SELCO recently awarded $200,000 to SquareOne Villages to help the nonprofit build Rosa Village Co-op, a community of 52 permanently affordable, net-zero energy-efficient tiny homes in Eugene for people in need of housing.
This donation was made possible thanks to a 3:1 matching grant that SELCO applied for through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines’ Member Impact Fund. Not only is SELCO’s contribution the largest in our history, the combined grant represents the largest private donation to the Rosa Village project this year.
In addition, the grant sparked $50,000 in separate funding that had already been pledged to SquareOne through a matching gift made at the bequest of Eugene resident and community leader Priscilla Gould.
The grant is part of SELCO’s new SELCO Steps Up community giving program, which was launched earlier this year. One of the primary goals of SELCO Steps Up is to expand SELCO’s giving efforts to meet the community’s changing needs, and the grant to SquareOne is a step in the right direction to combat homelessness—a pressing issue across all the regions SELCO serves.
“By providing low-cost housing like Rosa Village, SquareOne confronts the homelessness issue head-on,” said Olivia Sorensen, SELCO’s Senior Community Development Specialist. “SELCO has partnered with SquareOne for years, but never has SquareOne’s work been more important. When Rosa Village is complete, it will offer a critical lifeline for dozens of families in our community.”
‘Extremely affordable’ housing
In 2012, SquareOne Villages began its bold mission of creating self-managed communities of cost-effective tiny homes for those in need of housing. Starting with non-congregate shelters, the nonprofit’s dream of building permanent, affordable homes gradually took shape over the years. Opportunity Village opened in 2013, followed by Emerald Village Co-op in 2018, Cottage Village Co-op in 2020, C Street Co-op in 2021, and Peace Village Co-op in 2023.
