| Evergreen Estates Homeowners Cooperative is a charming 55+, 55 unit, resident-owned community (ROC) nestled in the quaint town of Centralia, Washington. The residents of Evergreen Estates came together to purchase their mobile home community in 2020, when they learned the owner was selling. With the assistance of the ROC Northwest team at NWCDC the residents of Evergreen Estate worked together to create a business and home following the ROC USA model.
From their entrance onto the scene, Evergreen Estates has modeled some of the most important tenets of cooperative ownership. Through launch and into operations, the residents of Evergreen Estates honored and prioritized the wellbeing of their neighbors. In the past year, the board has developed a Resource Committee, a place for residents to come together and pool resources and develop strategies to help people in their community who may be in need. In response to the population of aging seniors in their community, the board and committee hosted an Adult Protective Services training to help protect their vulnerable neighbors.
The board of directors at Evergreen Estates has also prioritized member education and outreach at every opportunity. Their financial committee hosts an annual presentation of their budget for the members, during which they walk through how the figures were arrived at and garner feedback from the community members. The board also distributes a monthly newsletter offering updates and information the members need in order to fully participate in their co-op. Finally, the whole board brings a delicious spread to each board meeting! A fantastic approach to encourage attendance and curry delicious favor.
This past September 2024 Evergreen Estates hosted a visit and tour for a staffer from Senator Murray’s office, sharing and educating the representative on the amazing impact that ROCs have for their members, and their larger community.
Excerpt from their recent newsletter regarding the tour:
“On Thursday, September 12, members of our Board along with several of our residents met with Caitlin Harrington from Senator Patty Murray’s office in Vancouver. Also joining was Kiley Staufenbeil, National Community Organizer from the regional ROC office in Portland and Sam Green from NW Cooperative Development Center in Olympia, which provides us with technical assistance.
The purpose of the meeting was to acquaint Caitlin Harrington with our Cooperative, how we are organized, what our most urgent community infrastructure needs are, and the obstacles we are confronting in getting grant funding for these projects. Following a tour of our neighborhood, there was a discussion on potential funding opportunities and what can be done to remove barriers that limit access to some funding grants. Caitlin was eager to learn about our community and how Senator Murray’s office could provide help in removing some of the barriers.
Thanks to Jim Schoelkopf for this recap of our tour and discussion. One thing that was wonderful to hear is how Kiley and Caitlin thought our community is one of the best!!!! They love how we are there for one another and reach out as neighbors. We are more like family than a community!
EEHC Board of Directors” |
