Clark County Building Industry Association Treasurer and developer of the project, Dave Campos, third from right, gives a tour of a renovated building Wednesday during a groundbreaking for Community Roots Collaborative's new O-Street project. The project includes renovating a former Sikh Community Church into 12 Oxford-style homes and adding eight tiny homes on the property. (Taylor Balkom/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
As shovel blades sliced through tawny-brown dirt on Wednesday, Vancouver residents were one step closer to more affordable housing.
Community Roots Collaborative, a nonprofit developer of permanent, affordable tiny homes for people exiting homelessness in Clark County, broke ground Wednesday for its second project in the Rose Village neighborhood.
“At C-Roots, we are trying to build beautiful things and beautiful relationships and bring beautiful people together. This is what happened at Fruit Valley and this is what will happen here,” said Dan Whiteley, Community Roots Collaborative board president.
The second location will transform a former Sikh Community Church building that has sat vacant since 2016. The structure will become 12 Oxford-style rooms. Adjacent to the building is a grassy and dirt-coated lawn, that will soon be home to eight tiny homes, accommodating up to 38 adults and children.
The qualification to live in the community is to make less than 30 percent of the current area median income, or roughly $23,000, according to Whiteley’s estimates. The average rent for the rooms and homes is between $600 and $650, including utilities.
The property will be solar-powered, reducing the cost for residents as they will not need to pay for electricity.
The tiny homes community also aims to break cycles of homelessness with its residents through wrap-around services. Residents are eligible for case management.
“People here in Vancouver now have a true affordable house. I think it’s a virtuous circle that is going to have a huge impact. It’s 50 years of housing, and there is no time limit of how long people can stay there,” said Whiteley. “It’s an age-in-place solution and the mission is to be a temporary place for somebody to get on their feet — for senior citizens, or folks who are not making enough income.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
