Community Collaborations

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

Posted on

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.

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

Posted on

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. 

The Puget Sound Business Journal: Habitat for Humanity breaks ground on condo project in Seattle

Posted on

On an empty lot in South Seattle on Monday, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for its largest single-building multifamily project in the U.S.

The five-story, 58-unit condominium development at 5022 Martin Luther King Jr. Way is intended for first-time homebuyers making less than 80% of area median income.

Brett D’Antonio, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King and Kittitas Counties, called it the most complicated project the organization has done in the Puget Sound region.

“We spent a lot of time over the last two years during pre-development figuring out what changes we need to make to fit our business model to make sure it was successful,” D’Antonio said.

Click the link to read the full article.

Groundbreaking at 5022 MLK Marks Largest Habitat Single Building Project in U.S.

Posted on

On Monday, September 16, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties broke ground on 5022 MLK in the Columbia City neighborhood. With 58 affordable housing units, 5022 MLK is our largest endeavor to date, surpassing the Miller’s Creek 40-home project underway in Burien, where we broke ground in August. 

Slated for completion in Spring of 2028, 5022 MLK is also the largest Habitat for Humanity single building multi-family project in the country—surpassing the previous largest single building project, the 56-unit Sydney House in the Bronx borough of New York. 

In attendance and speaking were Lt. Governor Denny Heck and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, both champions of affordable housing, as well as Lily Kim with Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund and Habitat Homebuyer Elena D. 

5022 MLK capitalizes on smart density design with five stories of condominiums, including five studios, 26 one-bedroom units, and 27 two-bedroom units with homes ranging in size from 370 to 690 square-feet. The project will also include a 2,000 square-foot outdoor courtyard designed to encourage a sense of shared community within the project.

Located in Seattle’s culturally and economically diverse Columbia City neighborhood, 5022 MLK is a Transit Oriented Development (TOD). The site is located just two blocks from the Columbia City Light Rail Station for easy access to jobs, schools, restaurants, and services. Legislative work conducted by Habitat SKKC in 2023 helped to make the project possible by securing a $6 million investment from Washington State.

As with all new home projects developed by Habitat SKKC in King County, this community will offer families making less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) affordable homes with mortgages set at no more than 35% of their incomes. The property will be placed in a Land Trust ensuring permanent affordability for future generations. In an area with average home prices at $850,000 and rising, these homes will ensure that families with low incomes continue to have a place to build lives in Seattle for generations to come. 

The 5022 MLK project was made possible through the support of Washington State, The City of Seattle, Washington State Department of Commerce, Amazon and the National Housing Trust, Washington Trust Bank, and the Washington State Department of Ecology.