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Malisa wears many hats – entrepreneur, mom, and lifelong Washington County community member. As the parent of a six-year-old daughter, she has experienced the same balancing act many families face: being present, making ends meet, and still finding time to build a future. Affordable housing has been a stabilizing force in that equation. As she explains, “living in affordable housing allowed me to do both, grow my business and spend time with my daughter.” Today, Malisa and her family call Dartmouth Crossing North home, an affordable, family-oriented community in downtown Tigard.
Six years ago, when she learned she was pregnant, Malisa began searching for a place to create a safe and nurturing environment for her baby. She had just completed her bachelor’s degree in community health education and knew how important the early years are for a child’s development. Entrepreneurship appealed to her because it offered flexibility and the chance to shape a career around the kind of parent she wanted to be. But she also knew that finding a place on her own would be difficult, made more challenging by her credit history. That’s when she turned to affordable housing.
The two-bedroom apartment she moved into became more than just a home; it became a launchpad. Malisa used the second bedroom as a nursery and a storage room for her business, BBTea Jars. What began as a reusable, customizable glass boba jar soon expanded into zero-waste boba kits and pop-up events throughout the Pacific Northwest. Her business grew alongside her daughter; each milestone built on the stability that affordable housing provided.
After several years in her affordable apartment, Malisa decided to try renting at market rate. But the financial strain became overwhelming. “Being self-employed with a three-year-old, it was just too hard to make ends meet because my rent ate up all my income.” Malisa is candid about the resilience, therapy, and determination it took to navigate back toward a home she could truly afford.
Luckily, Dartmouth Crossing opened in Tigard in June 2025. With 85 apartments designed intentionally for families, the building offered everything she was looking for. She decided to break her market-rate lease a month early and move in. Developed and owned by REACH Community Development, Dartmouth Crossing emphasizes family-centered design: a large community room, a cozy library nook, outdoor play areas, and sustainability features woven throughout the construction.
Dartmouth Crossing received $1.2 million from Washington County in federal HOME funding and half a million dollars in local Housing Production Opportunity Funds to deepen the affordability for very low-income families.
Her family was among the first to move in, and with that transition came a deep sense of relief. Malisa says, “Affordable housing has brought me so many more opportunities, more time, more mental clarity, overall happiness. I’m really glad I am back at REACH!”
Now that she has regained that foundation, Malisa is looking ahead. “It took me ten years to heal myself, but I did the work to take care of my daughter. Ten years ago, I wasn’t even eligible for a debit card because of my poor credit, and now I have an IDA savings account.” Her goals are guided by a desire to help others: whether through work in clean energy and sustainability or by helping people navigate the same housing resources she needed.
Malisa has also started exploring affordable homeownership and is interested in Habitat for Humanity, a partner Washington County funds to support first-time homebuyers. Coming out of Homeownership Month in June, Malisa’s aspirations serve as a reminder of the importance of having affordable housing options across the entire continuum, from rentals to homeownership.
Whatever her next step, Malisa has shown her “reach” is limitless.