Rivermark Community Fund Awards $30,000 Grant to Bienestar for Affordable Housing

Posted by Alyse Knudsen on November 3, 2025

The Rivermark Community Fund has directed its 2025 grant of $30,000 to Bienestar, the Hillsboro-based nonprofit providing safe, stable, and affordable housing for Latinx individuals, immigrants, and families in need across Oregon’s Washington County.

Bienestar will use the unrestricted grant to support core operations, maintain staffing, and adapt to shifting funding conditions. Designed for households earning below 60% of the area median income, the Bienestar housing portfolio includes scarce two-, three-, and four-bedroom units, essential for families with children.

Founded in 1981, Bienestar set out to provide quality housing to farmworkers and their families due to substandard living conditions in migrant camps. Their mission later expanded to address the need for housing and Latinx community services. Bienestar built its first community in 1983 in Forest Grove, Ore. Today, it owns and operates 14 affordable multifamily properties for more than 2,500 residents.

“This grant is an investment in a stronger community,” said Rivermark Community Credit Union‘s Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer Seth Schaefer. “Bienestar demonstrates consistent leadership as a unique and effective catalyst in tackling housing insecurity. Rivermark is delighted to partner with them in making a real difference.”

“We share Rivermark’s commitment to supporting affordable, fair, and equitable housing,” said Bienestar Executive Director Nathan Teske. “We see every day how families and communities thrive when everybody can access a stable home. This investment will help create housing opportunities for renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness.”

Posted in Community Impact, Oregon, Regional Member News, Washington.