A local nonprofit has won a grant to build 52 more permanently affordable housing units in Eugene.
Square One Villages’ newest project, Rosa Village, will allow residents to own a share of the property, instead of individual single family homes.
Executive Director Andrew Heben said the project is the first co-op the state’s affordable housing tax credit has subsidized, and he’s hoping other towns and organizations follow Square One’s lead.
"We think it expands the continuum of home ownership in Oregon, which has become a pretty narrow pool of people that can qualify for a mortgage as an individual household these days," Heben said.
Rosa Village is the nonprofit’s fifth project and it will house people making 60% of the median income or below.
“It’s targeting a population that’s definitely priced out of home ownership and is struggling to access even the smallest units on the rental market,” Heben said. “Its trying to create an accessible housing model that will provide more control and stability that a typical rental housing model would.”
The co-op will be built on a plot of land on Roosevelt Boulevard which previously was used as a safe sleep site.
Heben said he hopes construction on Rosa Village will begin late this year. He said Square One has been working with other groups in hopes of getting a few more, similar cooperative villages built in the area.
