affordable housing

Volunteer Opportunities Abound at Veterans Build 2024

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Nearly 1.5 million veterans currently pay at least 50% of their income on housing each month, creating a financial strain that makes covering the basics of daily life challenging and puts creating long-term stability through building wealth completely out of reach. 

Starting on November 6, 2024, Habitat for Humanity SKKC will honor veterans during 12 days of volunteer experiences that bring together veterans, military families and their neighbors.  Aimed at bridging the gap from military to civilian life, Habitat’s Veterans Build 2024 will accelerate completion of projects that offer special homeownership opportunities for veterans.

Experiences like Veterans Build 2024 not only help to ease the transition to civilian life, but they provide fulfilling community engagement for veterans and their families. They help build the critical connections to information and resources needed to re-integrate into life out of uniform. The program welcomes volunteers of all skill levels, ages 16 and older, to work alongside veterans to build affordable housing in our communities while developing lasting relationships with the people who’ve sacrificed to serve our nation.

Habitat’s SKKC’s application process provides opportunities to qualified veteran applicants to leverage their VA loans under a special provision. When a veteran buys a Habitat home, we honor their service by providing them with the tools and support they need to build a stable and prosperous future.  

The goal for this year’s Veterans Build is to raise $35,000 and engage nearly 150 volunteers for 9 group workdays, ending November 16.  With an ideal work group of 20 volunteers per site, we invite volunteers from companies, classes, or organizations that are interested in supporting veterans. Groups already participating in Habitat’s Veterans Build 2024 include: Amazon, Slalom, Seattle Seahawks, Prime Electric, Rosen Harbottle, MG2, and Gypsum Management and Supply. To reserve space for a volunteer group, please contact Alex Wyatt: alex.wyatt@habitatskc.org.

Additionally, Habitat SKKC will host a virtual information session for veterans on Tuesday, November 12. The session will provide details on Habitat’s program qualifications, and out how veterans can apply to the homeownership program. To register, contact Marissa London at marissa.london@habitatskc.org.

To find out more about Habitat SKKC’s veterans homeownership program go to: buyhabitat.org/Veterans.

Habitat SKKC Strengthens Its Legislative Impact for the 2025-26 Session

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Habitat for Humanity SKKC found common ground with other Washington State Affordable Housing groups at this year’s Housing Washington conference in Spokane. And according to our Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donohue, the conference was sold out for the first time in its history, evidence that more individuals and organizations are ready to address the housing crisis. “The increased focus on homeownership in the housing continuum is really important and helpful for the health of the continuum overall,” said Ryan.

The annual conference hosted multiple sessions on advocacy and communications, homeownership, multifamily management and development. There were sessions addressing the intersections of housing affordability and wages; the importance of public funding; the role of Black homeownership to support equity in wealth creation, and more. 

We were encouraged to see such incredible alignment with our own Legislative Policy Agenda for 2025-26. 

For the upcoming session, Habitat SKKC will work to encourage funding for proven solutions like the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) and the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP). Building a strong future for Washington requires strategic investments in these programs, because they are essential to expanding affordable housing solutions across Washington. Habitat SKKC has been able to utilize this funding to grow our construction pipeline to over 300 permanently affordable homeownership units in the next five years. Expanding these funding programs will continue to increase the availability of affordable homeownership.

To accelerate progress in affordable homeownership, Habitat will continue to work to implement bold solutions that close the racial homeownership gap. While efforts such as the Black Home Initiative (BHI) and important pieces of legislation like the Covenant Homeownership Account (CHA) represent significant steps forward, closing the racial homeownership gap demands ongoing effort and commitment. It is essential for our leaders to prioritize addressing the harm caused by discriminatory policy-making practices that have directly impacted Black and PoC communities and meet the immediate needs of these communities by tackling the systemic inequities at their core.

Housing Supply is critical to addressing the housing shortage. We will work to support policies that leverage successful solutions to scale up the availability of affordable homeownership opportunities. Elements such as construction loan funds are vital for starting and sustaining affordable housing projects, but accessing these loans remains a challenge for nonprofit developers. The creation of revolving construction loan funds can help overcome these barriers, enabling us to build vibrant, resilient communities.

The path to affordable housing production is layered with regulatory obstacles. Habitat SKKC will work during the coming legislative session to chip away at those obstacles with efforts to create a regulatory environment that actively supports and accelerates affordable housing development. Nonprofit developers face significant challenges due to the steep costs of high tax obligations and liability insurance premiums. Reducing these financial burdens on nonprofit developers like Habitat would make it more feasible to deliver crucial affordable housing solutions. We will, once again, tackle the Sales and Use Tax Exemption and Condo Liability Reform.  

Attending the Housing Washington conference in September has enriched us with connections to other groups focused on solving the State’s affordable housing crisis. Together, we will create a stronger coalition of advocates sharing our goal of assuring that everyone has a safe, decent and affordable place to live. 

To stay informed about Habitat SKKC’s Advocacy initiatives, please sign up for Advocacy Alerts here.

2024 Interfaith Build Draws Record Number of Volunteers 

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More than 100 volunteers from a variety of regional faith and interfaith communities came together at Habitat for Humanity SKKC’s Yarrow Cottages site for five days in September as part of the annual Interfaith Build. Led by long-time Habitat SKKC volunteer Jim O’Farrell, this year’s event hosted the most volunteers of any local Interfaith Build to-date. 

