Nathan Clevenger

A prominent nonprofit organization providing affordable homeownership in Central Oregon announced a pair of new leaders Tuesday.

Rooted Homes is a developer of small, energy-efficient homes sold below market rate to buyers who have been priced out of Central Oregon’s expensive housing market. The nonprofit brings down the cost of housing by piecing together grants and incentives while retaining ownership of the land the homes are built on.

The organization named new executive director Nathan Clevenger, a developer with two decades of experience in land acquisition and affordable housing, and new deputy director Eliza Wilson, a regional leader in addressing the housing and homelessness crisis.

“I am humbled to be selected to help lead an organization that is at the forefront of leveraging their experience in construction and community development to create the American dream for hard-working families in Central Oregon,” Clevenger said in a news release.

Most recently, Clevenger was director of land acquisition and development with Portland Habitat for Humanity. He has experience with private and nonprofit collaborations, with experience in land acquisition, finance and community development, according to the release. He believes Central Oregon “can be a national leader in such collaborative models,” the news release stated.

RootedHomes is one of the groups contributing to a slow rise in the number of affordable homes in Bend and other Central Oregon cities. In the last two years the group has broken ground on 81 new units across Bend and Redmond, with the first owners moving in this summer, while other projects have expanded to Prineville.

At an upcoming development on Simpson Avenue in Bend, two and three bedroom homes will be sold between $240,000 and $280,000, well below the median housing price of $772,000.

“My work has always been about building systems that respond to the full spectrum of housing needs—from crisis to stability,” Wilson said. “Joining RootedHomes is a natural extension of that mission, and I’m looking forward to deepening cross-sector partnerships to ensure everyone has access to a safe, affordable place to call home.”

While at RootedHomes, Wilson will continue as the board chair of the Homeless Leadership Coalition, which organizes funding efforts for homelessness projects across the region. The group also runs the annual Point-In-Time Count. She has worked as a program director for J Bar J Youth Services, a provider of youth shelter and other homelessness services.