Habitat for Humanity SKKC recently acquired two condos from A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), an organization focused on preserving affordable housing on the Eastside. ARCH is a network of King County and 15 cities in the East King County region, functioning much like Seattle’s Office of Housing, that plays a dual role: ARCH oversees the implementation of city-level housing programs and policies and supports cities in pooling their resources to invest in affordable housing. Habitat SKKC has been one of ARCH’s partners in this mission.
Beyond investments, ARCH also assists cities in crafting and implementing policies around affordable housing, including inclusionary zoning and incentive programs like Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE). Once these policies are adopted, ARCH takes on the responsibility of stewardship to ensure long-term affordability and compliance for both rental and ownership housing.
Currently, ARCH stewards over 800 homes across Eastside cities and unincorporated King County. These homes are governed by affordability covenants that remain with the property. Many of these homes enter ARCH’s portfolio through inclusionary zoning requirements. For example, if a developer in Redmond builds 10 units, one might be designated as resale-restricted. ARCH then manages the pricing, marketing, and resale of that home, ensuring affordability is preserved over time, mush like Habitat SKKC’s land trust model.
Unlike Habitat SKKC, ARCH doesn’t have the capacity to offer wraparound services to homeowners due to limited staffing and high volume. This constraint has led to creative partnerships. Recently, ARCH worked with Habitat SKKC and the City of Issaquah to prevent foreclosure on two homes.
One home needed minor rehabilitation, which ARCH couldn’t fund. Habitat SKKC stepped in, with the City of Issaquah contributing resources for the rehab. The home was then transferred to Habitat SKKC’s portfolio, lowering its affordability threshold from 100% to 80% of the area median income. The second case involved a homeowner trying to sell a condo to avoid foreclosure. Despite receiving offers, buyers couldn’t secure financing due to the building’s lack of Fannie Mae approval. Habitat SKKC’s reputation and ability to secure financing allowed them to purchase the home and prepare it for a new buyer, thus preserving its affordability.
ARCH’s aim is to build more affordable housing faster in East King County, with an eye towards inclusivity. This means focusing on making high-opportunity communities with access to great jobs, resources, parks, and schools more welcoming spaces for moderate- and low-income residents.
ARCH was founded with a commitment to community, and that was cemented through a Community Advisory Board that has been around since the beginning. As their work has evolved, their team has also been thinking beyond the singular Board. They are currently meeting with 18 different community-based organizations to develop a more comprehensive engagement strategy that includes partnership with community-based organizations who can serve as “accountability coaches” to make sure that ARCH is doing right by the community. Their goal is to build a network of community-based organizations that are in a mutually beneficial partnership with ARCH.
Habitat SKKC’s collaborations with ARCH focus on developing affordable homeownership opportunities that align with Habitat’s mission and ARCH’s investment strategy. ARCH’s values align well with our own and make for a partnership that benefits the whole community.