Square One Villages
Luna Del Isle was full of hope when she walked into the Peace Village Co-op open house on November 30th. To her, this 4 year in the making, low income, high quality housing community is a hope for a “sense of community.”
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This co-op, the fifth one to come out of the Square One Villages Non-profit, has gained the title of the largest housing co-op in Oregon introducing 70 new homes to Eugene. With new legislation passed, 1.6 million dollars in charitable donations from donors, 5.3 million dollars in government stipends, and a below market rate construction loan, this really was a city-wide effort.
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These homes are a new hope for many who find themselves unable to buy but spending more money on renting in the long run. This new infrastructure means that the residents are the ones in charge of the co-op. This means that “if they raise the rent, they’re raising it on themselves,” as Kavana Bressen, development specialist for Square One said, ‘they’ being the residents of the Peace Village Co-op.
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This is insured by the land being owned by a community land trust that Square One maintains ownership of, but the houses built are classified as improvements to the land. The Peace Village Co-op and its members maintain ownership of the improvements.
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To buy a stake, new residents pay 500 dollars to the Co-op and then rent is between 450-750 dollars a month with utilities included. For residents who may need help with the initial deposit, there are informational sessions to find out more about the financial aid options available.
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For many potential residents this co-op means the world. For many like Ms Del Isle, this is a place where her teenage son and her may call home after years of searching. Years of going from town to town “searching for tribe and community.”
As Mayor Vinis said during her opening speech, “housing is healthcare,” not something people should be going without. Eugene has had the highest per capita homeless rate in the US for years. That is something the city of Eugene is very aware of and projects like this aim to lessen.
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As Dan Bryant said, “the solution to the unhoused problem is not more shelter. The solution is more housing.” Maybe, finally, with solutions like this, that number will finally begin to shrink permanently.
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This is not going to fix every problem surrounding housing in Eugene, but it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, with the help of local and state officials, this village and others like it will become stepping stones in shifting the way people look at helping eradicating homelessness in Eugene.
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The city’s proposed five year plan is an important step. With a variety of different approaches to creating more housing, including varying timelines for completion, Eugene has made housing a priority within city hall.
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These efforts clearly aren’t going unnoticed by the residents of Eugene. The smiling faces and excitement of those in attendance at the open house demonstrated that. These decisions have the potential to be life changing for so many people.
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