Rooted began by helping individual educators afford housing. Today, we’re building toward something bigger: a new model for educator housing that combines private-market partnerships, nonprofit ownership, financial wellness, public investment, and policy change.

2020 — A pilot. When TRiO launched in 2020, the concept was simple: overcome the Bay Area’s high cost of living via monthly housing stipends to recruit and retain Oakland teachers, particularly new and early-career teachers of color in hard-to-staff areas like STEM and Special Education. This pilot began as an initiative of the Oakland Mayor’s office working in partnership with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), housing providers, donors, Community Development Finance, and Devine & Gong, Inc.

The impact was clear: over the course of just four years, TRiO supported more than 100 Oakland aspiring and new teachers. It helped grow the district’s Teacher Residency program by 212% and increased the number of teacher residents of color even more, by 360%.

This early success only underscored the need for deeper and more sustainable solutions, within and beyond Oakland. We needed a way to secure affordable housing for all educators—especially Black, Latine, and other teachers of color who often face systemic financial inequities and lack of generational wealth—so they could continue serving the communities they call home. In other words, we needed to scale.

2022 — Going independent. TRiO went independent from the Mayor’s office, added programming, and evolved into TRiO Plus. TRiO Plus expanded services to all educators (not just teachers) and launched an online marketplace where participating local housing providers can list units with discounts and benefits just for educators. By discounting and listing through Rooted, housing providers can reduce vacancies, sign great long-term tenants, and support their city.

[PHOTO PLACEHOLDER: slide 4, group of 3 educators]

2025 — Joining the Oakland Fund and becoming Rooted. TRiO Plus became Rooted, a project of The Oakland Fund. The name and the parent organization changed, but the mission remained the same.

2026 — From facilitator to owner. Rooted acquired The Idora, a 33-unit building in Temescal, becoming the first nonprofit in the country to purchase an existing building specifically to convert it into subsidized housing for educators. It’s the first step in a three-year plan to own 150 units for educators in Oakland — moving toward the Oakland Fund’s goal of becoming the nation’s first educator-focused affordable housing developer.

That same push extends to policy: Rooted initiated and co-sponsored AB 1021, state legislation that opens school-district surplus land to workforce housing development.

Across our six year history, we have facilitated over 300 leases for more than 230 unique educators. Leases boast strong renewal rates and help ensure that our educators average under 30% of their income spent on rent.

We’re here to make housing more affordable and accessible for educators, and we’re just getting started.