Rivermark Gives $20,000 to Community Roots Collaborative

​The Rivermark Community Fund, a philanthropic arm of Rivermark Community Credit Union, has directed its 2022 grant of $20,000 to Community Roots Collaborative (C-Roots), a non-profit organization aimed at creating stable and affordable housing. This donation will support the development of permanent, cottage-style tiny homes in Clark County for those currently unhoused.
 
Financial insecurity caused in large part by the turmoil of the pandemic and its lasting effects has had severe effects on the housing crisis in Portland and much of the rest of the U.S. The combination of high rent prices and a lack of affordable housing opportunities have compounded into a much larger issue over the past few years.
 
“At Rivermark, we recognize the importance of affordable housing as one of several foundational elements in support of our larger financial wellness strategic initiative to support local families. For this year’s grant, we intentionally sought out a nonprofit whose mission extends beyond affordable housing and includes a network of community support services to address the underlying issues of houselessness,” said Seth Schaefer, Rivermark’s President/CEO.
 
According to a recent count by the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS), individuals experiencing houselessness continues to rise as affordable and transitional housing resources remain inadequate. “I’m confident that our grant to the Community Roots Collaborative is part of a longer-term solution as a result of their more holistic approach,” continued Schaefer.
 
“With our second 23 home development now under construction, and a third development slated to start later next year, we have fully reached the limits of our current working board model. Rivermark’s grant will be instrumental in giving C-Roots enough reserves to start the process of hiring our first full-time Executive Director in the first quarter of 2023. This grant will allow us to scale our concept of building modular, factory-build, tiny homes to areas outside of Vancouver, WA,” said Dan Whiteley, President of C-Roots.

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