Our Mission and Vision
Mission
Common Roots Housing Trust creates permanently affordable homes, providing homeownership opportunities to residents in our region whose housing needs are not met by a challenge market.
Vision
Our residents live affordably while gaining equity, enjoying the pride of homeownership, and putting down roots in the community. By investing in residents, their homes, and the land beneath them, Common Roots helps to stabilize our region and sustain its distinctive, vibrant character.
photo credits: Justin Ward - justinwardphotography.com
Our History
Common Roots Housing Trust grew from a simple but urgent question: How can we make homes affordable for everyone in our region?
Community-Driven Beginnings
In 2018, Community Council brought together residents from Walla Walla, Columbia, and Milton-Freewater to study the region’s most pressing issues. Their answer was clear—affordable housing. Over nine months, a diverse group of community members researched local housing challenges and identified a community land trust (CLT) as one part of a lasting solution to keep homes affordable for generations.
Turning Ideas Into Action
In 2019, the Walla Walla County Council on Housing created a CLT Task Force, which recommended launching a CLT for the Walla Walla Valley. With support from Blue Mountain Action Council (BMAC) as fiscal sponsor and Community Council as convener, volunteers began organizing. By 2020, they had chosen the name Common Roots Housing Trust and, in 2021, elected the first board of directors.
Building the Foundation
Common Roots was incorporated in 2022 and gained federal nonprofit status in 2023, establishing policies, a resale formula, and a long-term plan for permanently affordable homeownership. Community meetings across College Place, Waitsburg, and Milton-Freewater helped shape its vision and connect with future homeowners.
Growing for Generations
In 2024, Common Roots secured funding from Washington State’s Housing Trust Fund to build its first seven homes—the Fern Avenue Cottage Homes in Walla Walla. In 2025, through a generous donation from Sherwood Trust, the organization purchased land in Waitsburg. Common Roots also launched bilingual homeowner readiness programs and began accepting applications for its first homeowners.
Today, Common Roots continues to grow from the belief that home is the foundation for a thriving community, ensuring residents can put down roots and stay connected to the Walla Walla Valley for generations to come.