Low Income Housing Institute

WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Click for Flyer in in Vietnamese, Tagalog, Spanish, Amharic, Tigrinya and Somali.

LIHI will be hosting a virtual community discussion, inviting the public for questions and comments about the MLK Mixed-Use Affordable Housing proposal. All are welcome! Interpreters can be provided upon request. Please note that information gathered will be public record.

Date: August 10^th, 2021
Time: 6:00-7:30pm

Zoom link: //lihi-org.zoom.us/j/98719245936?pwd=dnBlTVdzcjhSTWZWVURjdVFURzlzUT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 987 1924 5936
Zoom Passcode: 456149

Developer: Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI)       

Contact: Aisaya Corbray, Project Manager, Aisaya.Corbray@lihi.org, (206) 957-8052

Project Address: 7529-7544 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. Seattle, WA 98118

For additional information on the project visit the Seattle Services Portal at https://cosaccela.seattle.gov/ SDCI Project #3037135

 

Construction of Progressive Skyway Village, located at 12431 56th Pl S, Seattle is nearly complete and an opening celebration ceremony was held on June 8th. The village, sponsored by the Seattle Word of God Church and sited on church property, has 33 tiny houses for families, couples and singles. The village features plumbed bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, community meeting space, case manager’s and staff offices, entrance pavilion, secured gate and surrounding fence. The village has separate groupings of tiny houses for families, family bathrooms and a children’s rec room.

Seattle Word of God Minister Kathy Taylor, speaking at the opening, said, “We’ve had this land for 2 years now, and we just wanted to be able to be of service to the community. Until we get to the point where we are building our church, we felt it necessary to be able to do something that would serve the community where we sit. And that’s what it’s all about. We are our brother’s keeper, we are our sister’s keeper.”

Rev. Curtis Taylor added, “The Bible tells us that how can you love God who you have not seen, and don’t love your brother who you see everyday. Part of that love is action. Since we’ve been blessed with this property, we found ourselves wanting to be a blessing and help somebody along the way. This is just the first phase of what our ultimate goal is, and that is to have low-income housing on the opposite side of this lot along with our Church.”

Fellow faith leaders were on hand to celebrate the opening, including Rev. Jeffrey of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. Lawrence Willis of Truvine Church, and Rev. Jesse Townsel of Garden of Gethsemane Church of God In Christ.

King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay said, “This just shows you the power of our community, the power of the Skyway community. If you give the people of Skyway the tools and resources they need, and the opportunity to succeed, they will achieve amazing things, and there has never been a better example than this today.”

Former True Hope Village resident Tracy Willams said, “When I walked in there, I had no self esteem, I had no hope. The tiny houses gave me hope and helped me get back on my feet and made me start loving myself all over again. The program does work.”

Mark Ellerbrook, Division Director for King County’s Community and Human Services Department, said, “I’m excited that we have our first tiny home village outside of the City of Seattle, in unincorporated King County, recognizing this is a solution we should be embracing, and I want to see more of this and have our Department and Division do more of this work.”

Sharon Lee said, “We are very happy to open Progressive Skyway Village as LIHI’s first tiny house village located in King County outside of Seattle. Given the large number of homeless people in King County, there is a great need for tiny house villages in north, east and south parts of the county. Thank you to the Seattle Word of God Church for offering their land to shelter people experiencing homelessness in the Skyway community. The Church has stated their interest in developing their land in the future for affordable housing.”

Great thanks to the commitment and generosity of Pastor Curtis Taylor and his wife Minister Kathy Taylor, the Word of God Church congregation, the Skyway Coalition, and King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay. King County provided capital and operating funding.

Heartfelt thanks also to all who donated and volunteered, with special thanks going to Sound Foundations NW, Trinity Construction Builders, JT’s Contracting, Walsh Construction, PACT Program, and other families, organizations, and volunteers who built homes, Dignity for Divas for organizing and donating welcome baskets for the new residents, the International District and Mercer Island Rotary Clubs for donating bedding and hygiene supplies, and the over 50 neighbors and volunteers who helped set up the village over several work parties.

Progressive Skyway Village will be accepting referrals from Skyway-based social service organizations that serve people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness in the Skyway community. The first residents will move in tomorrow, Friday, June 11.

