What: City and County elected officials and other community leaders will join Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County and partner families for a dedication of its 13-home, eco-friendly South Park Community. This completed project provides 13 hard-working, low-income families the long-term financial stability, independence, and equity-building that homeownership offers.
When: Saturday, October 2 at 10 a.m.
Schedule of Events: Note: media interviews with attendees/partner families can be facilitated.
Welcome
- Brett D’Antonio, Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County
Speakers
- Pastor Kristin Joyner, Pastor of Community Engagement, Bothell United Methodist Church
- Representative David Hackney, 11thLegislative District
- Director, Seattle Office of Housing Emily Alvarado
- Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, District 1
- Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Position 8
- King County Councilmember, Joe McDermott, District 8
- Feasibility and Permitting Manager, Blueprint Capital & Habitat Board Member Lucas DeHerrera
- Habitat Partner Family, Aurora Pacheco
Introduction of Families & Presentation of Sweat Equity Certificates, Keys & Gifts
- Evelin Martinez, Program Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County
Each Partner Family will share remarks:
- Thien Ly Bui
- Ainura Kurmanalieva
- Aurora Pacheco
- Jose and Cindy Chibertoni
- Brandi Jackson
- Bradley Rogers and Roxane Seldon
- Barbara Miller
- Hao Pham and Huong Le
- Chi-Ming Chan
- Janet Otieno
- Mahdiyyah Benjamano
- German Galindo
- Stephen Bender and Nahalen Nasset
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony & Blessing of the Homes
Refreshments & Celebration
Where: 714 South Donovan St., Seattle
Details: The South Park Community project illustrates what is possible by engaging in private-public partnerships: Blueprint Capital assisted Habitat for Humanity of South King County in buying the land for its land trust. It also helped to create the award-winning design of these 2-bedroom, 1.5-bath cottages that landed the project a Best Innovative Design award in the annual Habitat House Design Contest from Habitat for Humanity International. The City of Seattle’s Office of Housing also funded $910,000 for the South Park Community as part of its 2020 permanent supportive housing pilot investments.
Additionally, Habitat for Humanity forged meaningful partnerships with community-led organizations, such as South Park’s Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, to ensure these homeownership benefits are equitable and community-driven. As the cost of a home in South Park has soared – up nearly 25 percent over last year – projects such as the South Park Community give families living at or below 80 percent of the area median income a chance to own a home in this high opportunity area.
Brett D’Antonio, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County, added that utilizing accessory dwelling unit codes allowed it to maximize the development capacity on the site, a double lot which previously housed a single home.
“This project allowed us to address the housing needs of a different family type,” D’Antonio said. “Half of our initial applicants were single mothers with one child, which are nontraditional applicants for our organization, and it underscored the need for this type of tailored housing.”
Square Peg Development served as the project’s contractor. The local company employs hardworking skilled craftsmen, some of whom have histories of criminal justice involvement, addiction recovery or homelessness—giving these tradespeople a chance to reintegrate into society with meaningful jobs.