ROOF Community Services addresses basic community needs by providing a coordinated and collaborative safety net of services to children, youth and families to ensure that basic needs are met and to achieve a healthy, positive, drug-free community in Rochester, a rural and underserved area of Thurston County.
The Rochester Organization of Families began in 1992 as a coalition of TOGETHER! (a Thurston County nonprofit which mobilizes community awareness to prevent youth violence and substance abuse). It was a community response to community problems.
In 1993, ROOF established a community resource center as a multi-service facility of which an after-school and summer program for high-risk children was the major component. ROOF continues to work toward support of children and their families by extended services including Hispanic outreach, ESL classes, parenting classes, utilities and rental assistance to families in need, the ROOF Food Bank, income tax assistance and other annual and ad hoc community activities.
ROOF was incorporated as a non-profit in 2003, and in May 2004, achieved 501(c)(3) status. Formal separation from TOGETHER! was effected in 2004.
The transition to independence is an indication of the success of this initiative and the growing maturity of the organization. ROOF now occupies an area in the new Rochester Community Center, where it shares the facility with the Rochester School District, the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, the Weed and Seed Site Office and other service organizations.