Clockwise from top left: LIHI Staff; the daughters of Rev. and Min. Taylor sang a song of celebration; interior of house with furnishings and welcome basket of essentials; handicapped accessible houses; King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay (left) with Legislative Aide Chandler Gayton; enclosed village with secure entrance and 24/7 staffing; Mark Ellerbrook, King County Community and Human Services Department; mother and daughter Tracy and Audre’ona, who moved from True Hope and T.C. Spirit Villages into LIHI’s Jensen Block and Clay Apts; LIHI’s Theresa Hohman, Min. Kathy Taylor, Rev. Curtis Taylor, Senator Rebecca Saldaña (37th), and Ricky Winbush.

LIHI’s proud commitment to racial equality and justice is demonstrated through the Asian American heroes we have honored by naming our buildings after them.

Denice Hunt Townhomes (1998)
620 N 85^th St., Seattle

Born in Kingston, Jamaica to a mother of Chinese descent and a father of African descent, Denice Johnson Hunt (1948-1997), was an architect, urban planner, historic preservationist, and served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, in which role she was instrumental in the development of the Seattle waterfront, the downtown plan, Benaroya Hall, and the Northwest African American Museum.  Read bio.

Aki Kurose Village (1998)
11506 Stone Ave. N, Seattle

Seattle teacher and tireless peace and social justice activist, Aki Kurose (1925–1998) spent her life advocating on behalf of the neglected, the disadvantaged, and children. She helped establish Seattle’s Head Start program, crusaded for non-discriminatory affordable housing, and won numerous awards for her innovative work as an elementary school teacher. A Nisei, Kurose’s life’s course was altered when she, along with her parents and three siblings, was imprisoned in a World War II U.S. government prison camp. During and after the war, at a Quaker university in Kansas, she adopted a lifelong belief in the Quaker values of peace and nonviolent conflict resolution, which became the foundation for the rest of her life’s varied work.  Read bio.

Cheryl Chow Court (2015)
2014 NW 57th St., Seattle

Cheryl Chow (1946-2013) spent her entire life dedicated to the children and families of Seattle. A proud graduate of Franklin High School and WWU, she became a well-known educator and administrator in many Seattle Public Schools. Cheryl sat on the board of various non-profits, volunteered for 30 years as a girls’ basketball coach and spent over 40 years as director of the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill team. In 1990 She was elected to the Seattle City Council and served two terms. She was also elected to the Seattle School Board where she served one term.  After retiring, Cheryl spent a decade working for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. She was also elected to the Seattle School Board where she served one term.

Cheryl Chow was instrumental in the creation of the Urban Rest Stop in downtown when she was chair of the City Council’s Housing and Human Services Committee. She secured funding for LIHI to purchase the Julie Apartments and to locate the Urban Rest Stop on the first floor. She stood up to NIMBY opposition from a faction of the downtown business community.

Cheryl was also a visionary in getting the Seattle City Council to approve the development of housing for homeless families, youth and singles at the former Sand Point Naval Station at Magnuson Park. Cheryl worked diligently with housing advocates to ensure that homeless people have a place to call home.

The Tony Lee (2018)
2820 NE 127th St., Seattle

For over three decades, including 19 years as Advocacy Director at Solid Ground, Tony Lee (1948-2020) was the state’s leading lobbyist on issues impacting people living on low incomes.

Tony started his career as a lawyer with Evergreen Legal Services launching his work as a leader in the field of multi-racial organizing. In fairly short order, Tony shifted his focus to become a civil rights policy advocate. This was not an intentional career move; rather he explained that he “stumbled” into policy work “by luck.” Tony abandoned the practice of law to spend the bulk of his career as an advocate, focusing his efforts on how to make laws more just and equitable.

Tony readily took on the role of champion to those suffering inequities and injustices from poverty and racism. As Washington State House Representative Frank Chopp describes him, “Tony Lee [was] the conscience of Washington State when it comes to helping poor people.”  Read bio.

An Lạc (2020)
1253 S. Jackson St, Seattle

An Lạc, which means tranquility in Vietnamese, is located in the International District at the gateway to Little Saigon.  LIHI is proud to serve the ID and Little Saigon communities with the affordable housing that An Lạc provides and also thrilled to call this neighborhood home, having recently moved our administrative offices to the ground floors of An Lạc.