Photo by Kiley Dhatt.
History was made this month as Seattle invested $110 million in affordable housing. This announcement marks the largest investment and the most affordable homes ever created in Seattle in one year. The funds will go toward countering the displacement of residents by constructing and redeveloping 1,944 affordable apartments. It’s no secret that the city has grown dramatically and quickly, a rate of change that has impacted low-income communities, families, and people experiencing homelessness.
The news is particularly exciting for Capitol Hill Housing, as the roster of investments includes two of the projects on which we’ve been working diligently. One of these projects, Africatown Plaza, will create affordable housing and a place to celebrate black culture in the Central District for the local African diaspora communities. The other project is Washington state’s first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing.
Capitol Hill Housing has been looking forward to working on the LGBTQ-affirming senior housing for some time now. It is with great joy therefore, that we announce GenPRIDE, our partner on the project, is also joining the Rise Together campaign and collaborative. With a mission to empower LGBTQ+ adults to live with pride and dignity, GenPRIDE will have offices on the ground floor of the building and will coordinate services, healthcare and community programs to support residents as well as the broader community of LGBTQ elders.
GenPRIDE and Executive Director Steven Knipp join Africatown Community Land Trust, Byrd Barr Place, Capitol Hill Housing, Southwest Youth & Family Services and the White Center Community Development Association in Rise Together, a collaborative capital campaign across the Central District, Capitol Hill, and White Center neighborhoods.
Born out of this recognition that our communities face extraordinary growth and a crisis of inequity, the Rise Together collaborative is raising $25 million in grants and donations. These funds will help build seven projects, including the senior LGBTQ housing & community center. Taken together, these projects will result in over 400 new affordable homes alongside space for human services, health care, community, and affordable retail for local business – all while leveraging the power of partnership to build capacity in each organization and neighborhood.
