About Community Roots Housing

What started in Capitol Hill in the 1970s was the idea that everyone should live affordably in their neighborhood, in their community. The idea grew, and we responded to housing needs in Belltown, the Central District, and neighborhoods beyond. While building and preserving affordable apartments, we focused on the people who lived there as well as in the surrounding neighborhood.

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From the beginning, we’ve built relationships with neighborhood organizations, and the artists, businesses, and people in those neighborhoods. Since then, we’ve grown from 11 buildings with 172 apartments in 1990 to close to 1,600 apartments today. We’ve developed amenities that not only meet the housing needs of our residents but also serve the community around them.

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Today, we are fully grounded in the knowledge that community members know best what they need to thrive.

Benefiting from decades of learning and listening, we are even more committed to community-centered development. We honor a community’s strengths and assets, are honored to work in community, and form collaborations with the people and organizations who share roots there. We work with service providers, funders, and hundreds of community members to create and preserve affordable homes, protect community space, stabilize arts and cultural institutions, and generate opportunities for small businesses to prosper.

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We are a citywide Public Development Authority (PDA) and the Community Development Corporation (CDC) for Capitol Hill.

As a PDA and a CDC, we provide programs, offer services, and engage in other activities that promote and support community development. These designations further commit us to serving the community.

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