Many people do not have the English language skills needed to succeed in our neighborhood. The Rockwood English Language Institute is the RCDC initiative that offers free English classes in our community.   Currently operating in partnership with Mt Hood Head Start, our students are mostly young mothers with preschool-aged (and older) children. Their lives are…

We have grown significantly over the past two years. COVID has made it painfully obvious that the multicultural and multilingual population of East Multnomah County was not reached with government social services programs. The community was impacted by COVID more than other parts of the county and was underserved by medical outreach. The normal social…

We have been living in exceptionally tumultuous times. The past two years have been especially challenging for communities like Rockwood. During this difficult season, the Rockwood CDC team has worked diligently to walk alongside the community to listen to their needs and respond accordingly. Since January 1, 2020, we have served over 11,086 individuals through…

East Multnomah County sits outside of Portland. The income disparities are stark. Median Household Income is less than half of what it is in Portland. In just the past eight years, this gap has more than doubled. We have the worst health outcomes, the youngest population, the worst educational attainment, and the lowest incomes of…

Most farmers markets in the Portland metro area are considered “high-barrier.” This means that for farmers to sell their produce, it must be well packaged and, as a result, high priced. The consumers at these markets in Portland are looking for produce with packaging standards that they might see at high end grocery stores such…

We are excited to introduce Rev. Dr. Valerie Holmes as of our senior leadership team. As our new Director of Development, she is leading our fund development and corporate development teams. Dr. Holmes brings over 25 years of experience in grant writing and management, nonprofit management, event management, and community outreach. She worked extensively with…

The 24-hour news cycle has been incredibly sad and exhausting recently. And frankly, we are all in need of some good news. We are so proud of how our team has been present in the midst of what feels like a never-ending health crisis. Would you like a little good news? In communities like Rockwood,…

We are honored to have received the following letter of support from the Oregon Department of Human Services Supplemental Nutrition Program. This support is in direct relation to our work in food systems via the Rockwood Food Systems Collaborative and the soon to be launched Sunrise Farmers Market. This market will provide new systems and…

  COVID-19 has been hard for all of us. Here in Rockwood, this has been an especially challenging time for our community. Compared to all Oregonians, our neighbors have been three times more likely to be infected by the virus which has not been the only challenge our community has faced. On average, Rockwood resident…

Brad Ketch’s office is a community center that almost became a strip club instead. That narrowly averted future shows the kind of investment Rockwood has drawn in recent years. Desperately needed rental housing and community services? Not so much. But now, much of Rockwood — a neighborhood on the fringe of both Portland and Gresham…