Initiated in response to 9/11 under the name “Together We Build,” dozens of Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, and other interfaith groups have been convening each year to build for the community, overcome the cultural divisions that rise in the wake of violence, and to practice creating a better world together. More than 50 faith communities have participated in local Interfaith Builds since the program’s inception. 

The 2024 Interfaith Build kicked off on September 6, featuring lunchtime speakers Deacon Steve Wodzanowski from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and Reverend Terry Kyllo with Paths to Understanding, and concluded on September 14. When completed this Fall, the Yarrow Cottages will provide 26 hard-working local families with wages less than 80% of the average median income with permanently affordable home ownership opportunities. Yarrow’s homes will feature 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths, brand new appliances, and easy access to parks, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and downtown Seattle.

“The Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Build 2024 showed how much we can achieve when people from diverse faiths come together for a common cause. It wasn’t just about building homes; it was about building connections and fostering understanding between communities,” O’Farrell shared. “As we look to 2025, our focus will be on deepening those relationships, creating more opportunities for dialogue, and ensuring that everyone—no matter their background or skill level—feels welcome and empowered to contribute. Together, we can continue to strengthen the bonds that unite us and make a lasting impact.”

Volunteers from the following faith communities participated in the 2024 Interfaith Build: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Seattle; Beth Am Temple in Seattle; St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Seattle; Paths to Understanding in Bothell; Bear Creek United Methodist Church; Islamic Center of Bothell; Gurudwara Sikh Community of Bothell; Peace Lutheran in West Seattle; Westside Interfaith Network; Queen Anne Lutheran; Northshore Interfaith Group; Interfaith Community Sanctuary; Holy Rosary Catholic Church of West Seattle; and numerous religious, yet unaffiliated individuals.

To view photos of this year’s Interfaith Build click here.

To learn more about next year’s Interfaith Build click here.

Meet Your Giving Goals, Enjoy Tax Benefits, and Provide Funds for Habitat SKKC 

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Not all donations have to be made with cash … non-cash, tax efficient gifts can go even further and help Habitat SKKC to promote self-reliance and stability through affordable housing. Smart giving … what method is most beneficial for you?

Do you own a highly appreciated stock or mutual funds? 

Donating stock, mutual funds, or other appreciated assets can be an extremely tax efficient way to support Habitat. When you donate appreciated assets held for more than one year, you may avoid capital gains taxes and be eligible to take a tax deduction for the full fair market value of the asset.  Habitat makes the gift of stock quick and simple.  Make a stock donation.

Do you have a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)?  

DAF’s allow donors to put a large sum of money, stocks, or crypto into a charitable investment account, get an immediate tax deduction, and pay out donations over time.  DAF’s make it simple to give money already set aside for charity. Give a grant from your DAF today.  

Are you 70 ½ or older with an IRA? 

If you are 70½ years or older, you can give any amount up to $105,000 (2004 limit) from your IRA directly to our cause without having to pay income taxes on the money. For donors 73 and older, you can use your gift to satisfy all or part of your required minimum distribution.  

To make this type of gift, contact your IRA Administrator to request a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).  Provide the account number for the distribution, the amount of the distribution, and indicate that it will satisfy part or all of your required minimum distribution for 2024.  Ask that your name be clearly identified as donor on the face of the check and indicate your intention that the charitable rollover gift complies with the IRS Qualified Charitable Distributions requirements. Provide this information for mailing the check:  

Charity name:  Habitat for Humanity Seattle King & Kittitas Counties

Address:  500 Naches Ave SW, Ste 200, Renton, WA  98057

Contact:  Amy Farrier, 206.456.6943, amy.farrier@habitatskc.org

EIN/Tax ID: 91-1342397

Join us in extending a hand up to families and individuals to build a better, brighter future through homeownership

Join us in Celebrating President Jimmy Carter’s 100th Birthday

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Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties joins with other Habitat affiliates around the world in wishing President Jimmy Carter a very happy 100th birthday. We are honored by President Carter and the late-Mrs. Carter’s incredible legacy of support for affordable housing and home ownership, dating back four decades.

A Brief History: 

  • In March 1984, President and Mrs. Carter worked with Habitat for Humanity in Americus, Georgia. They quickly realized that Habitat’s mission closely aligned with their values, and a partnership was formed. Just a few months later, in September of that same year, the Carters led a Habitat for Humanity work group to New York, serving 19 families in need of safe, affordable housing. That was the inaugural Carter Work Project.
  • For more than 40 years, President Carter has been a champion and strong voice for affordable, decent housing for all.
  • Through 2019, President and Mrs. Carter hosted Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. Although 2019 was the last year that President and Mrs. Carter were able to work on the build site, President Carter has continued support of Habitat for Humanity’s mission through advocacy.
  • Their efforts have helped raise awareness of the critical need for decent and affordable housing in the U.S. and around the world.
  • Inspiring millions, President Carter has worked alongside more than 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes.

Here are several ways everyone can be involved in the celebration:

  • Support the 2024 Carter Work Project. This project will bring together volunteers, homeowners, and supporters to build 30 new homes in The Heights, located in the Twin Cities and led by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
  • Contribute a photo to The Carter Center’s photo mosaic project. Upload a photo and message to create a mosaic that reflects President Carter’s incredible life and legacy.
  • Tune in to watch the Carter Center’s Landmark Concert Event Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song on demand, starting Oct. 1 at 7 PM EDT (learn more here).
  • Join Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties on social media (@HabitatSKC: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X) in wishing President Carter a Happy 100th Birthday!
  • And, if you would like to get involved locally, visit Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties online at www.habitatskc.org to learn about opportunities to volunteer.