer a proven alternative to traditional homeownership. By combining limited-equity cooperative ownership with community land trust stewardship, PAHCs create an additional rung on the homeownership continuum—providing stability, collective control, and meaningful ownership without needing to qualify for an individual mortgage. To help scale this model, we proposed developing a Permanently Affordable Housing Co-op Toolkit—a comprehensive, modular resource designed to support practitioners, resident leaders, community land trusts, nonprofit developers, and public partners. At a time when new policy and financing pathways are emerging to support cooperative housing, this effort could help accelerate development of more co-ops in Oregon and beyond. Here's a 90 second pitch that we included in our application: |
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| | | | | SquareOne Villages is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission of creating democratic communities with homes that are permanently affordable and environmentally sustainable. Donate Today! |
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